Science communication course sponsored by ERC

Travel & accommodation covered. Apply by Aug 24.

European Research Council (ERC) is running a free, one-day science communication training for grantees in November, and it’s worth flagging if you’re between year 2 and 4 of your project.

Travel and accommodation are covered. Around 40 grantees across all ERC schemes. Competitive, but a focused application makes a real difference. WHO CAN APPLY
You’re in year 2–4 of an ERC grant. Your host institution is in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Open across all schemes: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Synergy. KEY DATES
Application deadline: 24 August 2026, 12:00 CEST
Notification: 10 September 2026
Training: 9 November 2026, Brussels (in-person)
Full details and application form: https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/events/science-communicati…

HOW TO STAND OUT
With 40 places and competitive selection, specificity beats length.

  • Name the audience you want to reach (journalists, policymakers, public) and why
  • Mention any comms activity already underway — lab blog, social media, anything
  • Link the training to a concrete near-term goal: upcoming dissemination deliverable, public engagement event, media opportunity

WHY IT MATTERS

Every ERC grant carries a dissemination and communication commitment. This gives you a direct, ERC-endorsed way to actually build those skills rather than just tick the box.

The same skills — media engagement, policy framing, storytelling — are exactly what evaluators look for in the B2 impact section of future ERC proposals. Grantees who build a visible communication track record during their project walk into their next proposal with concrete evidence to cite, not just aspirational language. That’s a real advantage.

If November doesn’t work for you, or you’d prefer one-to-one support building these skills into your next proposal, there’s structured support available: https://thesciencetalk.com/proposal-writing-science-communic…

I hope this was helpful🧡

Cheers,
Pranoti Kshirsagar Founder, The Science Talk

PS: If, apart from my email, you also need help strengthen impact strategy, I think you’ll be happy about:

  1. Impact strategy for research proposalswhere I work with principal investigators who want professional science communication that matches the ambition and budget of their grant proposal. More details are on my website.
  2. ERC Starting Grant Resource Kit 47 official resources, organised in 11 sections including core webpages, ERC classes, compliance & AI guidance, and examples of winner grants - all in one pdf. Access ERC Starting Grant Kit.
  3. ERC Consolidator Grant Resource Kit47 official resources, organised in 8 sections including core webpages, evaluation & panels, videos & webinars, results & examples, compliance & requirements, and examples of winner grants - all in one pdf. Access ERC Consolidator Grant Kit.
  4. ERC Advanced Grant Resource Kit 44 official resources, organised in 8 sections including core webpages, eligibility extensions, official documents, compliance requirements, and examples of winner grants - all in one pdf. Access ERC Advanced Grant Kit.