RISE Europe

Target group

This funding program is aimed exclusively at researchers from all disciplines who submitted a proposal for the ERC Starting Grant 2026 call in collaboration with an Austrian research institution that was rejected for budgetary reasons (A – but not funded).

Funding goals

RISE Europe facilitates the funding of additional projects by outstanding researchers (R3) with a proven commitment to European excellence and can help these researchers establish long-term careers through innovative research projects.

Additional program-specific information

Applications are submitted through the FWF’s RISE Europe program. Eligible for funding are projects with concisely defined objectives and methodology, and which are subject to duration and funding limits pursuant to the provisions of the program. 

Funding period and funding amount

Funding period: 60 months

Funding amount: Up to €1 million

Requirements

The requirements and specifications for the FWF ASTRA Awards program apply, as well as the Supplementary Application Guidelines for RISE Europe

Individuals who already hold a permanent professorship (or an equivalent leadership position at a non-university research institution) at the time of application or who have already accepted an appointment to a permanent professorship are not eligible to apply.

Researchers who have previously been granted funding for a project from the programs FWF START Awards, FWF ASTRA Awards, or ERC Starting Grants are not eligible to apply.

Approval

Projects that met the ERC’s criteria for excellence but were not funded due to budgetary constraints may be submitted to the FWF. The funding decision will be based on the review and evaluation performed by the European Research Council (ERC).

Funding decisions are made at the FWF Scientific Board’s March meeting.

If the number of applications exceeds the maximum number that can be funded, the ERC’s scoring system will be applied and the applications ranked accordingly. Between proposals reviewed equally, projects submitted by women will be given priority; efforts will be made to achieve a balanced distribution across disciplines. In case of doubt or in the event of an excessive number of applications, a lottery procedure may also be used.

Application information

Proposals can be submitted during the application period using the online application portal elane.

Funding institution

Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (financed with funds from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich)