In the 2015 call of the EU's most competitive individual research programme, Dr. habil. Levente Kovács's application was selected in the starting researcher category (ERC StG) for the second round.
The ERC research calls represent the most competitive individual research calls of the European Council. Year by year Europe's best researchers are competing in three categories (starting, consolidator and advanced). The aim of the ERC is to provide long-term financing for high-gain high-risk researches that could increase Europe's research competence. The ERC support form is unique from several points of view in the EU's research programmes. The "only" requirement is the scientific excellence of the applicant (principal investigator - PI). Important priority is to help the PI reaching his researcher independence mostly by creating or consolidating his own research group and research idea (http://mta.hu/erc)
In the two-stage application process the success rate is very low, 10-12%, especially due the first stage "survival" rate (only approximately 20% of the submitted proposals are selected for the second round).
Among the yearly best researchers' applications, in 2015 the Obuda University's researcher Dr. habil. Levente Kovacs was invited in the staring grant (StG) category for the second round interview with his innovative research idea. This gives him the opportunity to present live his proposal in the front of the ERC StG research panel. We wish him success at that stage as well!
Magyar