This is the edition of 28 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 doctoral training to the consolidation of an independent research programme. The calls gathered here reflect that breadth, touching on structured doctoral education, postdoctoral development, and the establishment of a mature research identity.
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.
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 ready to consolidate their own team or programme. It offers substantial, long-duration funding that gives a researcher the space to pursue ambitious questions without the constraints of shorter project cycles. For an early-career researcher approaching this stage, understanding what 'evidence of research independence' looks like in practice is essential groundwork. This call represents a significant milestone in a research career trajectory, and preparing for it well in advance pays off.
Preparation step. Begin assembling a clear narrative of your research independence: identify the publications, grants, invited contributions, and supervision activities that together demonstrate you have moved beyond your doctoral or postdoctoral training and are directing your own intellectual agenda, so that this evidence is coherent and ready to anchor a proposal outline when the time comes.
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 funds institutions to design and run doctoral training schemes that go beyond a single discipline or sector, with the aim of broadening candidates' research skills and opening career paths inside and outside academia. For a prospective doctoral candidate, programmes funded through this instrument can offer structured training environments with international and inter-sectoral dimensions built in from the start. Because institutions submit the proposals and recruit doctoral candidates only after a grant is awarded, the positions that eventually emerge are advertised openly and competitively. Knowing which research groups and universities are active in this instrument puts you in a stronger position when those vacancies appear.
Preparation step. Research universities and research institutes in your field that have previously run or expressed interest in COFUND doctoral programmes, follow their news channels and vacancy pages, and use the period before funded positions are advertised to strengthen the parts of your profile, such as cross-sectoral experience or language skills, that these 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.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND call for postdoctoral programmes, branded here as 'Choose Europe for Science', funds organisations to create postdoctoral fellowship schemes explicitly oriented toward career stability and greater researcher autonomy. A distinctive feature of this call's description is its emphasis on aligning host organisation practices with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, which signals that funded programmes are expected to offer researchers a structured and transparent career environment. Positions within these programmes are recruited after the institutional grant is awarded, so the opportunity for an individual researcher lies in being ready when those calls open. The focus on concrete career prospects and skills depth makes these programmes particularly relevant for researchers thinking carefully about their next career step.
Preparation step. Identify organisations in your field that are known to pursue European postdoctoral programme funding, monitor their human resources and research pages for fellowship scheme announcements, and in the meantime work on articulating how your research agenda aligns with the kind of autonomy and career development these programmes are designed to support.
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 researchers to design and carry out a project in partnership with a host organisation, building a broader set of research and transferable competences and expanding their professional networks across sectors and disciplines. Because the researcher and host organisation apply together, this instrument gives you real agency over the scientific direction, the choice of environment, and the shape of your career development plan. The call description highlights outcomes including stronger communication with scientific peers and the wider public, which is increasingly valued in research assessment. This is a fellowship where the intellectual and professional case you make for yourself is central to the application.
Preparation step. Draft a concise outline of the research project you would want to pursue, then use it as the basis for early conversations with potential host organisations whose expertise and infrastructure complement your own, verifying the mobility rule and all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before investing significant time in any one direction.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01-01
MSCA Doctoral Networks 2027
Opens 26 May 2027, closes 23 November 2027. 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 deliver doctoral training that spans sectors and disciplines, with an explicit goal of equipping candidates to convert research ideas into tangible outputs and to communicate their work to both specialist and general audiences. The network structure means that a recruited doctoral candidate typically has access to multiple partner environments, not just a single supervisor or institution. Because institutions and consortia submit the proposals and hire doctoral researchers after funding is confirmed, the positions that result are advertised as open vacancies at a later stage. Understanding which consortia are forming or have been funded in your research area gives you a meaningful head start.
Preparation step. Map the academic and non-academic organisations working at the intersection of your research interests, look for evidence of existing or past Doctoral Network consortia in that space through public EU funding databases, and build connections with researchers in those groups so that you are a credible candidate when doctoral positions are eventually advertised.
Official topic page: HORIZON-MSCA-2027-DN-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.