An international survey of European Research Council (ERC) grant recipients offers new insights into the motivations, barriers, and conditions surrounding the inception and implementation of cutting-edge research projects. Based on responses from researchers across Europe, the study reveals the factors behind success in this highly competitive program and the role played by the institutional environment.
In 2025, the National Education Fund conducted an international survey among European Research Council (ERC) grant holders. The result is a unique dataset capturing the experiences of top scientists in preparing and implementing projects within one of Europe’s most prestigious grant programs. The study presents the first comprehensive analysis of this data and offers a basic overview of the main findings across participating countries.
The questionnaire focused on several key areas: the origin of the idea to submit an ERC project, researchers’ personal motivations, available support during application preparation, success factors, and the difficulties researchers encounter during the grant process. The survey also seeks to capture the broader context of national research support systems and their relationship to the ERC environment. The results thus provide an analytical framework for interpreting researchers’ experiences in relation to institutional capacities and support mechanisms in European science.
Securing a grant is only begining
The analysis shows that securing an ERC grant is only the beginning of a demanding project phase. Principal investigators often juggle multiple roles simultaneously—from leading the research team and strategic project management to handling administrative tasks. The most significant problem cited by respondents is the heavy workload associated with the role of principal investigator. Another major challenge is recruiting and retaining qualified team members, as well as the varying levels of institutional support across different countries.
The results also suggest that the institutional environment plays a significant role in the implementation of ERC projects. In addition to the quality of infrastructure and administrative support, researchers’ work can be complicated by, for example, rigid internal rules or limited flexibility in the use of funds. In some countries, psychosocial aspects associated with high levels of stress or burnout, which accompany the management of large research projects, are also emerging.
The study’s authors emphasize that, given the diversity of European research and development systems, general conclusions must be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, the survey provides valuable insight into the attitudes and experiences of researchers who share the common experience of success in the ERC program. The data collected will be further utilized in follow-up analyses, including a planned study comparing the experiences of Czech researchers with practices in more successful European countries.
The study is available in the Zenodo repository (in Czech only).
The analysis was professionally prepared by
Mgr. Zdeňka Šímová, Mgr. Markéta Tučková, Mgr. Martin Spurný
National Training Fund, o.p.s.
Opletalova 25, 110 00 Praha 1
Web: www.nvf.cz
