The “Excellent Science” pillar has four main specific objectives:
1. The European Research Council (ERC) provides attractive and flexible funding to talented and creative individual researchers and their teams to pursue the most promising avenues at the frontier of science.

2. The Future and emerging technologies (FET) programme fosters scientific collaboration across disciplines on radically new, high-risk ideas in the most promising emerging areas of science and technology.

3. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions provide excellent and innovative research training as well as attractive career and knowledge-exchange opportunities through cross-border and cross-sector mobility of researchers to best prepare them to face current and future societal challenges.

4. The Research infrastructure programme (including e-infrastructures) develops the European research infrastructure by fostering their innovation potential and human capital.