The European Research Council (ERC) has announced a record level of interest in its Starting Grants 2026 competition. The call for applications closed on 14 October 2025, and preliminary figures show that 4,807 proposals were received—a 22.4% increase compared to last year’s call, which itself had seen a 13% rise from the previous round.
The number of applicants from outside Europe has also reached new heights. This year, 246 applications came from researchers based outside the continent – a 55% jump from 2024. Notably, 169 applicants hail from the United States, nearly three times the number received from the US last year.
https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/starting-grants-2026-applications-facts-and-figures