Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

Overview

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) are the European Commission’s flagship postdoc programme. The 2026 call opens with EUR 399 million in funding for roughly 1,600 fellowships. Open to researchers of any nationality, with the host institution required to be in an EU member state, a Horizon Europe associated country, or (for global fellowships) anywhere worldwide before a return phase in Europe. African postdocs can host themselves in Europe for two years. The 2026 call closes 9 September 2026.

Benefits

• Monthly living allowance of around EUR 5,990 (gross, adjusted for country cost-of-living).
• Mobility and family allowances on top of the base.
• Research and training costs of around EUR 1,000 per month for the host institution.
• Two-year European Fellowship, or up to three years for Global Fellowships (one to two years outside Europe plus one year mandatory return phase).
• Full social security cover through the host institution.

Eligibility

• Hold a PhD by the call deadline (or have at least four years of full-time research experience and not yet hold a PhD by the deadline).
• No more than eight years of full-time research experience since the PhD (parental leave, sick leave, and similar pauses can extend this).
• Mobility rule: you cannot have lived or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the three years before the call deadline.
• Open to any nationality.
• Identify a host institution and a supervisor at the host before applying. The application is submitted by the host with you.

How to apply

1. Identify a European host institution and reach out to potential supervisors. Many institutions advertise pre-call calls for MSCA-PF hosting.
2. Work with your prospective supervisor on the research proposal. Strong proposals are 10 pages of carefully argued science plus a clear training and impact plan.
3. The host institution submits the application through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
4. Submit before 9 September 2026, 17:00 CEST.
5. Evaluations take 6 to 8 months; results are typically announced in February 2027 for project start between March 2027 and March 2028.