ANCD is launching two initiatives for researchers in the Republic of Moldova who want to apply for European Research Council grants: study visits and mentoring.
The National Agency for Research and Development (ANCD) is launching two new initiatives for researchers in the Republic of Moldova, to support those who are eligible and interested in obtaining funding through ERC competitions. The main aim is to make use of existing potential by connecting future applicants with international experts and by offering mentoring and advisory services.
To widen participation and improve the success rate in ERC calls, ANCD is offering researchers extra support through funding for study visits abroad and a mentoring scheme.
ERC Visiting Fellowship Programme
The programme offers the chance to visit a research team in the European Union that holds an ERC grant, in order to strengthen a research profile, exchange knowledge and prepare a more competitive project proposal.
Researchers from the Republic of Moldova who intend to apply to ERC calls will be able to spend one month with the team of an ERC grant holder. There they can see first-hand how successful proposals are designed, how frontier research questions are framed and how successful researchers run their projects. The visit will help them understand European standards more closely and build lasting scientific networks with research institutions in Europe. It will also help selected candidates strengthen their research vision in an internationally competitive academic setting before they submit an ERC funding application.
Duration: a maximum of one month.
Funding: up to 100,000 lei per project under the “European Bonus” contest for 2026–2027, in line with point 5.2, paragraph b). Eligible costs are listed in point 10.3 of that contest.
Eligibility: the call is open to researchers in all fields who hold a PhD or a doctor habilitat degree, intend to prepare a proposal for an ERC call, and can show that their research meets the level of excellence required in these competitions. Details are in section 8.2 of the “European Bonus” contest for 2026–2027.
Documents: the list of required documents is on the page of the “European Bonus” contest for 2026–2027, point 14.
Procedure: applicants ask ANCD for help in identifying possible host teams, check their eligibility for the ERC competition they have in mind, contact the host team to express interest in a visit and agree the details. They then obtain a letter of support from the host institution and submit the required documents to ANCD for the Agency’s evaluation, in line with the “European Bonus” contest, point 15.1.
Evaluation: the next stage is an eligibility check and an evaluation of the project proposals. Details are on the “European Bonus” contest page, points 17 and 18. The evaluation is transparent and involves external reviewers. Scientific excellence is the main criterion. Selection is based on the applicant’s potential to win an ERC grant.
Expected result: selected researchers undertake to submit a full ERC proposal within 18 months after the visit ends, in line with point 9.2. Otherwise they must repay the allocated funds in full.
Submission deadline (electronic): the last Friday of each month, at 17:00.
More about the call: https://ancd.gov.md/ro/press-releases/anunt-referitor-la-concursul-de-proiecte-bonus-european-pentru-anii-2026-2027
ERC Mentoring Initiative
This scheme will connect researchers from the Republic of Moldova with European experts who have obtained ERC funding and can offer direct, structured and professional scientific mentoring. The aim is to prepare candidates well for ERC calls, encourage their active participation in the global scientific dialogue and build the skills needed to compete successfully in European research and innovation funding programmes.
Mentors will be ERC grant holders and former members of ERC evaluation panels. Through dialogue and feedback they will help improve the quality of scientific proposals developed in the Republic of Moldova.
The initiative will give researchers the chance to discuss their own research ideas with world-class mentors, refine them and increase their chances of obtaining ERC funding.
Duration: each mentoring relationship lasts six months from the date the partnership is confirmed.
Funding: mentoring is unpaid.
Eligibility: the call is open to researchers in all fields who can show research quality at the level expected by the ERC and who intend to develop an innovative and original project proposal, or a research direction with the potential for a major scientific discovery.
Documents: a research sketch of no more than one page.
Procedure: the initiative runs continuously and candidates may apply at any time. Applicants ask ANCD for help in identifying possible mentors, check their eligibility for the ERC call and submit the required documents.
The ANCD team evaluates applications received in the first week of each month. The evaluation is transparent and the main selection criterion is scientific excellence. Selection is based on the applicant’s potential to win an ERC grant.
Matching candidates with mentors is based on scientific compatibility. The mentoring relationship is confirmed by signing a mentoring agreement.
Mentoring activities: candidates will have at least two structured one-to-one remote sessions with the assigned mentor.
The first session focuses on the candidate’s research vision, scientific positioning and the potential of the proposed idea. The second session, after the candidate has prepared a more detailed concept note, gives in-depth scientific feedback on the clarity, ambition and coherence of the proposed research. The mentor’s role is to stimulate and sharpen the candidate’s scientific thinking and to help develop the strategy for writing the proposal.
ANCD’s role: ANCD will connect possible mentors and candidates, give preparation guidance before each session and help integrate the mentor’s feedback into the proposal under development. ANCD will also give complementary feedback on structure, clarity and compliance with ERC administrative and formatting requirements.
Expected result: at the end of each mentoring cycle, both the mentor and the candidate send ANCD a short individual report (questionnaire) assessing the value and limits of the mentoring and stating the number of hours spent. Individual replies are confidential and are not shared between mentor and candidate or with third parties. One year after the mentoring cycle ends, ANCD checks whether the intended ERC funding applications were actually submitted.
Total mentoring time: a maximum of 10 hours.
Exceptions: active members of ERC evaluation panels are excluded. ERC rules on conflicts of interest and the code of conduct apply.
For more information: Irina Nicorici, thematic coordinator – Pillar 1, National Horizon Europe Office, irina.nicorici@ancd.gov.md
European Research Council (ERC) grants are among the most important and prestigious sources of funding available to researchers with a recognised record of scientific achievement under Horizon Europe. People of any nationality and from any field may apply if they want to develop ambitious, high-risk scientific ideas with a high potential for impact. Proposals in ERC competitions are bottom-up: there are no thematic priorities, and the main criterion is scientific excellence, assessed by expert panels on the originality of the project and of the principal investigator’s (PI) previous results.
The grants match the career stage:
- ERC Starting Grants for researchers at the start of their careers;
- ERC Consolidator Grants for those building their own teams;
- ERC Advanced Grants or ERC Plus Grants for leaders in science and research;
- ERC Synergy Grants for small groups of researchers working together;
- ERC Proof of Concept Grants for exploring the commercial or societal potential of results from earlier ERC-funded projects.
The maximum funding can cover a period of up to five years. The research must be carried out at a host institution in an EU Member State or in a country associated to Horizon Europe, a category that includes the Republic of Moldova.
Through the National Horizon Europe Office and the network of National Contact Points (NCPs), ANCD offers a range of services to help candidates prepare ERC proposals. These include information and training sessions, individual advice, guidance on eligibility, requirements and expectations for the various ERC schemes, and personalised feedback on proposals.