This is the edition of 16 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 cycles reward early preparation, and the calls gathered here span several of the most substantial instruments available through Horizon Europe and the European Research Council. Knowing what each call is designed to do, and what kind of action it funds, helps doctoral candidates and early-career researchers plan their trajectories with realistic timelines.
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 are designed to raise the quality and international reach of doctoral training by bringing together universities, research institutes, and non-academic partners across borders and disciplines. The programme targets improved supervision arrangements and stronger knowledge transfer between sectors, which means the doctoral positions that emerge from funded networks tend to offer structured, multi-partner environments rather than single-lab placements. For a prospective doctoral candidate, understanding which research groups and institutions are active in this instrument helps you identify where well-resourced, internationally connected positions are likely to appear. The expected outcomes for candidates include broadened research skills and enhanced capacity to communicate findings to both specialist and general audiences.
Preparation step. Map the research communities and European consortia in your field that have previously participated in Doctoral Networks, follow their websites and mailing lists, and build your profile so you are well positioned to apply when recruited positions are advertised after 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 designed for researchers who are already building an independent research programme and can demonstrate research independence. The grant supports a Principal Investigator in consolidating their own team, which makes it relevant for researchers who are approaching or have recently passed the stage of establishing their own line of inquiry. The description makes clear that the grant can fund a substantial period of research, giving a PI the runway to pursue ambitious questions without being constrained by shorter funding cycles. For an early-career researcher thinking several years ahead, understanding what evidence of independence the ERC expects is a practical planning tool.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the independent research programme you are building, identify a host organisation where you could hold the grant, and open an early conversation with that organisation's research office, since the proposal will need to reflect a credible fit between your scientific vision and the host environment.
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 institutions to run or expand their own doctoral training schemes, with an explicit emphasis on international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary dimensions. The expected outcomes for candidates include a broader set of research-related competences and improved long-term career prospects across sectors. Because COFUND doctoral programmes are designed and run by the funded institution, the positions they generate often carry a distinctive training structure that reflects the host organisation's priorities. Tracking which institutions are active in this instrument gives a prospective doctoral candidate advance notice of where structured, internationally oriented programmes are likely to open.
Preparation step. Identify universities and research institutes in your field that have received or applied for COFUND doctoral programme funding in previous rounds, subscribe to their doctoral school newsletters or vacancy portals, and use the lead time before positions are advertised to tailor your research statement to the thematic and interdisciplinary profile those programmes tend to favour.
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 COFUND instrument with a specific orientation toward career stability and greater researcher autonomy, and it explicitly references alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. This signals that the programmes it funds are expected to take working conditions and career development seriously as institutional commitments, not just as training add-ons. The call also highlights the goal of increasing the global attractiveness of participating organisations, which suggests the fellowships it generates will be positioned to draw researchers from a wide international pool. For a postdoctoral researcher thinking about where to build the next stage of their career, institutions investing in this instrument are signalling a particular kind of research culture.
Preparation step. Research which organisations in your discipline are likely to seek COFUND postdoctoral programme funding under this call, note how they describe their commitments to researcher career development and open recruitment, and begin shaping a postdoctoral research proposal that speaks to the interdisciplinary and autonomy-building dimensions the call description emphasises, so you are ready to apply to the fellowship vacancies these programmes will eventually advertise.
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 are a direct route for postdoctoral researchers to design and carry out a research project with a host organisation, with outcomes framed around expanding research skills, developing new approaches through cross-border and cross-sector experience, and improving long-term career prospects both inside and outside academia. The call also notes expected benefits for host organisations in terms of aligning working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which means hosts have an institutional incentive to engage seriously with the fellowship process. Because the researcher applies together with the host, the quality of the match between your project idea and the host's research environment is central to a strong proposal. Verifying your eligibility under the mobility rule and all other conditions on the official topic page is an essential early step before committing significant preparation time.
Preparation step. Develop a focused research project concept that reflects your current expertise and the direction you want to take it, then identify two or three potential host organisations whose ongoing work complements that concept and reach out to relevant group leaders well before the deadline, since building a genuine scientific dialogue with a prospective host takes time and strengthens the proposal considerably.
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.