This is the edition of 5 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 spans a wide range of career stages and disciplinary contexts, from doctoral training through to the consolidation of an independent research programme. Knowing which calls align with your current stage and ambitions is the first step toward building a competitive profile and a well-timed application strategy.
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.
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 strengthening their own research team or programme. The grant supports a period of up to sixty months, giving a researcher sustained time to pursue an ambitious, self-defined scientific agenda. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, it represents a substantial commitment from the European Research Council to investigator-driven work. The call explicitly allows for additional funding requests when the proposed work requires it, which gives genuine flexibility in designing a research programme.
Preparation step. Draft a one-page outline of the independent research programme you would propose, focusing on what makes your scientific vision distinct and what evidence of independence you can already document; then identify two or three potential host institutions whose environment would strengthen that case, and open an exploratory conversation with their research support offices well before the submission window.
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 funds institutions and consortia to design and run doctoral training schemes that embed international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include a broader and more varied set of research competencies and stronger networks with both scientific peers and the wider public. For a prospective doctoral candidate, understanding which institutions are active in this instrument helps identify where richly structured training environments are likely to emerge. Funded programmes will advertise open doctoral positions through their own recruitment processes after the grant is awarded.
Preparation step. Research universities, research institutes, and cross-sectoral consortia in your field that have previously run COFUND doctoral programmes, follow their news channels and vacancy pages, and work on strengthening the elements of your profile (publications, research experience, language skills) that these competitive recruitment processes typically assess.
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 COFUND for postdoctoral programmes supports institutions in creating structured postdoctoral schemes that offer concrete career prospects and greater researcher autonomy. A distinctive feature of this call is its explicit alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, meaning funded programmes are expected to reflect evolving standards in how research careers are evaluated and supported. The call also references the Council Recommendation on attracting and retaining research talent in Europe, signalling an intent to improve career stability at the postdoctoral stage. Positions within funded programmes will be advertised separately, after grants are awarded.
Preparation step. Identify research organisations in your field that are engaged with the European Charter for Researchers or the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, monitor their postdoctoral recruitment pages, and use the period before positions are advertised to build a portfolio of outputs and experiences that speak directly to the career development goals these programmes are designed to support.
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 allow researchers to apply directly, together with a host organisation, for funding to carry out a self-designed research project. The call emphasises developing a broader set of research and transferable competencies, expanding professional networks, and gaining inter-sectoral or interdisciplinary experience. Host organisations are expected to align working conditions with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, which provides a degree of assurance about the quality of the fellowship environment. Before investing significant preparation time, verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page, as these are specific to this instrument.
Preparation step. Begin shaping a concrete research proposal idea that you could carry out at a host organisation outside your current institutional setting, reach out to potential supervisors whose work aligns with your project vision to gauge their interest in co-developing the application, and check the official topic page carefully to confirm your eligibility under this call's specific conditions.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01-01
MSCA Doctoral Networks 2027
Opens 26 May 2027, closes 23 November 2027. 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 fund consortia of organisations to deliver doctoral training that combines new research skills with practical knowledge of how ideas can be translated into products and services where relevant. The expected outcomes highlight enhanced cooperation across sectors and disciplines, and increased internationalisation, which means the doctoral positions created within these networks tend to involve structured mobility and cross-organisational collaboration. For someone planning a doctoral path, networks funded under this instrument often provide a richer set of training activities than a single-institution programme. Doctoral positions within funded networks are recruited openly after the grant is awarded, not named in the proposal.
Preparation step. Map the academic and non-academic organisations in your research area that have participated in previous Doctoral Networks, follow their institutional news and HR vacancy portals, and in the meantime build the cross-disciplinary or inter-sectoral experience (internships, collaborative projects, conference participation) that makes a candidate competitive for the recruited positions these networks will advertise.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-DN-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.