Organized by the Council for European Studies, the first grant competition - Starting Grants - has been announced under Horizon Europe under the European Commission's Research and Innovation Framework Program, with a budget of € 619 million.

The competition is open to novice researchers who have 2-7 years of research experience after being awarded a PhD. Please note, that the areas of research are not limited to a particular field.

Applications must be received between February 25, 2020 to April 8, 2021. Detailed information on the grant application procedure, qualification requirements, grant volume, selection criteria and grant conditions can be found at the following link:

https://erc.europa.eu/funding/starting-grants;

Additional Information about the next grant competitions planned within Horizon Europe is available at the following link:

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_685.

Applicants from all countries associated with Horizon 2020 are eligible to participate in the competition. With the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, the process of associating Georgia with the Horizon Europe program is underway at this stage.

It should be noted that owing to the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, active preparations are underway to increase the participation of Georgian universities and research institutions in the grant competitions announced within the framework of the Horizon Europe program. For this purpose, European spaces have been improved in 8 universities of Georgia, which will fulfill the mission of Horizon Europe Grant Offices.

Large-scale grant funding from Horizon Europe will focus on the development of research centers and science in Georgia and pave the way for Georgia's integration into the European Science Area.