Switzerland and the ERC Starting Grants 2021

The ERC awards first Starting Grants under Horizon Europe. Direct funding can be provided by the Swiss government for awardees with a Swiss Host Institution.

On 10 January 2022, the European Research Council (ERC) published the results of the ERC Starting Grants Call 2021. The ERC Starting Grants support researchers to start their independent research team or programme and are due to their international recognition and considerable funding, one of the highest accomplishments for early-career researchers. Participants with German Host Institutions were with 72 proposals, the most successful participants in the 2021 ERC Starting Grants call, followed by France with 53 proposals, the UK with 46 proposals, and the Netherlands with 44 proposals. Participants with Host Institutions in Switzerland were together with Italy, the fifth most successful group, both with 28 proposals for funding.

As Switzerland is currently considered a non-associated third country in Horizon Europe, researchers from Switzerland are not eligible for participation in mono-beneficiary instruments, including the individual grants of the ERC, namely, the ERC Starting Grants, the ERC Consolidator Grants, and the ERC Advanced Grants. However, special rules apply to the ERC Starting Grants 2021 and the ERC Consolidator Grants 2021 as these calls were closed when Switzerland was not yet considered a non-associated third country, and due to the portability of grants.

When Switzerland was considered a non-associated third country from mid-2021, the ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) informed applicants of ERC Starting Grants 2021 or Consolidator Grants 2021 with a Host Institutions in Switzerland that ERCEA will continue evaluations. This decision was linked to the portability of these grants, as the Host Institutions can still be changed until the Grant Agreement is signed. Therefore, applicants have the possibility to find a new eligible Host Institution in case their proposal is selected for funding.

In a letter signed by State Secretary Martina Hirayama, the Swiss State Secretariat for Research, Education and Innovation (SERI) offers direct funding to researchers with positively evaluated ERC Starting Grants 2021 and ERC Consolidator Grants 2021, in case they decide to stay at a Swiss Host Institution.

Consequently, the awardees of the ERC Starting Grants 2021 with a Swiss Host Institution have to choose between the following two options: i. They can either stay at the Swiss institution and SERI will provide the funding, or pursue the grant at an institution in an EU Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe. In this latter case, the applicant can receive the ERC Starting Grant 2021.

The Swiss government remains committed to its goal of a full association to Horizon Europe and other related programmes and initiatives for the period 2021-2027 as soon as possible. SERI provides regular updates on the status of Switzerland vis-à-vis Horizon Europe and related EU programmes and initiatives on its website.