ERC is Europe’s most prestigious research grant, supporting excellent researchers in carrying out ground-breaking, high-risk, high-gain, frontier research projects. When a researcher applies for an ERC grant – whether Starting, Consolidator or Advanced funding schemes – it is important to adjust the proposal to the unique ERC requirements. This can be done by thinking big, shifting the writing style, and ensuring that the idea is conveyed properly. In this article, we lay the foundations for the ERC grant, and discuss in greater detail its unique components.