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ERC (European Research Council) is tasked with encouraging exploratory research in Europe by funding projects whose sole selection criterion is scientific excellence.
The ERC program awards four different types of grant: the Starting Grant, intended to be given to young researchers two to seven years after completing their thesis; the Consolidator Grant, to be given to researchers seven to twelve years after completing their thesis; the Advanced Grant, for established researchers; and the Proof of Concept, reserved for ERC prizewinners to help them commercialize their research findings.