This is the edition of 15 October 2026. The dates and statuses below are as they stood on that day and may have changed since. Read the current edition.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions funding spans doctoral training, postdoctoral development, and programme-level co-funding, offering a range of entry points depending on where you are in your research career. Each call has a distinct structure and timeline, so understanding how each one works before committing your preparation time is essential.
Of the four calls below, three are applied for by institutions or consortia, with individual positions recruited after the grant is awarded, and one is 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 run multi-site doctoral training programmes. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include building research and transferable competences, developing networking and communication capacities with both scientific peers and the general public, and gaining knowledge relevant to converting research ideas into products and services. For the organisations involved, the instrument is designed to improve the quality and sustainability of doctoral training and to boost cooperation across sectors and disciplines. Researchers who eventually enter these programmes benefit from the internationalisation and inter-organisational integration that the network structure is specifically built to produce.
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 vacancy pages closely, and build your profile so you are well positioned when funded projects advertise recruited doctoral positions after the grant is awarded.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01-01
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 goal of broadening the skills base of doctoral candidates through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary exposure. The expected outcomes stress not just employability but a genuine shift in how researchers approach their work, shaped by diverse collaborative experience. Participating organisations are expected to grow their research and innovation capacity and increase their global visibility as a result. Because funded programmes recruit doctoral candidates through their own open calls after the grant is secured, the path to a position runs through knowing which institutions are building or expanding COFUND-backed programmes.
Preparation step. Research universities and research-intensive organisations in your target field that have previously run or are expanding COFUND doctoral programmes, note the kinds of interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral profiles these programmes tend to recruit, and tailor your academic and professional record to reflect those dimensions while you monitor their vacancy announcements.
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 postdoctoral co-funding instrument with a distinctive institutional focus: participating organisations are expected to align their human resources and recruitment practices with the European Charter for Researchers and related European frameworks for attracting and retaining research talent. For supported researchers, the call emphasises concrete career prospects and greater professional autonomy alongside a broader and deeper skills portfolio. The explicit reference to career stability and alignment with the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment signals that this instrument is designed to support researchers at a stage where longer-term career architecture matters. Positions will be advertised by funded organisations after awards are made, so understanding which institutions are orienting themselves toward these European HR standards is useful groundwork.
Preparation step. Look into which research organisations in your field have publicly committed to the European Charter for Researchers or the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, since these are the kinds of institutions likely to pursue this instrument, and position yourself to respond quickly when they open postdoctoral recruitment under a funded programme.
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 researchers working with a host organisation to carry out a project that develops their research profile through international, inter-sectoral, or interdisciplinary experience. The call's expected outcomes highlight growth in research and transferable skills, expanded capacity to communicate with both specialist and general audiences, and the development of new approaches to research and innovation work. Host organisations are expected to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which shapes the environment you would be working in. Before investing significant preparation time, verify the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page, as these are central to whether a given host organisation is a viable choice for you.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of your proposed research project, identifying a host organisation whose work complements your profile and with whom you can open a substantive conversation early, since a well-developed relationship with a prospective host is a practical foundation for a competitive proposal under this instrument.
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.