The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by equipping researchers with the new knowledge, skills, and international and intersectoral exposure to fill the top positions of tomorrow and solve current and future societal challenges.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) aim at supporting the international mobility of researchers within (European Fellowships) and beyond Europe (Global Fellowships) as well as helping to attract the best foreign researchers to work in the EU. Postdoctoral Fellowships are for experienced researchers to undertake their own research project at a host organisation in another country, thus gaining new skills through advanced training and possibly, intersectoral mobility. The grant usually covers two years' salary, a mobility allowance, research costs, and overheads for the host institution. Family and special needs allowances are also available, when applicable.
European Fellowships and Global Fellowships
There are two types of Individual Fellowships: European Fellowships and Global Fellowships:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships: They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.
Both types of Fellowship can also include a secondment period of up to one-third of the standard fellowship duration in another organization worldwide. (Horizon Europe novelty).
An optional additional placement of up to six months in a non-academic host in Europe (member states or countries associated to Horizon Europe is now possible at the end of the fellowship (this is a Horizon Europe novelty).
All research areas can be funded, from physics to linguistics, and from health sciences to mathematical modeling.
Who can apply for Postdoctoral Fellowships?
Interested researchers submit an application together with a host organisation, which can be a university, research institution, business, SME or other organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. All disciplines are eligible for Postdoctoral Fellowships, including research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Program.
Researchers interested in PFs:
- Should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply.
- Must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe.
- Should comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, et cetera) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
Resubmissions: Please note that as of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 call, proposals involving the same recruiting organization (and for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships also the associated partner hosting the outgoing phase) and individual researcher submitted to the previous call of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe and having received a score of less than 70% must not be resubmitted the following year (2022 novelty).
What does the funding cover?
The beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to recruit the researcher for the total period of the fellowship.
The EU provides support for the recruited researcher in the form of:
- A living allowance
- A mobility allowance
- If applicable, family, long-term leave, and special needs allowances
In addition, funding is provided for
- Research, training, and networking activities
- Management and indirect costs
The call opened on May 12th and has a deadline of September 14th, 2022.
Over 300 European institutions have already published calls on the EURAXESS portal for Expressions of Interest inviting candidates to apply for an MSCA-PF with the support of their institution.
Find a European host institution
For more insights on the program, watch the recording of an MSCA-PF webinar we held last year and stay tuned for another virtual event coming up soon.