Interview Trainings Synergy Grants

The interview is an important part of the ERC evaluation process. Here you can find out how the National Contact Point ERC can support you in this process.

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The National Contact Point ERC supports ERC Synergy Grant interview candidates in preparing for their interviews, which will take place in Brussels.

We offer the interview training sessions online. Each training session can host two Synergy Grant Groups. These sessions are open to all domains. The two groups will have a maximum of two and a half hours together to simulate their interviews. In addition to two colleagues from the NCP ERC, the mock panel for an online training should definitely be supplemented by colleagues from the Synergy Grant Group. Please ensure that your group is responsible for gathering a mock panel. Ask peers, team members, and administrative support from your institution.

The dates are limited and primarily aimed at ERC Synergy Grant Groups with a German corresponding host institution that have received an invitation to the interview. If you are a group without a German corresponding host institution but with German participation, please register for the waiting list. If there are still places available, you are welcome to move up. Please attend the interview training as a complete Synergy Grant Group.

You will receive an invitation link for the video conferencing tool a few days before the online training. We use WebEx for this purpose. Please ensure that the dial-in link is available to all PIs of your Synergy Grant Group and forwarded to all mock panel members you have organized.

The following dates are available for online training:

Please note that two different registration systems are used and the training sessions are checked for duplicate registrations. Please register for only one training session and coordinate within your Synergy Grant Group to avoid double registrations.

Registration opens on July 29, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

Please read the notes below on the two different procedures before registering, as the NCP ERC is represented by two institutions: the EU Office of the BMFTR at the DLR Project Management Agency and the EU Liaison Office of the German Research Organizations (KoWi).

DLR-PT Dates:

Link to registration

  • Monday, 18.08., 10:00-12:30
  • Wednesday, 20.08., 13:00-15:30
  • Tuesday, 26.08., 10:00-12:30
  • Thursday, 28.08., 13:00-15:30

KoWi Dates:

Important Notes for Registration for DLR-PT Trainings

Registration is done through the online system Invitario. To complete your registration successfully, please upload the following documents (supported formats: pdf, ppt, doc, docx, jpg):

  • B1 part of your ERC application
  • Your invitation to the interview

Additionally, you should upload Annex I of your invitation as soon as it is available. Annex I may be sent after the invitation. Use the personalized access link and confirm the upload with "Save".

You can also voluntarily upload the draft of your interview presentation via the personalized access link.

Important Information for Registration

  • Registration is only possible if the B1 part of the application and the interview invitation have been uploaded.
  • Each person can register for only one appointment.
  • Registration is done with a personal email address, which serves as identification. Multiple registrations with the same email address are not possible.
  • The registration pages remain open until the training sessions, allowing you to adjust your registration if necessary and upload Annex I of your invitation and possibly your presentation once available.

After Registration

After your registration, you will receive a confirmation email. Within 2-3 working days, we will review your documents (B1 part and interview invitation) and inform you of the status of your registration:

  • Confirmation: You will receive a binding confirmation for the training.
  • Waiting list: If no places are available, we will inform you that you are on the waiting list. If a place becomes available, we will inform you.

Availability of Dates

The training sessions are often quickly booked out. If an appointment is no longer displayed in Invitario, it is fully booked. If other dates are available, you can make an alternative selection. You will receive a binding confirmation after our review.

Cancellation

If you cannot attend, simply cancel via your personalized access link. Confirm the cancellation by clicking the "Deregistration" button.

Important Notes for Registration for KoWi Trainings

The EU Liaison Office of the German Research Organizations (KoWi) uses the event registration platform idloom for registration for the Synergy Grant interview training sessions.

For each interview training session, there is a specific registration link. Please register for your desired date and then send us the following two documents via email (interviewtrainings@kowi.de) (possible formats: pdf, ppt, docx, jpg):

  • B1 part of your ERC application (document name: Last Name_B1) and
  • Your invitation to the interview (document name: Last Name_Invitation)

Please also send us Annex I of the interview invitation as soon as it is available. Annex I is usually sent a few weeks after the actual invitation and contains all the panel's requirements regarding your interview.

If you wish, you can also send us the draft of your presentation for the interview in advance of the training.

After registration, you will receive an automated confirmation from idloom that your registration was successful. Once the training dates are fully booked, we will check if the necessary documents (invitation and B1) are available. You will then receive a binding confirmation or notification of placement on the waiting list or a rejection. If all dates are fully booked (you will receive a corresponding message from the system), please register for the waiting list. Please note that placement on the waiting list does not guarantee participation; if a corresponding place becomes available at the given dates, you will be notified.

Note for All Trainings

The NCP ERC reserves the right to exclude participants from the training until the day of the training if the required documents have not been submitted or other participation requirements are not met.

Contact Persons of the NCP ERC for Further Questions:

For DLR-PT registration:

For KoWi registration: