This is the edition of 27 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 cycles reward preparation that begins well before any deadline appears on a portal, and the calls gathered here span a range of career stages and disciplinary contexts. Whether a researcher is still shaping a doctoral project or already building an independent programme, understanding what each instrument is designed to do makes the difference between a reactive and a strategic approach.
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 run structured doctoral training programmes that cross disciplinary and sectoral boundaries. For a doctoral candidate or prospective applicant, a funded network represents a training environment shaped by formal cooperation agreements, shared supervision arrangements, and built-in opportunities to develop skills that translate across career paths. The programme is explicitly designed to improve the quality and sustainability of doctoral education at the participating organisations, which means the research environment itself is part of what gets funded. Positions within these networks are advertised openly after the grant is awarded, so knowing which research groups are active in this instrument helps a candidate prepare a competitive profile in advance.
Preparation step. Identify research groups and non-academic organisations in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, follow their vacancy pages and mailing lists, and use the time before positions are advertised to deepen the profile elements (publications, conference contributions, cross-sectoral experience) that these programmes are designed to develop.
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 directed at researchers who are at a stage where they are building or consolidating an independent research team and can demonstrate research independence through their track record. The grant supports a substantial period of focused research activity, and the possibility of requesting additional funding for specific cost categories means the scope of the proposed work can be genuinely ambitious. For an early-career researcher approaching this career stage, understanding the Consolidator Grant's emphasis on demonstrated independence is essential for planning the years of output and team-building that precede a competitive application.
Preparation step. Draft a one-page outline of the research programme you would propose, focusing on the evidence of independence your track record already provides and identifying the gaps you need to close before the submission window; then open a conversation with your institution's research office about the internal processes for endorsing and submitting an ERC 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 goal of enriching those schemes through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary dimensions. The expected outcomes for supported candidates include a broader and more varied set of research and transferable competences, and the programme places particular emphasis on the global attractiveness and long-term sustainability of the host organisation's training offer. For a prospective doctoral candidate, a COFUND-supported programme signals that the institution has committed to a quality standard and an openness to diverse research pathways. Recruited positions will be advertised by the funded organisations after the grant is awarded, making early awareness of which institutions are pursuing this instrument genuinely useful.
Preparation step. Research which universities and research institutes in your field have run or expressed interest in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND doctoral programmes, bookmark their doctoral school pages and funding news channels, and in the meantime build the profile elements (research experience, language skills, cross-disciplinary coursework) that COFUND programme descriptions consistently highlight as desirable.
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 Skłodowska-Curie Actions Choose Europe for Science targets postdoctoral researchers and is designed to produce concrete career prospects and greater professional autonomy, with participating organisations explicitly required to align their human resources and recruitment practices with the European Charter for Researchers and recent European frameworks for attracting and retaining research talent. This means the institutional environment a recruited researcher enters is itself being reformed as part of the grant conditions, which has practical implications for contract stability and career progression. The call also references the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, signalling that evaluation criteria within these programmes may look beyond traditional bibliometric measures. Positions will be advertised by funded organisations after the grant is awarded, so monitoring institutions active in postdoctoral COFUND is a productive use of preparation time.
Preparation step. Map the research organisations in your area 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 pursue this instrument, and prepare a concise narrative of your postdoctoral research direction that you can adapt quickly when vacancy calls open.
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 working with a host organisation, with outcomes framed around expanding research and transferable competences, developing new approaches through international and inter-sectoral experience, and improving long-term career prospects both within and outside academia. The call also specifies expected benefits for the host organisation, including alignment with the European Charter for Researchers, which means the quality of the supervision and working conditions is a formal part of what the fellowship is meant to deliver. Because this is an individual route, a researcher can take a direct role in shaping the proposal together with a prospective host. Verifying the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before investing significant preparation time is essential.
Preparation step. Begin drafting a concise description of the research project you would pursue, identify two or three host organisations whose research environment fits that project, and reach out to a potential supervisor well before the deadline to gauge interest and start aligning the proposal with the host's ongoing work; then verify all eligibility conditions on the official topic page.
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.