ERC starter grant success rate set to fall below 5%

The success rate for European Research Council (ERC) starter grants is expected to fall below 5% in the latest application round, its lowest level since the programme began in 2007, ERR reports. Researchers warn that competition has become so intense that review panels’ decisions risk resembling a lottery.

The ERC supports basic research in the European Union with nearly 3 billion euros a year. A starter grant offers an early-career researcher a budget of 1.5 million euros over five years.

The latest round received 7,710 applications, a 60% increase in a year. But amid budget cuts, the ERC will award only 373 grants, down from 421 last year. The round’s budget also fell from 705 million euros to 594 million euros.

Several factors have contributed to the rise in applications. The ERC recently changed its eligibility rules, allowing researchers who earned their PhD up to 10 years ago to apply. Previously, the eligibility window was two to seven years after the doctorate, bringing thousands more researchers into the pool.

Researchers also point to the growing use of artificial intelligence. Language models can help applicants write and format proposals much faster, ERC President Maria Leptin said. But she warned that researchers relying on the same algorithms could produce a mass of similar, empty content. The ERC cannot currently determine precisely how much of the new applications was written by machines.

The larger application pool is also increasing the workload for review panels. Some must assess more than 250 proposals, compared with 50 to 150 previously. Leptin said the ERC had removed the requirement to discuss every project in depth to save reviewers’ time, leaving detailed analysis to their discretion.

A last resort for researchers

National and regional budget cuts are pushing researchers to seek more support from large European funds. Nicola Dengo, a former president of Eurodoc, described European funding as a “golden ticket” that is attracting researchers from countries that might not otherwise look to Europe.

Molecular biologist Lynn Kamerlin of the Georgia Institute of Technology pointed to the United States, where researchers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure funding, prompting some to apply to the ERC.

Amanda Crowfoot, secretary general of the European University Association, told News Tank Academic that the current review system risks losing its purpose. If the success rate drops below 5%, she said, the time and money spent preparing an application may no longer be justified.