“Capturing career paths of ERC grantees and applicants” will map the road to and from excellence by shedding light on paths and patterns, differences and similarities in the career paths of women and men ERC grantees. Specifically, we will establish who are those scientists who apply to the ERC, how do they differ from the scientific population as a whole, and what distinguishes the successful from the unsuccessful applicants? We will also chart the institutional role in shaping research careers for those with care responsibilities by considering how career breaks and unconventional career paths are represented amongst the ERC grantees with a view to uncovering best practices and institutional support for “time to care”.This study takes a long-term perspective: by looking at the careers of ERC grantees and applicants before and, where relevant, after an award; and for the scientific community as a whole recognizing the relatively recent growth in female participation in advanced higher education by examining differences between the experiences in the starting and advanced grant awards.The project will deploy a multimethod multisource approach, using both existing archival and survey data (ERCEA database, previously collected data from other scientists), quantitative data to be collected using a survey, and qualitative data to be collected using interviews. This will enable the team to quantify career patterns and gender differences, while the interview data will enable us to comment on the lived experiences of scientists.Our dissemination activities are geared toward co-creation of actionable development and improvement of the evaluation procedures, of work-family policies, and of career support systems, as well as proactive showcasing and sharing of best practices, but the actual impact of these activities depends on the active participation of ERC, national research system, and host institution representatives.