"A major milestone and achievement"

How did you benefit from the application process?

- It gave me an incredible boost in being able to pitch a project. I got better in framing my ideas in such a way that they sound convincing also to people outside my field.

Writing several rounds of successively longer and more detailed pitches and drafts made me aware of where I was implicitly assuming relevance and where I could be more concrete and spell out exactly what it is that I expect to contribute and exactly what is the gap in current knowledge, and why that gap persisted up until now.

Thinking in the structure expected by ERC basically provides a template for a great narrative for any other grant, most abstracts for top journals, and indeed pitching any other project, also outside research. 

What significance has the ERC had in your career? 

- It felt as a major milestone and achievement, and a great feedback on where you stand with your ideas within your field. I was really excited about what I wanted to do, but I thought this might just be perceived as too far out of the normal.

It is enormously encouraging to get the green light from your peers that they believe you are onto something promising that is valuable.   

What benefits do you gain from working on an ERC application?

- It allows you to question what it is that you want to contribute to research, where you see your place. Because you have to provide a narrative that explains why it should be you who is best suited to carry out the research you are proposing.

So essentially, your narrative has to tie together all your previous work that brings you to the point where it comes together within this one large project under your leadership guided by your vision.

It can give you a strong direction and sense of purpose why you do what you do. And if you cannot come up with a convincing story, then you may ask yourself why you choose this research question, and not another one, that better fits your unique profile.