This is the edition of 5 October 2026. The announcements below are the ones compiled on that day. Read the current edition.
This digest gathers a selection of notable announcements from European research bodies, covering funding increases, open calls, and thematic resources of direct relevance to doctoral and early-career researchers.
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 · 30 September 2026
An additional €210 million has been allocated to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, boosting budgets for both Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks under the amended Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027. The increase was announced at the programme's 30th anniversary event and is described as a response to record demand, with the 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships call drawing the highest number of applications ever recorded across more than 40 years of EU research framework programmes. For researchers considering applying, this means more funded positions will be available under what will be the final MSCA calls within the current Horizon Europe cycle, with over €1.3 billion foreseen for the programme in 2027.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 25 September 2026
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has published a document outlining its support for cancer research within its broader 2021-2027 budget of €6.6 billion. The programme funds research across all fields on the basis of scientific excellence, meaning cancer-focused projects compete on equal footing with other disciplines rather than through a dedicated thematic strand. Researchers working in oncology or related biomedical areas may find this a useful reference when exploring funding routes for their projects.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 18 September 2026
A new document from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions highlights that close to 500 MSCA projects under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe have addressed democracy-related topics, spanning areas such as civic participation, disinformation, polarisation, and trust in science. This overview signals the breadth of social science and humanities research the programme has supported, which may be encouraging for doctoral and early-career researchers working on governance, media, or political participation. The document serves as a thematic reference for those considering how their work might align with MSCA funding opportunities.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 14 September 2026
The 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 pupils aged roughly 7 to 18 through interactive formats such as live experiments, demonstrations, and games, with each group spending around 15 minutes at a booth. This is a concrete public engagement opportunity for funded researchers looking to develop science communication skills and reach a broad non-specialist audience.
Read the full announcement at Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 7 September 2026
The 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships call closed in September 2026 and received 21,627 proposals, a 26.7 percent increase on the previous year and the highest figure ever recorded for any single funding action across more than four decades of EU research programmes. The indicative budget of approximately €399 million is expected to support around 1,600 projects, meaning competition remains intense despite the large pool of funding. Researchers planning to apply in future cycles should be aware of this demand context when preparing their proposals.
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.