The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the European Union’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training. They contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by equipping researchers with new knowledge and skills. They foster research cooperation across borders, sectors and disciplines. The MSCA enables the university to host talented foreign researchers and to create strategic partnerships with leading institutions worldwide.

MSCA programmes:

Doctoral Networks (DN): networks training doctoral candidates

The objective of Doctoral Networks is to implement doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

DNs include industrial doctorates, in which non-academic organisations have an equal role to universities in respect of the researcher's time and supervision, and joint doctoral degrees delivered by several universities. All areas of research may be funded and Doctoral Networks can last for up to four years.
The duration of each doctoral programme is 36 months.

​Success Rates: 11%
Funding: Depends on number of person months (around 300,000-600,000 euro)
The upcoming deadline is: 27 November 2024

Call for Proposals  Guidelines & Forms

 

Postdoctoral fellowships (PF): supporting post-doctoral research and careers​

The Postdoctoral Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. The PFs objectives are to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research, target researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers, and to help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors. The duration of each PF programme is between 12 to 36 months.

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 Programme.

Success Rates: 12%
​Funding: 240,000-370,000 euro
The upcoming deadline is: 10 September 2025

Call for Proposals  Guidelines & Forms

 

International and inter-sectoral cooperation through Staff Exchanges (SE)

The SE action funds short-term international and inter-sectoral exchanges of staff members involved in research and innovation activities of participating organisations. The aim is to develop sustainable collaborative projects between different organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors (in particular SMEs), based in Europe and beyond. Exchanged staff benefit from new knowledge, skills and career development perspectives, while participating organisations increase their research and innovation capacities.

Exchanges are open to international consortia of universities, research institutions, businesses, SMEs and other non-academic organisations both within and beyond Europe.

Success Rates: 12%
The upcoming deadline is: 5 February 2025

Call for Proposals  Guidelines & Forms

 

​Co-funding high-quality doctoral or fellowship Programmes with transnational mobility (COFUND)

The COFUND action provides funding for regional, national and international programmes for training and career development, through co-funding mechanisms. It spreads the MSCA’s best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions. COFUND promotes sustainable training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility.

The COFUND offer additional funding to regional, national and international programmes for research training and career development. A single legal entity in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country applies. Additional partners can be included in the project. The scheme can support doctoral and Postdoctoral fellowship programmes.

Success Rates: 14%
The upcoming deadline is: 24 June 2025

Call for Proposals  Guidelines & Forms

 

MSCA and Citizens (Citizens)

The objective of the MSCA and Citizens action is to bring research and researchers closer to the public at large, with a focus notably on families, pupils and students. It does so through the organisation of the European Researchers’ Night, a research communication and promotion event taking place across EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

MSCA and Citizens aims to increase awareness of research and innovation activities and to boost public recognition of science and research education.

Success Rates: 38%
The upcoming deadline is: 22 October 2025

 

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