Call for proposals : ACCESS ERC STARTING GRANTS 2026

The Access ERC 2026 call is open exclusively to disciplines in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

ANR funding consists of a two-year postdoctoral contract (24 months), starting between 1st  July 2026 and 31st  August 2028, with the objective of submitting an application to the ERC Starting Grants 2028 call in October 2027.

In order to enable future applicants to apply to the ERC Starting Grants with the best possible chances of success, the ANR has put in place measures allowing for a very rapid selection of proposals, swift implementation of funding, and dedicated support. These measures include:

• A single beneficiary of the grant (the French research and knowledge-dissemination organization that will host and support the early-career researcher over the two-year period and will serve as the Host Institution for the ERC application);
• A selection process conducted by a multidisciplinary scientific evaluation committee;
• Rapid feedback to applicants (results notified approximately four months after the call deadline);
• A kick-off meeting to provide awardees with information on the ERC Starting Grants, notably from the ERC National Contact Points (NCPs), to support the preparation of their future proposal.
• Within the framework of the Access ERC 2026 call, the early-career researcher must therefore commit to submitting an application to the 2028 ERC Starting Grants, in one of the eight SH panels, in October 2027.
• A start date between 1 July and 1 September 2026 will allow the candidate to benefit from 8 to 10 months of contract funding under Access ERC after submitting their ERC 2028 proposal in October 2027, in order to prepare for the interview under the best possible conditions.
• To apply to this call: Hold a PhD in Social Sciences and Humanities (or any degree or qualification corresponding to the international standard of an ERC-eligible PhD).
• Be eligible for the ERC Starting Grants call for the duration of the Access ERC post-doctoral contract (2 years), i.e. have 2 to 6 years of experience after the thesis on the 1st of January of the year of the targeted ERC Starting Grants call.  This situation means having obtained its PHD between (1st january 2021 and the 31st december 2025 included)
• To have obtained the guarantee of being hosted in a French research lab (EA, UMS, UMIFRE...), where he or she will benefit from suitable working conditions and the supervision of a mentor. The choice of the host lab is important since the project submitted to the ANR must demonstrate its inclusion in the scientific axes of this unit and its impact beyond the 2-year post-doctoral contract. The unit director and the mentor (who will jointly write a letter of commitment) can be the same person or two different persons, but neither of them can be the thesis director.
• Have demonstrated mobility abroad or in France, for at least one year, during the thesis or after the thesis.  
• Demonstrate a strong command of English, oral and written.

The maximum support allocated by the ANR to this Access ERC 2026 call is 185 k€ (excluding environmental costs) for a period of two years, between July 1st 2026 and August 31st 2028. This financial support will cover the salary of the researcher as well as the costs related to his/her environment.

The young researcher will have to commit himself/herself in the framework of this Access ERC 2025 call to submit one application to the ERC Starting Grants call in one of the 8 SHS panels, in October 2027 (ERC 2028).