If you have taken a break from your scientific career to care for your child as a parent, you may be concerned about how this affects your eligibility to apply for ERC grants.
The ERC Scientific Council recognizes the importance of promoting diversity and work-life balance in science and has accordingly implemented generous extension regulations for parental leave.
What are the rules?
The eligibility period can be extended beyond 7 and 12 years, after the defence of the PhD, for the Starting and Consolidator Grants, respectively.
For Advanced Grants the track record considered can be extended.
This extension is only applicable if the parental leave is properly documented and started before the call deadline.
Maternity leave:
- 18 months extension for each child born before or after the date of successful defence of the PhD degree.
- When longer maternity leave is taken, the eligibility period can be extended by the documented amount of actual leave taken for all children before the call deadline.
Paternity leave:
- Extension by the documented time of paternity leave taken before the call deadline for each child born before or after the date of successful defence of the PhD degree.
What to submit and when?
You can apply for an extension of the eligibility window by filling out the Part A form and submitting it along with the necessary documents.
Maternity leave:
- A birth certificate is sufficient.
Paternity leave:
- An official document that shows the exact amount of leave you've taken for all your children before the call deadline.
- This document can come from your employer or state welfare office.
Some testimonials
Kinga Kamieniarz-Gdula speaks about how the ERC's extension rules for parents were crucial in her consideration of applying for a Starting Grant, as it provided her with an additional three years to apply.
Christian Müller shares his perspective on how the ERC's parental leave policy gave him peace of mind that his family obligations would not hinder his career prospects.
Anna Laura Pisello highlights how the ERC's extension rules for parents have eliminated the need for talented individuals to make a choice between their personal and professional priorities.
More questions?
If have questions about your specific situation, please send an email through this contact form to the functional mailbox that relates to the call that you are applying to.