Actions du CERCle (Club des ERC)

Le Conseil européen de la recherche (ou European Research Council, ERC) finance, au sein de l'Union européenne, des projets de recherche exploratoires et risqués. C'est un programme "scientifique blanc" dédié à la recherche à la frontière de la connaissance dont, l’unique critère de sélection est l’excellence scientifique.

Le 15 mai 2017, Aix-Marseille Université et ses partenaires, le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), l’Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), l’Institut pour la recherche et le développement (IRD) et le Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA), ont lancé officiellement le CERCle, Club des ERC rejoint en 2018 par Ecole Centrale. Leur ambition est d’impulser une politique de site partagée pour soutenir les candidatures d’enseignants-chercheurs et de chercheurs au programme de l’European Research Council (ERC), marqueur fort de l’excellence scientifique. 

Objectifs : 

• Améliorer l’accompagnement des candidats ERC sur le site, depuis la détection jusqu’à l’oral. Un accent particulier sera mis sur les chercheurs et enseignants-chercheurs en humanités
• Assurer l’animation du CERCle - le Club des ERC du site d’Aix Marseille

Modalités :

Les activités du CERCle, initiées depuis 2017, seront élargies et améliorées à partir de 2025, avec en priorité :

• Préparation à l'oral : mobilisation d'experts du site, de membres de panels, de membres du PCN et de prestataires externes. Une session de préparation à l’oral sera organisée par appel si des candidats sont sélectionnés et en expriment le besoin. Les oraux peuvent se dérouler à distance si faire venir des candidats sur le site est trop coûteux
• Accompagnement des SHS : adaptation de la formation externalisée ERC, en mobilisant les lauréats SHS du site et hors site (vivier ONR) et des prestataires spécialisés
• Formations, événements, valorisation : renforcement de l’accompagnement existant
• Organisation de sessions plénières : dans la continuité de l’existant, le cas échéant en renforçant les actions de communication
• Communication : amélioration de la visibilité de l'offre d'accompagnement de la MER et du site pour les externes qui sont candidats ERC prospectifs en la mettant en avant sur les sites des unités/laboratoires

All events are conducted in english.

1. Info Sessions (Online – Registration Required)

Advanced Grants- Registration is now closed

📅 February 18th 2026 
🌍 Online
🔹 Overview of funding opportunities and key success factors
🎯 Target: Researchers who have defended their first PhD >15 years prior to call deadline
🔗 Registrations are closed

Starting Grants - Registration is now closed

📅 April 1st 2026 
🌍 Online
🔹 Overview of funding opportunities and key success factors
🎯 Target: Researchers between 0-10 years after their first PhD
🔗 Registrations are closed

Consolidator Grants

📅 September 7th 2026
🌍 Online
🔹 Overview of funding opportunities and key success factors
🎯 Target: Researchers between 5-15 years after their first PhD
🔗 Register here!

Synergy Grants

📅 Date to be determined
🌍 Online
🔹 Overview of funding opportunities and key success factors
🎯 Target: Researchers with a proposed research that cannot be carried out by a single PI working alone.
🔗 Registration link coming soon

2. Writing Workshops (In Person – Limited Spots)

Writing workshops are dedicated to researchers currently applying or wishing to apply to one of the research institutes in the Aix Marseille perimeter. Participants bring their own project proposals and ideas and learn to structure them in line with the ERC grant types. 

Requirements: to have a well drafted idea and proposal, to be engaged in an application process to an ERC upcoming call, to be eligible to that call, and to have sent the required written documents to the trainer a few weeks before the workshop (e.g., hypothesis, reply to some questions sent by the coach…). A selection of participants will take place a few weeks before the event, paying attention to achieve a reasonable balance among gender, topics, tutelles, other diversity aspects.

Advanced Grants - Registration is now closed

📅 April 7th 2026 
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Hands-on guidance to refine your proposal
🎯 Target: Advanced-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Registrations are closed

Starting Grants - Registration is now closed

📅 June 1st 2026 
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Hands-on guidance to refine your proposal
🎯 Target: Early-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Registrations are closed

Consolidator Grants

📅 October 16th 2026 
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Hands-on guidance to refine your proposal
🎯 Target: Mid-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Register here! (until September 27th)

SHS focused workshop - Registration is now closed

📅 June 1st 2026 
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Hands-on guidance to refine your proposal
🎯 Target: Early and Mid-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Registrations are closed

Synergy Grants

📅 Date to be determined 
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Hands-on guidance to refine your proposal
🎯 Target: Early and Mid-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Registration link coming soon

3. How to pick your panel: (Online – Registration Required)

Those workshops are open to prospective applicants for ERC calls and consist of a 1-hour online session. The “How to pick your panel” workshop is dedicated to questions about panel choice, ERC, free keywords, and finding funded ERC projects. It helps researchers strengthen their panel choice strategy and writing orientation. It is complementary to the writing workshop. 

Advanced Grants - Registration is now closed

📅 April 15th 2026 
🌍 Online
🔹 Panel analysis and guidance on choosing a strategic panel
🎯 Target: Advanced-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
 🔗 Registrations are closed

Starting Grants

📅 June 10th 2026 
🌍 Online
🔹 Panel analysis and guidance on choosing a strategic panel
🎯 Target: Early-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Register here!

Consolidator Grants

📅 October 26th 2026 
🌍 Online
🔹 Panel analysis and guidance on choosing a strategic panel
🎯 Target: Mid-career researchers actively preparing a proposal
🔗 Register here!

4. ERC Masterclass (In Person – Limited Spots)

📅 Summer 2026 (To be confirmed)
📍 Marseille, France
🔹 Insights from ERC laureates, panel members & the former French ERC NCP coordinator, with exercises, round tables
🎯 Target: Researchers applying for the ERC grants
🔗 

Secure your spot now and boost your chances of success! 🚀

If you have any questions, contact us at: hugo.fresson@mission-europe-recherche.fr