ERC Proof of Concept
Grants for ERC frontier research main grants recipients
Researchers who have already received ERC funding and now want to explore the commercial or societal potential of their research can now apply for an ERC Proof of Concept Grant.
All Principal Investigators who have a current ERC grant or one that ended after January 1, 2024 (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy) are eligible to apply.
Proof-of-Concept Grants include a lump sum of EUR 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
The ERC assumes that proof-of-concept activities should normally be completed within 12 months. However, to accommodate projects that require more preparation time, Grant Agreements are signed for 18 months. Extensions of the duration can only be granted in exceptional cases.
Next deadline: 18 September 2025
Please contact support@research.uzh.ch as early as possible if you intent to apply.
Written confirmation from the research institution and budgeting
To submit an application, you need a written confirmation from the research institution.
At UZH, you will receive the confirmation letter via the approval process in AVA, the UZH third-party funding platform.
On AVA you will also find help with budgeting your project.
Please contact the responsible persons at the institute, seminar or clinic at an early stage to discuss aspects of the scientific connection as well as the available resources (premises, infrastructure, etc.).
You can register on AVA with your UZH login (short name and password).
If you do not (yet) have a UZH login, an administrative employee of the host institution can enter the project data in AVA on your behalf and then send you the confirmation letter.
Alternatively, a guest UZH login can be requested via the institute's IT manager.
Once the approval process has been completed, you can download the confirmation letter as a PDF.