ERC Incubator

The ERC Incubator is a pilot program to support male and female researchers in the social sciences and humanities who wish to apply for an ERC grant at the University of Warsaw.

The ERC Incubator is an activity aimed at all male and female researchers in the social sciences and humanities interested in applying for a European Research Council (ERC) grant. The aim of the program is to identify the most promising ideas for ERC-funded research projects and to provide adequate support to those who are already preparing a grant application in the competition or plan to apply for funding in the near future.

Elements of the support program

1. Assignment of a scientific mentor – from among previous ERC competition winners and panelists.
2. Assignment of a science manager to assist the applicant in the preparation of the application and provide administrative support, as well as to identify available funding sources for activities supporting the preparation of the application.
3. Cooperation with the Office for International Research and Liaison, including identifying potential reviewers of the proposal and arranging meetings with them, support in the preparation of the competition documentation and budget consultation.
4. Possibility of obtaining funds of up to 20 000.00 PLN for complementary activities supporting the preparation of the application.

Circulation of documents

The condition for joining the program is to send an application to the email address research.managers+inkubator@uw.edu.pl. The elements of a complete application should be:

1. CV of the applicant / candidate.
2. A brief description of the research project idea (1-2 pages) that would be the basis of the ERC grant application.
3. Cost estimate with a plan for the use of funds received from the Incubator (up to 20 000.00 PLN).
4. Information about the ERC call in which the applicant plans to apply.

On the basis of the applications, the committee will select researchers who will be included in an individual support program in the ERC grant application process. Successfully selected projects will receive the support of a research manager, a scientific supervisor and financial support, while all those who send a complete application to the above-mentioned email address will receive a review of their project prepared by the selection committee. Candidates not qualified for the Incubator will also receive information about other possible sources of funding for the idea or tools for improving scientific potential to apply for an ERC grant in the future.

Schedule

Recruitment is conducted on a continuous basis. It is recommended to submit an application at least six months in advance of the planned ERC call.

Settlement

Allocated funds are to be settled within 30 days of the completion of the tasks planned in the application, but no later than by 30 November 2025. A substantive settlement (a short description of the task completed) should be accompanied by a statement of the costs incurred (a printout from SAP) signed by the Faculty/Unit Quaestor’s Representative and the Dean/Director of the Faculty/Unit. The statement should be sent to the e-mail address research.managers+inkubator@uw.edu.pl.

• specimen of the settlement form (MS Word, < 1 MB)

Rules for disbursement of funds

The use of ERC Incubator funds is coordinated by research managers. The decision to allocate funds to a specific project is made by the IDUB Program Manager at the request of the research manager in charge of the awardee after consultation with committee members on the basis of a cost estimate prepared by the applicant indicating the purpose and amount of funding requested.

The program is also open to researchers from outside the UW who declare that they will submit an ERC application indicating the UW as the host of the grant.