A Guide for Applicants has been published for the ERC-2011-PoC Proof of Concept (PoC) call for proposals. The Guide provides the necessary information on how to apply for the ERC-2011-PoC call, and includes more details on the types of activities which can be funded and on the peer review evaluation of proposals. The PoC is open to Principal Investigators holding an ERC grant; which is either ongoing or where the project has ended less than 12 months before the publication date of the call. The PoC provides additional funding to ERC grant holders to enable ideas developed during an ERC-funded project to be brought to pre-demonstration stage, where potential commercialisation opportunities have been identified. By supporting an ERC grant-holder to establish whether an idea has market potential, PoC funding enables the applicant to prepare a ‘package’ to be presented to a company or venture capital firm with a view to potential investment. This call has deadlines on 15 June and 8 November 2011.
There are likely to be further PoC calls in future years, but this is yet to be confirmed. Further information is available on the UKRO webpage at http://www.ukro.ac.uk/erc/poc_open_calls.htm
