This is the edition of 17 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 doctoral training, postdoctoral development, and independent research consolidation across Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the European Research Council. Knowing what each instrument is designed to achieve, and what role a researcher can realistically play at each stage, is the foundation of a well-timed strategy.
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 built around expanding the research and transferable competences of doctoral candidates, with an explicit emphasis on networking, communication, and the translation of research into broader impact. For someone considering a doctorate, funded positions created by these networks offer structured supervision and cross-sector exposure that a single-institution programme may not provide. Because the call targets participating organisations and their cooperation, the positions it eventually generates tend to be embedded in genuinely international and interdisciplinary environments.
Preparation step. Identify research groups, institutes, and companies in your field that have previously coordinated or partnered in Doctoral Networks, follow their news channels and vacancy pages, and build a profile that reflects the cross-sector and interdisciplinary ambitions these consortia look for when they advertise recruited positions after a grant is 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 have already established evidence of independent research and are in the process of consolidating their own team or programme. The grant supports a substantial period of focused research activity and allows the principal investigator to request additional funding for costs that are necessary to carry out the proposed work. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, understanding the Consolidator Grant's scope helps in planning the trajectory of independent publications, group-building, and institutional positioning that makes a competitive proposal possible.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the independent research programme you want to consolidate, identify a host institution whose environment matches that programme, and open a preliminary conversation with the relevant research office well before the submission window, since institutional endorsement and internal review processes take considerable time.
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, with the aim of enriching them through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary dimensions. The expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include a broader and more varied set of research competences and the kind of cross-boundary experience that shapes new approaches to research and innovation work. For prospective doctoral candidates, COFUND-supported programmes represent an opportunity to pursue a doctorate within an established national or institutional framework that has been deliberately designed to open outward. Positions in these programmes are advertised by the funded institutions after the grant is secured.
Preparation step. Research universities and research-performing organisations in your target country or field that have previously run COFUND doctoral programmes, subscribe to their doctoral school announcements, and use the intervening period to strengthen the elements of your profile, such as publications, conference contributions, or language skills, that these internationally oriented programmes typically value.
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 COFUND instrument directed at postdoctoral programmes, with a particular focus on concrete career prospects, increased career stability, and the alignment of host organisations with the European Charter for Researchers and related frameworks on research assessment reform. The call also connects to the broader European ambition to attract and retain research talent, which means funded programmes are expected to offer conditions and progression pathways that reflect those commitments. For a postdoctoral researcher thinking about where to build the next phase of their career, positions created through this instrument are likely to sit within institutions that have formally committed to transparent recruitment and career development practices.
Preparation step. Look into which 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 design COFUND postdoctoral programmes under this call; follow their human resources and research pages so you are positioned to respond when recruited vacancies are posted.
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 in developing their skills and broadening their experience through a fellowship carried out at a host organisation. The programme emphasises expanded research competences, new approaches forged through cross-sector and cross-border experience, and stronger communication with both scientific communities and the public. Host organisations are expected to align working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, which gives fellows a degree of assurance about supervision quality and professional treatment. This is a direct application route, meaning the researcher drives the proposal in partnership with a chosen host.
Preparation step. Begin by verifying the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page, then develop a focused research project outline and identify a host organisation whose expertise and infrastructure genuinely complement your proposed work, reaching out to a potential supervisor early enough to allow time for a substantive exchange before the proposal is written.
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.