Doctoral funding radar ·
Doctoral and Early-Career Research Funding Calls Worth Preparing For
Planning a next application is easier when you can see the wider landscape before committing months of drafting. The calls below range from structured doctoral training to postdoctoral positions and support for building a research programme of your own. Read each entry for what the call funds, then use the suggested step to decide where your preparation time is best spent.
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 67 days left
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
The ERC Consolidator Grant supports Principal Investigators who are consolidating their own independent research team or programme, so it suits a researcher whose agenda has outgrown a single project. The description expects evidence of research independence, which means your track record has to show ideas and results that are clearly yours. Additional funding can also be requested for further costs, provided the need is duly justified in the proposal.
Preparation step. Sketch the research programme you want to consolidate, list the concrete outputs that demonstrate your independence, and note any work that would require additional funding so you can start building its justification early; confirm all eligibility conditions on the official topic page before drafting in earnest.
MSCA COFUND (doctoral programmes)
MSCA COFUND 2027
Opens on Closes on 151 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 funds doctoral programmes run by participating organisations, so the proposal itself is an institutional undertaking. For doctoral candidates the value comes later: programmes funded here are expected to offer a broader and more varied skill set, exposure to interdisciplinary and cross-sector work, and practice communicating research both to peers and to the general public. Knowing which programmes are in the pipeline helps you anticipate where funded doctoral places may appear.
Preparation step. Make a short list of graduate schools and doctoral programmes in your field that have run COFUND schemes before, follow their news and vacancy pages, and watch for the doctoral positions they advertise once funding is awarded; in the meantime, build evidence of public engagement, such as a talk or outreach piece, to strengthen your profile.
MSCA COFUND (postdoctoral programmes)
MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2027
Opens on Closes on 151 days left
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Choose Europe for Science is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND call for postdoctoral programmes, prepared and proposed by participating organisations rather than by researchers. Its stated aims for supported researchers include concrete career prospects, greater career stability and growing autonomy. On the organisational side it emphasises aligning recruitment and progression practices with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, which signals the kind of evaluation culture funded positions are likely to reflect.
Preparation step. Identify research organisations in your area that publicly commit to the European Charter for Researchers or the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, keep an eye on the postdoctoral openings they announce once programmes are funded, and prepare an account of your contributions that goes beyond a publication list.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027
Opens on Closes on 306 days left
Who applies. The individual researcher applies directly, together with a chosen host organisation.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are proposed by the researcher together with a host organisation, so you shape the project yourself. The expected outcomes centre on widening your research and professional competences, gaining interdisciplinary and cross-sector perspectives, and strengthening how you communicate with peers and the public. The description also stresses training and supervision quality, so the fit between you and your supervisor carries real weight.
Preparation step. Before investing time, verify the mobility rule and every other eligibility condition on the official topic page; once that is settled, draft a one-page project outline and use it to open a conversation with a prospective supervisor at a host organisation whose training environment complements your goals.
MSCA Doctoral Networks
MSCA Doctoral Networks 2027
Opens on Closes on 382 days left
Who applies. Institutions or consortia apply. Individual positions are recruited openly after the grant is awarded.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks are proposed by groups of participating organisations, which design shared doctoral training across sectors and disciplines. For future doctoral candidates, funded networks promise new research and professional competences, career options inside and outside universities, and, where relevant, knowledge that helps turn ideas into products and services. Following this round tells you which networks may later be filling doctoral positions in your field.
Preparation step. Track research groups and companies in your discipline that have taken part in Doctoral Networks, set alerts for the doctoral vacancies such networks publish after funding, and add something to your profile, such as a placement or a collaboration outside academia, that shows you are ready for training across sectors.