“Supporting TAlent in ReSearch @ University of Padua - STARS Grants” is a funding programme financially supported by the University of Padua. 

The new call STARS @UNIPD 2023 is open from 1 December 2022 to 28 February 2023- Apply now!

The programme runs every two years (the latest edition closed in 2021) and encourages international, high quality, innovative and ambitious research in Padua and boosts the participation of the University in ERC calls, promoting an open and positive attitude towards international funding opportunities for basic research. 

STARS grants support bottom-up research projects submitted by individual Principal Investigators (PIs), who are interested in carrying out their research activities in Padua. For all candidates – applicants may or may not hold an employment contract at the University ­­– the task is to consolidate their research curriculum vitae in order to submit a competitive ERC proposal, choosing the University of Padua as Host Institution. 

In order to reward excellence and foster a high-level, open, transparent and merit-based competition, as well as promoting the increasingly broad participation of researchers in international competitive calls for proposals, the evaluation process and criteria of the STARS @UNIPD call will be similar to those of the ERC. The application forms themselves, even if slightly simplified, match the templates of the European Research Council.

The STARS@Unipd Programme at a glance (poster presented at the 2021 EARMA Conference)