Doctoral funding radar ·
Doctoral and Early-Career Research Funding Calls Worth Preparing For
Planning a funding application usually means looking further ahead than feels comfortable, because the calls that shape doctoral and postdoctoral careers run on long cycles. The calls below cover structured doctoral training, postdoctoral career programmes and grants that support a researcher's own line of work under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the ERC. Reading them side by side can help you decide where your energy is best spent over the coming year.
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
ERC Consolidator Grant
Open Closes on 69 days left
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
The Consolidator Grant funds Principal Investigators who are consolidating their own independent research team or programme. The call expects evidence that you already work independently, so your proposal needs to present a research agenda that is clearly yours. Additional funding can be requested for further costs, but the call states that any such request must be justified in the proposal.
Preparation step. Draft a two-page outline of the research programme you want to consolidate, setting out what your team will do that you could not do alone. Then check every eligibility condition on the official topic page before committing to a full proposal.
MSCA COFUND (doctoral programmes)
MSCA COFUND 2027
Opens on Closes on 153 days left
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
This Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND call is an opportunity for organisations that run doctoral programmes, not for individual candidates. Its value to you comes later, once funded programmes open their positions. The description promises doctoral candidates a broader skill set, wider career options inside and outside universities, and experience that crosses countries, sectors and disciplines.
Preparation step. Make a list of graduate schools and doctoral programmes in your field that have run COFUND schemes before, and follow their news and vacancy pages. Positions are advertised separately after a grant is awarded, often a year or more later, so use the interval to strengthen your research profile and the materials you will need when calls open.
MSCA COFUND (postdoctoral programmes)
MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2027
Opens on Closes on 153 days left
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Choose Europe for Science is a postdoctoral COFUND call under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Organisations compete for funding to run postdoctoral programmes, and researchers join those programmes later through their own open calls. The description puts concrete career prospects and greater career stability first, alongside skills that build research autonomy. Participating organisations are expected to align recruitment and progression practices with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment.
Preparation step. Identify the universities and research centres in your area that are likely to run programmes under this call, and keep an eye out for the postdoctoral positions they advertise once funded. Because the call emphasises reformed research assessment, prepare a profile that presents the full range of your contributions rather than publications alone.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027
Opens on Closes on 308 days left
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
Postdoctoral Fellowships under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fund a research project you design yourself, carried out with a host organisation. The description emphasises new skills and experience that can open doors in many career directions, as well as better networking and public communication. On the host side, it stresses working conditions in line with the European Charter for Researchers and good-quality training and supervision. That makes the choice of supervisor and host environment part of the substance of your proposal.
Preparation step. Shortlist two or three prospective supervisors whose groups complement your expertise, and contact them early with a short project sketch. Before you invest serious time, verify the mobility rule and all other eligibility conditions on the official topic page.
MSCA Doctoral Networks
MSCA Doctoral Networks 2027
Opens on Closes on 384 days left
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Doctoral Networks are proposed by partnerships of organisations, which then fund and train doctoral candidates jointly. You cannot be part of this round's proposal; the positions come later through separate vacancy calls. What sets the description apart is its attention to turning ideas into products and services where relevant, and to knowledge transfer between sectors and disciplines. Doctoral candidates in these networks can expect training that reaches beyond a single lab.
Preparation step. Follow research groups and industry partners in your field that have taken part in Doctoral Networks, for example through their project websites and mailing lists. Watch for the doctoral vacancies they post once funded, and in the meantime build evidence of interest in work across sectors, such as collaborations, internships or applied projects.