The NCP ERC – Our Services

Established by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the National Contact Point European Research Council (NCP ERC) supports you to prepare, apply for and conduct ERC projects confidentially and free of charge.

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The National Contact Point European Research Council (NCP ERC) advises researchers on Horizon Europe's funding programme for scientific excellence. Established by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the NCP ERC’s task is to support you to prepare, apply for and conduct ERC projects. All services are provided free of charge and are subject to confidentiality.

Since 2014, the NCP ERC has been jointly managed by the BMBF’s EU-Bureau and the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations (KoWi).

Logos EU Bureau of the BMBF, NCP ERC and KoWi

Our central services provide information and individual advice on European Research Council (ERC) funding schemes.

We pre-screen draft proposals upon request. As a rule, we accept draft proposals up to three weeks before the official ERC submission deadline.

Thanks to our close cooperation with the BMBF and the ERC Executive Agency, we can provide you with up-to-date, comprehensive and insightful information regarding the ERC in Horizon Europe and regarding political developments taking place in the background. Our newsletter provides you with up-to-date information on calls for proposals and events.

Additionally, the NCP ERC supports applicants with their preparations for the interview part of the ERC application process by offering interview trainings for each individual funding scheme.

You can find important questions and answers about the ERC, applications and about conducting an ERC project on our FAQ.

All relevant documents for current proposal calls, lists of panel chairs and panel members of past calls as well as ERC publications can be found on our document page.

We also offer a wide range of (both on-site and online), ERC events such as:

  • information events about the ERC,
  • events for potential applicants in current proposal calls,
  • interview trainings and
  • information and exchange events about project implementation as well as project management related legal and financial issues.

We are also happy to appear as speakers at your own events. Please contact us if you are planning an ERC event and would like to involve us in it.

Do you have any further questions? You can find an overview of our team here.