You have been selected for the second phase of the ERC grant proposal evaluation: congratulations! Whether you are applying for a Starting, Consolidator or Advanced grant, the stakes are high and the format of the interview is a bit unusual: your talk will be short, the Q&A will be intense and hard to control and the interview will be held online, with the panelists all in the same physical location, making it hard for you to read the room. An ERC interview presents a unique set of challenges and the outcome of the selection process can have a tremendous impact on your research career. We invite you to get as much help as possible to ready yourself for the interview.
At SamSpeaksScience, we have been working with researchers in their preparation for ERC grant interviews across disciplines since 2017. Our coachees have had a 70% success rate so far.
A tailored support
We can help you with every aspect of your presentation, from the structure of your talk to the design of your slides, the delivery of your talk, managing your stress and handling the Q&A. We adapt our coaching to your specific needs and your budget. On average, we spend 4h with a candidate. We like to see you in action, so we recommend either to record a practice talk and a mock Q&A, or you let us in on one of your practices.
Contact us to discuss how we can best support you in your preparation.
Testimonials
"What struck me initially is the care Sam took at crafting, with me, a shared diagnostic of my situation - he listened to what I had to say, thought it through, tested me, and came with a portfolio of actions to turn me into a much more convincing (and less stressed) ERC candidate. From that point on Sam coached me with empathy and care, tuning his advices to my needs and particularities. Not only did Sam significantly and positively influence my performance in the AdG competition, he also contributed at making me a better presenter, offline and online.”
- Dr. Jean-Paul Vanderlinden, Univ. Paris, ERC Advanced grant recipient“Working with Sam pushed my scientific presentation skills to the next level - I will use his tips and tricks for the rest of my career. His suggestions on both graphical aspects of my presentation and the content and style of speaking made my presentation more clear, easier to understand, and with bigger impact on the audience.”
- Dr. Lenka Gahurova, ERC Starting grant applicant“Sam guided me through all steps of the interview, from developing my script to perfecting my speaking skills. His feedback has always been truly constructive. Thanks to him, I not only succeeded in getting my ERC Consolidator grant, but I also learned much more for my future career than just for this interview.”
- Dr. Sophie Sanchez, Univ. Uppsala, ERC Consolidator grant recipient“Sam analyzed and impacted positively every aspect of my presentation, from the logical flow of the content, to the vital streamlining of key messages, to my voice and body language. A truly eye-opening experience. So much of Sam’s advice and the concepts he promulgated stayed with me through every redrafting, informed my every practice and my every exercise. There are several people without whose help and assistance I do not see this work coming as far as it did. Sam is unquestionably among them.”
- Dr. Adrian Kantian, ERC Starting grant recipient“Sam not only provided thoughtful and valuable advice on every aspect of my presentation but also went out of his way to help me deal with particularly stressful situations during the preparation phase. In the meetings with Sam I never felt any rush and he always fully focused on my questions and issues.”
- Dr. Elizabeth Hehenberger, ERC Consolidator grant recipient