Proposal review & editing
ERC cog
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European Research Council consolidator Grant
SCOPE
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The ERC Consolidator Grant call is aimed at researchers with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD (extensions apply for certain cases), with a scientific track record showing independence and an excellent research proposal. In order to obtain one of these grants the applicant must not only show that his/her project is truly groundbreaking, but also that he/she carries the intellectual and creative capacity to successfully implement it.
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For an ERC Grant application to capture the attention and curiosity of the evaluators it must be timely as well as original - the evaluators are looking for unconventional projects that show capacity to open up new research horizons. In such a competitive landscape it is extremely important that all aspects of the proposal have been contemplated and perfected - there is no room for details to be overlooked or messages to be misinterpreted.
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Below I have selected and summarized a few of the aspects that I look for when reviewing an ERC CoG application.
Key review aspects
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Focus: That the proposal presents ERC research “signatures”, being: Ambitious (introducing important scientific advancements, through world-class research); Unique (proposing novel concepts and methodologies, going beyond the state-of-the-art); Breakthrough (potential to introduce a change not only in the specific field, but also in adjacent ones); Interdisciplinary (research crossing the traditional boundaries between fields); Open-ended (enabling new research avenues, beyond the direct and specific outcomes of the project), etc.
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Objectives: That they are well defined and in line with the signatures mentioned above; make sense for the project as a whole; do not give the impression of a fragmented project; carry different levels of risk, etc.
Feasibility and risk: That there is a balance between the high risk aspects of the project, the potential impact of the research and the leadership/intellectual capacity of the candidate; any previous results are presented in such a way that they do not cause the project to be considered incremental research, etc.
Structure/language/flow: That the proposal structure/organization is optimized, taking into consideration the ERC evaluation criteria; there is clear link between the different project components (aim/ objectives/ WPs/ tasks/ etc.); the language is clear, convincing and that the importance of the project is emphasized, without being “sensationalist”; there is a “flow” in the language to help facilitate the evaluator´s work, etc.
Choose the right scheme for you
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I tailor my services to each candidate´s individual needs, be it a single thorough review of an advanced draft, or continous back-and-forth reviews and support all the way up to the official deadline.
Contact me for more details.