This is the edition of 25 September 2026. The dates and statuses below are as they stood on that day and may have changed since. Read the current edition.
European research funding spans a wide range of career stages and disciplinary contexts, and knowing which calls align with your current position can save months of misdirected effort. This radar brings together Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and ERC calls so you can map the landscape and plan your next move with a clearer sense of timing and fit.
Of the five calls below, three are applied for by institutions or consortia, with individual positions recruited after the grant is awarded, and two are applied for directly by the individual researcher, together with a host organisation.
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 Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks bring together universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners to design and deliver structured doctoral training at scale. The programme is explicitly oriented toward building research skills alongside broader competences that open doors within and outside academia. For a prospective doctoral candidate, a funded Doctoral Network represents a structured pathway into a research career with built-in cross-sector and cross-disciplinary exposure. Understanding which consortia are active in your field positions you to recognise and pursue the recruitment calls that funded projects will eventually advertise.
Preparation step. Map the research groups and departments in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Doctoral Networks, then follow their news channels and vacancy pages so you are ready to respond when recruited doctoral positions are advertised after grants are awarded.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01-01
ERC Consolidator Grant
Open, closes 12 January 2027. ERC Consolidator Grant.
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
The ERC Consolidator Grant is designed for researchers who have already demonstrated independence and are building or consolidating their own research programme and team. The call description makes clear that evidence of research independence is a prerequisite, which means the period leading up to an application is one for accumulating a visible, coherent research identity. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, understanding the grant's scope and the evidence it requires helps you structure your output and team-building activities deliberately.
Preparation step. Draft a concise narrative of your independent research programme, identifying the thread of originality that connects your recent work, and open an early conversation with your institution's research office about what internal support and host arrangements would be needed for a full proposal.
Official topic page: ERC-2027-COG
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 Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND for doctoral programmes co-funds existing or new doctoral schemes at participating organisations, with the explicit aim of enriching training quality, sustainability, and international reach. The expected outcomes highlight the value placed on interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral experience as a way of broadening how doctoral candidates approach research and innovation. For a prospective doctoral researcher, programmes funded through this instrument offer structured training environments shaped by European standards and international partnerships. Identifying which institutions are pursuing or have received COFUND doctoral funding in your area gives you a realistic picture of where competitive, well-resourced doctoral places may open.
Preparation step. Research universities and research institutes in your field that have a track record of internationally oriented doctoral programmes, and monitor their postgraduate admissions pages for fellowship cohorts that COFUND grants will generate once awarded.
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.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Choose Europe for Science COFUND call is specifically oriented toward postdoctoral programmes, with a stated focus on concrete career prospects, increased career stability, and greater researcher autonomy. Notably, the description references alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the 2023 Council Recommendation on attracting and retaining research talent in Europe, signalling that funded programmes will be shaped by these frameworks. For a postdoctoral researcher, this means positions arising from funded schemes are likely to be embedded in institutions actively reforming their researcher career and recruitment practices. Tracking which organisations are building these programmes gives you advance notice of where postdoctoral vacancies with strong career development structures will emerge.
Preparation step. Familiarise yourself with the European Charter for Researchers and the 2023 Council Recommendation on research talent retention, since the description ties funded programmes directly to these frameworks, and identify host organisations in your field that are publicly engaged with research assessment reform and researcher career development.
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 Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships support individual postdoctoral researchers in designing and carrying out their own research project at a host organisation, with outcomes framed around expanding research and transferable competences and broadening professional networks across sectors and disciplines. The call description also highlights the host organisation's responsibility to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which is a meaningful indicator of the professional environment you would enter. This fellowship route gives a postdoctoral researcher substantial ownership over their research agenda while working within a structured, internationally recognised framework. Before investing time in a proposal, verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page.
Preparation step. Identify a prospective host organisation whose research environment complements your project idea, then reach out to a potential supervisor well ahead of the deadline to discuss the fit between your proposed work and the group's ongoing activities, since the fellowship requires a jointly developed project.
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. These calls close at 17:00 Brussels time on their stated deadline. 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.