The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility. Open to excellent researchers of any nationality, the scheme encourages work on research and innovation projects in both the academic and non-academic sectors. It supports researchers wishing to reintegrate into Europe, those displaced by conflict, and those seeking to restart their careers in research.

Fellowships are provided to researchers undertaking international mobility either to or between EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and non-associated Third Countries. Applications are made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to European nationals or long-term residents who wish to engage in R&I projects with organizations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organization based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Secondments: Researchers receiving a Postdoctoral Fellowship may include a secondment phase within the overall duration of their fellowship in any country worldwide. This phase can be a single period or divided into shorter mobility periods.

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships: Secondments cannot exceed one third of the requested duration of the action and should align with project objectives, adding significant value and impact.
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: Optional secondments are allowed for up to one third of the outgoing phase. Up to three months can be spent at the start of the project at the beneficiary or associated partners before moving to the Third Country. This period is considered part of the outgoing phase.
• Secondments cannot occur during the mandatory twelve-month return period to the host organization in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Placements in the Non-Academic Sector: Postdoctoral Fellowships can include an additional period of up to six months for placements in the non-academic sector within an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement must be part of the proposal, explaining its added value for the project and the researcher's career development. If the placement does not meet the requirements, the proposal will be evaluated without it, potentially affecting the final score.

Training Activities: Training activities should include key transferable skills, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, good scientific conduct, and promoting Open Science practices.

Career Development Plan: A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the researcher, covering research objectives, training needs, transferable skills, teaching, and participation in conferences and events. This plan must be submitted at the beginning of the action and updated as needed.

Euratom: Organizations active in nuclear research in EU Member States or countries associated with the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025 are eligible to participate. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in this area will be supported by an annual financial contribution of EUR 1 million.

ERA Fellowships: ERA Fellowships provide specific support for researchers to undertake their fellowship in a widening country, helping to spread excellence and foster balanced brain circulation.

Indicative timeline

• 8 May 2025: Launch of the call for proposals
• 10 September 2025: Deadline for submitting proposals
• February 2026: Notification of call results to applicants (TBC)
• April 2026: Grant agreement signature for successful projects (TBC)
• April 2026: First EU-funded projects start (TBC)

MSCA are open to all domains of research and innovation. Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks they propose.

The following participants are eligible for funding:

• Any legal entity established in a Member State or associated country, or created under Union law.
• Any international European interest organisation.
• Any legal entity established in a third country identified in the work programme.

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. The beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to recruit the researcher for the total period of the fellowship.

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, etc) 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.

The scheme is also open to researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, those who are displaced by conflict, as well as researchers with high potential who are seeking to restart their careers in research.

For Postdoctoral Fellowships in research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme, researchers need to be nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or a Euratom Associated Country. The beneficiary organisation recruiting the researcher also needs to be established in an EU Member State or Euratom Associated Country.

Association to Horizon Europe is the closest form of cooperation with non-EU countries, which allows entities of associated countries to participate in programme actions on equal terms with entities of EU countries. It is offered not only to EU neighbouring countries, but also to any country in the world with a strong research and innovation capacity that share common values.

There are four categories of countries eligible for association with the programme:

• Members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA).
• Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates.
• European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries.
• Other third countries and territories that fulfil a set of criteria related to their economic, political and research and innovation systems.

For the purposes of the eligibility conditions, applicants established in Horizon 2020 Associated Countries or in other third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country, if the Horizon Europe association agreement with the third country concerned applies at the time of signature of the grant agreement.

A full list of countries associated to Horizon Europe is available at the European Commission website.

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