This is the edition of 1 October 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 early preparation, and the calls gathered here span doctoral training, postdoctoral development, and independent research consolidation across Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the European Research Council. Knowing what each instrument is designed to do, and when to act on it, can shape a research career trajectory well before any deadline arrives.
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 build structured doctoral training programmes with cross-sector and cross-disciplinary reach. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include the development of research and transferable competences, the capacity to translate knowledge into products and services where relevant, and stronger communication skills directed at both scientific communities and the wider public. For the organisations involved, the instrument is designed to raise the quality and sustainability of supervision arrangements and deepen inter-institutional cooperation. Because funded positions are advertised after grants are awarded, doctoral candidates who understand which research groups are active in this space will be better placed when vacancies open.
Preparation step. Map the research groups, graduate schools, and non-academic partners in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Doctoral Networks, and begin following their recruitment pages so you are ready to respond when funded 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 in the process of consolidating their own research team or programme. The grant supports a sustained period of work, giving a Principal Investigator the resources to pursue an ambitious research agenda on their own terms. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, understanding the grant's expectations around demonstrated independence is essential for timing an application well. The additional funding provisions described in the call also allow for flexibility when the proposed work requires resources beyond the standard ceiling.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the independent research programme you would propose, focusing on how your publication record and any prior group leadership already demonstrate the research independence the call explicitly requires, then identify a host organisation and open a conversation with a potential administrative contact well before the deadline.
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 aim of enriching them through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary dimensions. The described outcomes for doctoral candidates include a broader set of research-related and transferable competences and the development of new approaches to research and innovation work. For the organisations, the instrument is designed to raise the global visibility and research training quality of the programme itself. Doctoral candidates who identify institutions building or expanding COFUND-supported programmes position themselves to benefit from the richer training environments these grants are intended to create.
Preparation step. Identify universities or research institutes in your field that have previously run or expressed interest in COFUND doctoral programmes, and reach out to their graduate school offices to understand what funded positions they may advertise once a grant 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 Skłodowska-Curie Actions Choose Europe for Science is a COFUND instrument aimed at postdoctoral programmes, with an explicit focus on concrete career prospects and increased career stability for supported researchers. The call's description highlights alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and with frameworks designed to attract and retain research talent in Europe, including the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. For postdoctoral researchers, this signals that funded programmes will be shaped by open, merit-based recruitment practices and structured career development. Monitoring which organisations are building these programmes gives postdoctoral researchers a clearer picture of where supportive research environments are taking shape.
Preparation step. Review the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment so that when participating organisations advertise positions under funded Choose Europe for Science programmes, you can speak fluently to the values and practices those programmes are built around.
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 expected outcomes that include an expanded set of research and transferable competences and the development of new approaches to research and innovation through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience. The call also describes expected benefits for host organisations, including stronger alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and enhanced research training quality. This makes the fellowship a two-way proposition: the researcher develops, and the host organisation also commits to a certain standard of working conditions and supervision. Before investing significant preparation time, verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page.
Preparation step. Identify two or three prospective host groups whose research agenda genuinely complements your own, open an exploratory conversation with a potential supervisor well ahead of the deadline, and use that exchange to begin shaping a project outline grounded in mutual scientific interest.
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.