This is the edition of 11 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 structured doctoral training programmes to independent investigator grants for researchers consolidating their own scientific agenda. Keeping track of these calls, understanding their distinct logics, and preparing well in advance are the habits that separate competitive candidates from those who scramble at the last moment.
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 sectors and disciplines. The programme is explicitly designed to build research skills, expand inter-sectoral knowledge transfer, and increase the international reach of doctoral education. For a prospective doctoral candidate, a funded Doctoral Network represents a structured environment with built-in cross-sector exposure and peer networks that extend well beyond a single institution. Positions within funded networks are advertised openly after grants are awarded, so knowing which research groups are active in this space is genuinely useful preparation.
Preparation step. Map the research groups, institutes, and companies in your field that have coordinated or participated in Doctoral Networks in previous rounds; follow their websites and vacancy channels so you are positioned to respond quickly when recruited positions are advertised after this round's 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 aimed at Principal Investigators who have already demonstrated research independence and are in the process of building or consolidating their own team and programme. For an early-career researcher approaching that stage, understanding the grant's structure, including the possibility of requesting additional funding for specific cost categories when justified in the proposal, helps in planning the trajectory of an independent research agenda. The grant covers a period of up to sixty months, which makes it a serious vehicle for establishing a sustained line of inquiry rather than a short-term project. Engaging with this call early, even before you are eligible, sharpens your sense of what a compelling independent research vision looks like.
Preparation step. Draft a concise statement of your emerging independent research agenda, identify a prospective host institution whose environment would support that agenda, and open an exploratory conversation with a departmental contact there well before the submission window opens.
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, extending their reach and embedding European standards of training quality and supervision. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include a broader and more varied set of research-related competences and the kind of cross-sector and cross-disciplinary experience that shapes how researchers approach problems throughout their careers. For a prospective doctoral candidate, programmes funded through this instrument tend to reflect a strong institutional commitment to researcher development and international collaboration. Positions within awarded programmes are recruited separately after the grant is in place, so monitoring participating organisations is a productive use of preparation time.
Preparation step. Research universities and research institutes in your field that have a track record of running internationally oriented doctoral programmes, sign up for their vacancy alerts, and use the period before positions are advertised to strengthen the elements of your profile that align with the interdisciplinary and international character the programme description emphasises.
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 is explicitly connected to the European Charter for Researchers, the Council Recommendation on attracting and retaining research talent, and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. This means the fellowships recruited under funded projects are likely to sit within organisations that have committed to transparent, open recruitment and career progression practices. The call also emphasises concrete career prospects and increased career stability for supported researchers, which is a direct response to concerns about precarity in postdoctoral employment. Monitoring which organisations receive funding under this call gives you a practical shortlist of employers who are formally aligned with researcher-friendly HR practices.
Preparation step. Once this round's funded projects are announced, compile a watchlist of the participating organisations and track their postdoctoral vacancy pages; in the meantime, review the European Charter for Researchers so you can speak fluently about its principles when the time comes to apply for a recruited position.
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 outcomes framed around broadening research and transferable skills, developing new approaches through international and inter-sectoral experience, and strengthening the researcher's capacity to communicate with both scientific peers and the general public. The call also expects host organisations to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which has practical implications for the quality of the fellowship environment you would be entering. Because this is an individual route, the preparation work falls directly on you as the researcher, and the timeline from first conversation with a prospective host to a polished proposal is longer than most people expect. Verifying your eligibility under the mobility rule and all other conditions on the official topic page is an essential early step.
Preparation step. Begin drafting a research proposal outline grounded in your existing work and the direction you want to develop, identify two or three prospective host organisations whose expertise complements yours, and initiate contact with a potential supervisor to test the fit before committing significant preparation time; verify all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before proceeding.
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.