This is the edition of 9 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 broad range of career stages and disciplinary contexts, and knowing which calls align with your trajectory can shape the direction of your next few years. This radar brings together Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and ERC opportunities so you can plan with a clear picture of what is on the horizon.
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 fund consortia of organisations to create structured doctoral training environments that cross sectors and disciplines. For a prospective doctoral candidate, a successfully funded network can mean access to a training programme designed around both research depth and broader professional development. The expected outcomes described for supported candidates include expanded competences and stronger capacities for communicating research to scientific and general audiences. Understanding where these networks are being built helps you position yourself for the recruited posts that will follow once grants are awarded.
Preparation step. Identify research groups and institutions in your field that have previously coordinated or participated in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks, follow their news channels and vacancy pages, and build a profile that reflects the cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary ambitions these programmes reward, so you are well placed when recruited positions are advertised after funding decisions are made.
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 building or 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 scientific direction with a degree of continuity that shorter funding cycles rarely allow. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, understanding the grant's scope and the evidence of independence it requires is valuable preparation for a future application. The additional funding provision described in the call also signals that genuinely ambitious, resource-intensive projects are within scope.
Preparation step. Begin drafting a concise outline of the independent research programme you would pursue, articulating the evidence of research independence you have already accumulated and identifying a host organisation where the work could be based, then open an early conversation with that organisation's research office about feasibility and support.
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 national or institutional doctoral schemes, enabling them to offer training shaped by international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include a deeper and more diverse set of research-related competences and the development of new approaches to research and innovation work. For participating organisations, the call is an opportunity to raise the quality and global visibility of their doctoral training. Doctoral candidates enter these programmes through the open recruitment processes that follow a successful grant, not through the proposal itself.
Preparation step. Identify universities and research institutes in your field that run internationally oriented doctoral programmes, check whether they have previously received COFUND funding, and monitor their doctoral school announcements so you can respond quickly when fellowship vacancies open after grants are awarded.
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 programmes and places particular emphasis on career stability and concrete career prospects for supported researchers. The call also expects participating organisations to align their human resources and recruitment practices with the European Charter for Researchers and related European frameworks for attracting and retaining research talent, which means funded positions are embedded in institutions actively reforming how they support researchers. The focus on greater researcher autonomy makes this instrument especially relevant for postdoctoral researchers looking to develop an independent profile. Positions within funded programmes will be advertised after grants are awarded.
Preparation step. Research which institutions in your field are already engaged with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, since these are the organisations most likely to build competitive COFUND postdoctoral programme proposals, and follow their postdoctoral vacancy channels so you are ready when positions are announced.
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 postdoctoral researchers to design a project in collaboration with a host organisation, gaining experience across sectors and disciplines while expanding their research and transferable competences. The call's expected outcomes include improved career prospects within and beyond academia, enhanced networking capacities with both scientific peers and the broader public, and a host organisation that is expected to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers. This makes the fellowship a structured opportunity to deepen your research profile while also building the professional skills that matter across career paths. Verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before investing significant preparation time.
Preparation step. Draft a two-page sketch of a research project you could pursue as a postdoctoral fellow, then identify two or three prospective host organisations whose ongoing work connects with that project and reach out to a potential supervisor to gauge interest well before the submission window opens.
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.