Petition argues PhD-based eligibility windows do “not make sense” and discriminate against unconventional career paths
The European Research Council has been urged to remove strict eligibility criteria for some of its grants, over concerns including that they put researchers with disrupted career paths at a disadvantage.
The ERC offers three major grants for single principal investigators at different stages of their careers. Starting Grants, aimed at early career researchers, are available only to researchers with up to seven years of experience after completing their PhD, while Consolidator Grants, aimed at mid-career researchers, have a 12-year limit.