This is the edition of 30 September 2026. The dates and statuses below are as they stood on that day and may have changed since. Read the current edition.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and ERC funding shape many of the most substantive research careers in Europe, and understanding the distinct logic of each instrument helps you plan your trajectory with greater precision. This radar brings together calls spanning doctoral training, postdoctoral development, and independent research leadership, so you can map the landscape against where you are and where you want to be.
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 across disciplines and sectors. The programme is explicitly oriented toward building research skills alongside broader competences that open doors both inside and outside academia. For a doctoral candidate, understanding which consortia are active in your field tells you where the funded positions will eventually appear. Organisations that win these grants typically advertise recruited doctoral positions through open vacancy calls after the grant is awarded.
Preparation step. Map the research groups and departments in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, then follow their news channels and institutional vacancy pages so you are well positioned when recruited doctoral positions are advertised after grants from this round 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 supports principal investigators who are in the process of consolidating an independent research team or programme, and the call description explicitly requires evidence of research independence as a condition of eligibility. For an early-career researcher approaching or recently past the stage where they are building their own group, this grant offers a substantial period of sustained funding to develop an ambitious research agenda. The scope of the grant, including the possibility of requesting additional funding for specific eligible cost categories, gives principal investigators considerable flexibility in designing a programme that matches their scientific vision.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the independent research programme you would pursue, focusing on articulating the evidence of your research independence to date, then identify a prospective host organisation and open an early conversation with the relevant research office about institutional support and internal review processes.
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 enhancing the quality and sustainability of research training and increasing the global attractiveness of those organisations. The call description highlights that supported candidates are expected to develop new mindsets through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience, which signals that the positions created will be embedded in genuinely diverse research environments. For a prospective doctoral candidate, institutions that successfully secure COFUND funding tend to offer structured programmes with strong support frameworks rather than isolated supervisory arrangements.
Preparation step. Identify universities and research institutes in your field that have previously run or expressed interest in COFUND doctoral programmes, follow their graduate school communications, and build a profile that speaks directly to the international and interdisciplinary dimensions those programmes prioritise.
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 call specifically targets postdoctoral programmes and is oriented around concrete career prospects and increased career stability for supported researchers, alongside alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. This framing is significant because it signals that the postdoctoral positions created under funded projects will be situated in organisations actively working to improve researcher working conditions and career progression systems. The call also references the Council Recommendation on attracting and retaining research and innovation talent in Europe, which suggests that funded programmes will be designed with longer-term career trajectories in mind.
Preparation step. Research which organisations in your discipline have publicly committed to the European Charter for Researchers or the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, since these are the institutions most likely to develop competitive COFUND postdoctoral programme proposals, and position your profile to align with their stated research and human resources priorities.
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 a project together with a host organisation, with outcomes that include an expanded skill set, cross-sectoral or interdisciplinary experience, and stronger communication capacities reaching both scientific peers and the wider public. The call description also highlights that participating organisations are expected to align working conditions with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, which has practical implications for the quality of the research environment you would be joining. Because the researcher applies directly alongside a host, the preparation process is substantive and benefits from an early start. Verifying the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before investing significant time is an essential first step.
Preparation step. Begin by reading the official topic page carefully to verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions, then develop a focused project concept in your area of expertise and reach out to potential host organisations whose research environment complements that concept, giving both sides enough time to refine the proposal collaboratively before the deadline.
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.