Supporting the ERC applications

Conditions and Procedure for Mobilitas 3.0 “Support for applying for an ERC grant” activity

What do we do and what is the aim of our activity?

The Estonian Research Council (ETAG) supports researchers who have reached the second round of the ERC Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, or Synergy Grant competitions (for Synergy Grant, the third evaluation round) but have not received funding from the European Research Council. We offer these researchers the opportunity to continue their research in Estonia and to improve their application for resubmission in subsequent ERC grant application rounds.

The aim of this activity is to increase the number of ERC grant holders in Estonia, as ERC grants are among the most prestigious in the scientific world, and so far, Estonian researchers have had low success rates in applying for them. The more international high-level grant holders there are in Estonia, the more attractive Estonia is as a research country, and the more successful Estonia will be in participating in European Horizon initiatives.

Who qualifies for support?

To qualify for cost reimbursement, a researcher must participate in an ERC grant competition, reach the second evaluation round and receive an evaluation grade of A, yet still not receive funding from the European Research Council. Subsequently, the institution and the researcher must submit an application to the Estonian Research Council via the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS) on the appropriate form. The application must include information on the objectives, results, impact, budget, and schedule. Additionally, it must detail the project's relation to the unfunded ERC grant application and the preparation for a new ERC grant application, including the type of ERC grant to be applied for. While support can be applied for projects in all fields, the application must show how the project contributes to the focus areas of the TAIE development plan.

Focus Areas of the TAIE Development Plan

The TAIE development plan focuses on research, development, innovation, and business areas prioritized in collaboration with the state, companies, and research institutions to meet Estonia's development needs and opportunities. These areas are:

1. Digital solutions in every field of life.
2. Health technologies and services.
3. Valorization of local resources.
4. Smart and sustainable energy solutions.
5. A viable Estonian society, language, and cultural space.

The application must clearly indicate the focus area the project contributes to and how.

For more detailed information on the focus areas and roadmaps of the TAIE, please visit the dedicated page introducing the focus areas and roadmaps.

How much is the support and for how long is it intended?

Costs are reimbursed based on unit prices and depend on the current rates of state-funded personal research grants. In 2025, the support amount is 117,000 euros per year (9750 per month), of which the support is 86.58% (101 298,6 euros), and 13.42% (15 701,4 euros) is co-financing (direct costs of the project are 93,600 euros, and indirect costs are 23,400 euros).

Costs are reimbursed for up to 1.5 years per project, but not longer than until the start of the ERC project, in case the resubmitted application receives a positive funding decision.

When can the support be applied for?

Applications can be submitted continuously throughout the year, according to the results of the ERC grant competitions. The application must be submitted no later than six months from the official publication of the ERC evaluation result.

For more detailed information about European Research Council (ERC) grants, please visit here.

What are the requirements for project staff?

• If the application is approved, the principal investigator must work at the institution for at least 0.8 FTE under an employment contract during the project’s implementation, with the workplace located in Estonia. Their salary will be covered fully or partially by project funds. In exceptional cases (e.g., working as a doctor, caring for a relative, illness, etc.), ETAG may consider the principal investigator eligible with a workload of less than 0.8 FTE, as long as it does not jeopardize the successful implementation of the project.
• Throughout the project period, at least one additional researcher must be involved, who is either a PhD student or works in a registered research and development institution, higher education institution, or public or private sector institution in Estonia, with a workload of at least 0.2 FTE.
• The principal investigator cannot be replaced after the application has been submitted or during the funding period. In the case of a suspension or termination of the principal investigator’s employment contract with the institution, their rights and obligations will not be transferred to other project participants.

Contact:
Allan Padar
Head of Research Mobility
+372 5686 6722
allan.padar@etag.ee

Conditions and procedure for applying for and processing support for participation in the ERC
mentoring initiative

What is the purpose of the support?

The purpose of this activity is to support researchers in applying for the European Research Council (ERC) grant by providing an opportunity to receive guidance from international experts who mentor and advise ERC grant applicants.

The ERC mentoring initiative is a European Research Council initiative aimed at involving international mentors to support researchers in applying for the ERC grant. For more detailed information about ERC grants, click here (link).

Who can apply for the support?

The support allows for the reimbursement of expenses for mentors participating in the ERC mentoring initiative.

Support can be applied for by a researcher who has:

• prepared an ERC grant application and wants to receive feedback from a mentor;
• submitted an ERC grant application, reached the interview stage, and wishes to conduct a mock interview.

What is the amount of the support?

ETAG will pay the mentor's fee for participating in the mentoring initiative up to 500 €.

How to apply?

• Applications are submitted continuously throughout the year.
• The institution must submit an expression of interest to the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) no later than three weeks before the ERC grant submission deadline or before the ERC interview takes place. ETAG will then provide the applicant with a list of possible mentors.
• The mentor and the researcher will agree on the mentoring initiative and submit the relevant information to ETAG, after which ETAG will open the application form in the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS).
• ETAG will review the application received in ETIS and, if the application is approved, will enter into a service contract with the mentor and reimburse the mentor's fee. The application for support to participate in the ERC mentoring initiative is submitted on the appropriate form in ETIS.