Frontier Knowledge for Future Gain: Why the European Research Council Matters

There are many implications, and potential scenarios, for the future of UK research, including in the humanities and social sciences, when the UK exits the EU. This briefing focuses on one part of this uncertain landscape, the European Research Council. The ERC supports frontier research and cross disciplinary proposals and encourages the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding, on the basis of scientific excellence. In the current EU Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, running from 2014-2020, of which the ERC is a central part, the ERC has a budget of € 13 billion, which is 17% of the entire Horizon 2020 budget.