The British Academy will host an ERC Reading Day at Queen's University Belfast for researchers preparing an application.

The Reading Day offers prospective applicants to European Research Council Grants the opportunity to read successful ERC grant proposals in the Social Sciences and Humanities, gaining insight into how competitive proposals are structured, positioned, and articulated.

Over 70 successful grant applications (Starting, Consolidator and Advanced grants) have been made available thanks to the generosity of current and former grant holders. The Reading Day is intended to inform and inspire your own proposal development, while recognising that ideas and text must not be copied.

Reading successful ERC grant applications is a good opportunity to understand how to:

present your own research ideas clearly and compellingly

structure your research into a well-organised programme

thoughtfully position your research within wider contexts

Eligibility

The Reading Day is open to UK-based researchers eligible for Starting, Consolidator and Advanced grants. Subsequent ERC Reading Days will be announced for researchers based in England (2), Scotland and Wales in the coming month.

Please register using your institutional email address.

Structure

The Reading Day consists of an individual, in‑person reading session (2 hours).

Participants will be asked to pre-select up to three proposals from a list of available applications during registration. Printed copies will be provided on the day.

We suggest that you aim to read 3 grants so you have the benefit of comparative judgement.

Participants are encouraged to select grants within their broader research area. In addition, reviewing grants outside their immediate field may be beneficial, offering insight into how research themes are structured, including the development of Work Packages and the articulation of research questions.

Please note that the Reading Day does not include tutorials or advice-sessions on the ERC although there will be a short introductory video at the start of each session.

Guidelines

Participation requires prior registration

Phones, smart glasses and any other devices with recording or photography capability will not be permitted in the room. Laptops will be allowed for note-taking, and stickers will be provided to cover laptop cameras.

Photocopying or photographing the applications is strictly prohibited

Participants will be required to sign a Declaration of Confidentiality upon registration

To benefit fully from the session, participants should be involved in preparing a proposal and have prior knowledge of the different ERC grant schemes, eligibility conditions, and proposal documentation.

Registration

Each participant may attend one session only. Please select your preferred timeslot during registration:

10:00-12:00

13:00-15:00

As places are limited, please only register if you are able to attend. If your plans change, we kindly ask that you cancel your registration as soon as possible so that your place can be offered to another participant. Registration will close on Wednesday 16 September.

For any questions, please contact b.krasova@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Image: Hufton + Crow Photography

Description supplied by the event organiser.