Division 3.1.7 Peer review evaluation results, selection and rejection of proposals

The ERC Scientific Council confirms the final rank order list of proposals recommended for funding by the peer review evaluation.

Based on the outcome of the peer review evaluation and the establishment of the final rank order list by the ERC Scientific Council, the ERCEA draws up the final list(s) of proposals for possible funding.

This results in:

• A list of proposals which are of sufficiently high quality to be retained for possible funding. This list is presented in a recommended rank order, establishing the priority for funding within the limits of the budget available for the call (the retained list). If the call establishes indicative budgets for particular Panels, domains, fields of research, etc., separate retained lists may be prepared for each such field.

• If the total recommended funding for retained proposals following peer review evaluation exceeds the budget available for the call, one (or – in the case of indicative budgets associated with separate Panels, domains, research fields, etc. – more) reserve list(s) of proposals may be established. The number of proposals kept in reserve is determined by the ERCEA in view of budgetary considerations, and is based on the likelihood that such proposals may eventually receive funding due to eventualities such as withdrawals of proposals, or availability of additional budget.

• A list of proposals which will not be retained for funding. This list includes those proposals found to be ineligible (whether before, during or after the peer review evaluation), proposals considered not to achieve the required threshold of quality, proposals which, because they fall below a certain ranking, cannot be funded because the available budget is insufficient, and proposals remaining from the reserve list, when the budget for a particular call has been used up.

The assessment of quality, and the recommended rank order for funding of proposals on the retained list, is based on the peer review evaluation of the proposal against all relevant criteria. However, whenever a call specifies a two-step peer review evaluation procedure and thus where a proposal is judged not to achieve a quality threshold set for a particular evaluation criterion in the call, the proposal may be recommended for ultimate rejection during the course of the peer review evaluation, without necessarily assessing it further against other applicable criteria.

Any proposal that contravenes fundamental ethical principles or which does not fulfil the conditions set out in the Ideas Specific Programme, the Ideas work programme or in the call shall not be selected^f1. Proposals may be also rejected on ethical or security grounds following the procedures in Annex B and D respectively.

Any potential PI or applicant legal entity to an indirect action under the Ideas Specific Programme who has committed an irregularity^f2 in the implementation of any other indirect action under the Framework Programmes may be excluded from the selection procedure at any time, with due regard being given to the principle of proportionality.