Two-day workshop "Building ERC - Competitive Research: Lessons from Croatia - with focus on Unlocking ERC Success: Smart Preparation & Winning Strategies" will take place September 7-8, 2026, at the Mediterranean Institute for Life Research (MedILS), University of Split, Croatia.
The workshop is supported by AERG (Association of ERC Grantees) and co-organized by University of Split’s Centre of Excellence STIM, Agency for Mobility and EU Programs (AMPEU), and Republic of Croatia’s Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.
The event will bring together researchers, current ERC grant holders, evaluators, institutional leaders, research managers, and public policy representatives in science and higher education from Croatia, several EU countries, and those of Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans.
Workshop’s main goal is to enhance understanding of European Research Council’s (ERC) operations and policies, improve institutional and national readiness to participate in ERC programs, and provide practical guidelines for researchers and administrators to develop competitive ERC project proposals for future applications.
Workshop Topics
The program will focus on:
• Understanding ERC’s mission, funding mechanisms and evaluation procedures;
• Strategies to increase success rate of applying to ERC grants in the so-called widening countries;
• Sharing experiences of ERC evaluators and successful grant recipients;
• Typical strengths and weaknesses of ERC project proposals;
• Practical work on developing project proposals and simulating evaluation interviews;
• Building institutional and regional ecosystems that support excellence in top-level research.
Target Audience
The workshop is intended for:
• Researchers in early stages of their careers preparing applications for ERC Starting Grant;
• Researchers in mid to advanced career stages preparing applications for ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants;
• Research leaders and technology transfer specialists;
• Representatives of scientific institutions and bodies responsible for shaping science policies;
• Researchers and stakeholders of Croatian innovation system, EU, Southeast Europe and Western Balkans so-called widening countries.
Additional information, registration details, and the preliminary program will be announced soon.
We look forward to welcoming you to Split for this unique opportunity to learn from successful ERC stories and strengthen Southeast Europe research excellence.
Organizers: Prof. Jadranka Šepić Ph.D. and Danica Ramljak Ph.D., University of Split, Croatia
