This is the edition of 25 September 2026. The announcements below are the ones compiled on that day. Read the current edition.
This digest highlights a selection of announcements from European research bodies that carry direct relevance for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers, covering funding results, public engagement opportunities, and thematic research overviews.
These summaries are written by Clau and each links to its original announcement. Clau is independent and not affiliated with the European Union or its research bodies.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 25 September 2026
This document outlines the role of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in supporting cancer-related research within its 2021 to 2027 programme, which carries a total budget of 6.6 billion euros. The programme funds bottom-up research across all disciplines on the basis of scientific excellence, meaning researchers do not need to work within a prescribed thematic agenda. For doctoral and early-career researchers interested in oncology or related fields, this serves as a reminder that MSCA funding is open and competitive rather than restricted to predefined topics.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 18 September 2026
Under the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe frameworks, close to 500 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions projects have engaged with democracy-related questions, spanning topics such as civic participation, disinformation, media freedom, and trust in science. This overview signals the breadth of social and political science themes that have received MSCA support, which may be useful for researchers scoping whether their work fits within the programme. Early-career scholars working on governance, polarisation, or evidence-informed policymaking can draw on this as evidence that such topics have a track record of success within MSCA funding schemes.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 14 September 2026
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has opened a call for MSCA fellows and alumni to participate in the Science is Wonderful! science fair, with the 2027 edition scheduled to take place in Brussels across three days in March 2027. Participants present their research to groups of school-aged pupils through interactive formats such as live experiments, games, and stage demonstrations, with each group spending roughly fifteen minutes at a booth. This is a concrete public engagement opportunity for early-career researchers looking to develop science communication skills and fulfil outreach components of their fellowship obligations.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 7 September 2026
The 2026 call for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships received 21,627 applications, the highest figure ever recorded for this scheme and for any single funding action across forty years of EU research and innovation framework programmes, representing an increase of over 26 percent compared to the 2025 call. The indicative budget of approximately 399 million euros is expected to support around 1,600 projects, meaning competition is exceptionally intense. Researchers preparing future applications should factor in this level of demand when assessing their proposals and timelines.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 27 August 2026
The European Commission has announced that the 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND call will provide 105.5 million euros to 29 selected programmes, comprising 15 doctoral training schemes and 14 postdoctoral fellowship programmes, chosen from 136 eligible applications at a success rate of 21 percent. COFUND allows universities and research organisations to build or expand their own training programmes with MSCA co-funding, spreading the programme's standards for researcher working conditions and international mobility across more than 400 participating organisations. Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers stand to benefit indirectly, as their host institutions may use this funding to create or improve structured training and fellowship opportunities.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Each item summarises an announcement published by the named European research body and links to the original source; the summaries are written by Clau and the announcements belong to their respective sources. Clau is a free companion for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers.