On Thursday, 26 February 2026,assist. prof. dr. Jasmina Šepetavc and assoc. prof. dr. Natalija Majsova from the Centre for Cultural and Religious Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana (FSS UL), presented their experience with preparing a convincing and successful project application for a European Research Council (ERC) Grant to FSS UL staff. Projects funded through European Research Council (ERC) Grants are characterized by their breakthrough nature, originality, and ambitious conceptual and methodological design. Developing a convincing application is a long and arduous process, but it is not an insurmountable challenge.

Their presentation was part of the internal FSS UL seminars called the ‘Open Slot for Science’. The speakers highlighted that forming a team of excellent researchers with common goals who approach project preparation strategically, systematically, with a long-term vision, and collaboratively is particularly important for success. This means that researchers who are individually seeking differentiation yet working on a common umbrella research topic as a team support each other not only in their joint endeavors but also in their individual professional development (e.g., by acting as informal reviewers of draft applications or test examiners preparing one another for the interviews).