What Matters for a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant?

European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants are arguably the most competitive grants in Europe and their prestige is fully justified considering that they (i) allow focus on a high risk/high gain project through generous funding of 1.5-2 million Euros, (ii) they can enable the foundation of a new academic group and earn the submitting principal investigator a professorship, and (iii) they serve as a highly reputable award that can either facilitate tenure/promotion or assist in securing a subsequent academic position. However, the journey to getting one is far from easy. In this Viewpoint Article, I will discuss my first two unsuccessful attempts to secure an ERC Starting Grant and how the lessons learned during the process led me to ultimately secure a grant upon my third attempt.