Funding news digest ·
Research Funding News for Doctoral and Early-Career Researchers
This digest gathers a selection of notable announcements from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme relevant to doctoral candidates and early-career researchers, spanning funding boosts, anniversary milestones, Nobel Prize connections, and new publications.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 21 October 2026
Interactive publication featuring over 100 success stories and testimonials
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has released an interactive publication showcasing more than 100 success stories and testimonials from funded researchers. Readers can browse by country or institution, making it a useful resource for doctoral and early-career researchers who want to see how past participants have benefited from the programme.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 20 October 2026
Science without borders: the lasting legacy of Marie Skłodowska-Curie
An article published via Horizon Magazine traces the legacy of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which in 2026 marks its 30th anniversary. Since 1996, over 150,000 researchers have taken part, including 25 Nobel laureates, and the programme has grown from supporting roughly 800 researchers per year to around 8,000 annually. Nearly half of participating organisations are companies, highlighting the programme's role in connecting early-career researchers with industry and international collaboration opportunities.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 6 October 2026
Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physics awarded to former MSCA fellow and supervisor
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Georg Nagel, a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellow, for discoveries related to light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, while the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics went to Francis Halzen, who served as a supervisor in the MSCA-funded ASTRONU project on neutrino astronomy. These recognitions underscore how participation in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, whether as a fellow or supervisor, can be part of a trajectory toward the highest levels of scientific achievement.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 30 September 2026
Over €210 million boost for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions to support more researchers in Europe
The European Commission has announced an additional 210 million euro top-up for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, directed toward Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks. The boost responds to record demand; the 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships call attracted 21,627 applications, the highest number ever recorded for any single funding action across more than 40 years of EU research framework programmes. With over 1.3 billion euro foreseen for the programme in 2027, this increase is significant for early-career researchers seeking funded positions in Europe.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions · 25 September 2026
Cancer research in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions has published a document highlighting cancer research funded under the programme during the 2021 to 2027 period. With a total budget of 6.6 billion euro, the programme supports bottom-up, excellence-driven research across all fields, and this publication illustrates how doctoral and postdoctoral researchers working on cancer-related topics can benefit from its funding and training opportunities.