Receiving an ERC Starting, Consolidator, or Advanced Grant is an extraordinary achievement and the ERC interview is one of the most intense moments in your research career. The ERC interview has a rather unique format:
Your talk is exceptionally short.
The Q&A is fast-paced and unpredictable.
The panel is in the same room while you present online — making it hard to read the room.
The pressure is very intense.
We are here to help.
How we help
At SamSpeaksScience, we’ve been guiding researchers across disciplines since 2017. Our coaching can help you to:
Clarify the structure of your talk to emphasise the logic and impact of your proposal
Answer questions with confidence under pressure
Create effective slides
Manage your stress to appear confident and competent
Polish your online delivery so your expertise and passion come through
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 or book an introductory video chat to discuss how we can best support you in your preparation.
Proven success
Our coachees have achieved a 70% success rate, going on to lead ambitious research projects across Europe. Every session is tailored to your project and communication style, so you walk in prepared and confident.
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