This is the edition of 24 September 2026. The dates and statuses below are as they stood on that day and may have changed since. Read the current edition.
The calls below span Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions instruments at different stages of the pipeline, from doctoral training networks to postdoctoral fellowships. Some are open and some are forthcoming, so the right preparation move depends on which instrument you are looking at and what role you can realistically play in it.
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 are designed to raise the quality and international reach of doctoral training by bringing together universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners into a shared programme. When funded, these networks advertise individual doctoral positions openly, giving candidates access to structured training that builds both research depth and broader professional competences. The programme explicitly aims to improve career prospects inside and outside academia, and to strengthen networking and communication skills that extend research impact. Understanding which consortia are active in your field puts you in a strong position when those vacancy calls appear.
Preparation step. Map the research groups and institutions in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Doctoral Networks, then follow their news channels and websites so you are among the first to see the doctoral positions they will advertise once a funded project begins recruiting.
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, helping those organisations build more internationally visible and sustainable training environments. The expected outcomes for supported candidates include a broader set of research and transferable competences and improved prospects both within academia and in other sectors. Because COFUND amplifies programmes that are already embedded in an institution, the doctoral positions it eventually produces often come with strong local supervision infrastructure. Knowing which institutions are likely to apply for or renew COFUND funding helps you target your prospective supervisor conversations strategically.
Preparation step. Identify universities or research institutes in your target field that run or have previously run COFUND doctoral programmes, reach out to potential supervisors there to express your research interests, and monitor those institutions for open position announcements that will follow once funding is secured.
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 researchers, 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. For an early-career researcher, this signals that programmes funded under this call are likely to offer structured career development frameworks rather than purely project-based roles. The call also highlights the goal of increasing the global attractiveness of participating organisations, which suggests that funded programmes will be designed to draw internationally competitive candidates. Watching for the postdoctoral positions that emerge from awarded projects is a concrete way to benefit from this instrument.
Preparation step. Look into which European research organisations have previously hosted COFUND postdoctoral programmes and are well aligned with your research area; build a profile that speaks to the interdisciplinary and international dimensions the call emphasises, so your application is strong when individual fellowship vacancies open under funded schemes.
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 instruments where the individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation and supervisor, making this a genuinely personal application rather than an institutional one. The call description highlights gains in research and transferable skills, new approaches forged through international and inter-sectoral experience, and stronger communication with both peers and the public. It also notes that participating organisations are expected to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which is a meaningful signal about the quality of the environment you would enter. Starting conversations with prospective supervisors well before the deadline is essential because the proposal is built jointly.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the research project you would pursue, identify two or three potential host organisations and supervisors whose work complements yours, open an early conversation with your preferred supervisor to test mutual interest, and verify all eligibility conditions including the mobility rule on the official topic page before investing significant time in a full proposal.
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 stated deadline, so confirm the exact cutoff on each call's own topic page before finalising any submission. 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.