This is the edition of 23 September 2026. The dates and statuses below are as they stood on that day and may have changed since. Read the current edition.
This radar covers four active Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions calls spanning doctoral training, postdoctoral programmes, and co-funded fellowship schemes across Europe. Some calls are directed at institutions building consortia, while one opens a direct application path for individual postdoctoral researchers, so understanding who actually submits each proposal is the essential first step.
MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026
Open, closes 24 November 2026. MSCA Doctoral Networks.
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks bring together universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners to design and run structured doctoral programmes with cross-sector and cross-border training built in. The funded projects are what eventually produce advertised doctoral positions, so the quality and thematic focus of the consortia that win funding in this round will shape the recruitment landscape for incoming doctoral candidates. Understanding which research groups and organisations are active in this instrument helps you anticipate where structured, well-resourced positions will appear. The expected outcomes for supported candidates include expanded research skills, stronger communication capacities, and career prospects reaching beyond academia.
Preparation step. Map the research communities and organisations in your field that have previously participated in Doctoral Networks consortia, follow their announcements and vacancy pages, and build a profile that speaks to the cross-sector and interdisciplinary ambitions these programmes are designed to serve, so you are well positioned when recruited positions are advertised after awards are made.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01-01
MSCA COFUND 2027
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 6 April 2027. MSCA COFUND (doctoral programmes).
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions COFUND for doctoral programmes co-funds existing or new doctoral schemes at participating organisations, extending their reach and international character rather than creating a new standalone network. For a prospective doctoral candidate, this means that some of the most internationally oriented doctoral programmes at European universities draw part of their funding from this instrument. The description highlights deeper and more diverse skill sets, international and interdisciplinary experience, and improved career prospects as expected outcomes for the researchers who eventually pass through these programmes. Knowing which institutions are pursuing or holding COFUND grants helps you identify doctoral programmes with a built-in commitment to broad training and cross-sector exposure.
Preparation step. Research universities and research institutes in your field that have run or applied for COFUND doctoral programmes in previous rounds, subscribe to their graduate school communications, and tailor your research statement to reflect the international and interdisciplinary orientation that these co-funded schemes are designed to foster.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01-01
MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2027
Opens 8 December 2026, closes 6 April 2027. MSCA COFUND (postdoctoral programmes).
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Choose Europe for Science is a COFUND instrument aimed at postdoctoral programmes, and its description places particular emphasis on career stability and greater researcher autonomy, alongside alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. This signals that participating organisations are expected to demonstrate concrete improvements in how they recruit, support, and advance postdoctoral researchers, not simply offer a fellowship. For an early-career researcher, programmes funded through this call are likely to sit within institutions that are actively reforming their research environment. The outcomes also point toward stronger teaching and research capacity at the host organisations, which can matter for researchers thinking about long-term positioning.
Preparation step. Identify organisations in your field that have publicly committed to the European Charter for Researchers or the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, since these are the kinds of institutions likely to build competitive proposals for this call; monitor their postdoctoral programme pages so you can apply promptly when positions open after funding is awarded.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-02-01
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027
Opens 7 April 2027, closes 8 September 2027. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships.
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are one of the few instruments in this set where the individual researcher, together with a chosen host organisation, submits the proposal directly rather than waiting to be recruited into an institutionally led project. The description points to an expanded skill set, new approaches to research and innovation work through international and interdisciplinary experience, and alignment of working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers as expected outcomes. This makes the fellowship relevant not only as a funding source but as a signal of the working environment a host is expected to provide. Because the individual researcher drives the application, the quality of the research proposal and the fit with the host's profile are central.
Preparation step. Draft an outline of your proposed research project, identify a prospective host organisation and supervisor whose current work complements your project idea, and open a conversation with that supervisor well before the institutional deadline, verifying all eligibility conditions including the mobility rule on the official topic page before investing significant time.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01-01
Deadlines, statuses, and call identifiers are drawn from the
EU Funding and Tenders Portal and were verified against it on the date shown above. Confirm each call's current status on its own topic page before you rely on it. All calls close at 17:00 Brussels time on their respective deadlines, and you should confirm the exact cutoff and any updates directly on each call's official topic page. Clau is a free companion for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers that helps with the project text and application materials behind calls like these.