MSCA opens €399 million call for Postdoctoral Fellowships
On 9 April, the European Commission opened the 2026 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships, with a budget of €399.05 million.
The grants target researchers holding a PhD, and aim to help them acquire new skills, develop their careers, and gain international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral experience by working in another country.
Since their creation in 1996, more than 150,000 researchers have participated in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, including 23 Nobel laureates, highlighting their long-standing contribution to scientific excellence and international cooperation.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Europe’s future is built on knowledge, discovery, and talent. For 30 years, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions have empowered researchers to push the boundaries of science and to turn ideas into progress for society /…/ To researchers around the world, our message is clear: bring your ambition, bring your talent — Europe is your place to innovate and to thrive.”
Interested researchers should 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 Programme.
Fellowships include:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships, open to researchers of any nationality to carry out a personalised project in the European Union (EU) or countries associated to Horizon Europe (including Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) for up to 24 months;
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, open to EU and Horizon Europe associated countries nationals or long-term residents wishing to work with organisations in third countries for a period of 12 to 24 months, before returning to Europe for 12 months.
The call will close on 9 September 2026 and is expected to fund nearly 1600 projects.
In addition to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call, the Commission will launch two MSCA calls later in 2026 to support researchers’ training and strengthen research careers in Europe.
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