MSCA COFUND 2027

MSCA COFUND 2027 co-funds new or existing doctoral programmes aimed at enhancing human resources in research and innovation (R&I) at the regional, national or international level. The grant supports programmes covering any research discipline, encouraging international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience to foster innovation, career development, and networking. Selected doctoral candidates will follow training modules promoting transferable skills, digital competencies, open science, and knowledge valorisation. Programmes lead to a doctoral degree in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, with a mandatory Career Development Plan developed for each researcher. The selection process for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent, and merit-based, providing equal opportunities and high-quality supervision.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	8 Dec 2026
End date	6 Apr 2027
Budget	51,251,165 EUR planned for 2027 under HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01-01.
Coverage	Co-funding scheme: MSCA COFUND finances part of the programme costs while applicants must secure additional funding from other sources. Funding synergies with Cohesion Policy Funds and other EU funding sources are encouraged.

Grant application conditions

Applicant Type	Legal entities such as universities, research institutes, public or private organisations, or consortia able to organise and implement doctoral programmes.
Eligible Countries	EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries; non-eligible countries may participate if they secure their own funding.
Research Disciplines	Bottom-up approach – any research discipline is eligible. Programmes may focus on specific disciplines if based on related national or regional R&I strategies (e.g., RIS3).
Type of Programme	New or existing doctoral programmes aimed at training doctoral candidates.
Mobility Requirement	International mobility is compulsory; cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity are encouraged.
Career Development Plan	Each recruited doctoral candidate must have a Career Development Plan, established upon recruitment and revised within 18 months.
Selection Procedure	Must be open, transparent and merit-based in line with the European Charter for Researchers; vacancy must be widely advertised (including EURAXESS).
Training Components	Programmes must provide substantial research training and transferable skills (digital, open science, innovation and entrepreneurship, research integrity, etc.).
Supervision & Mentoring	High quality of supervision and mentoring must be ensured for all fellows.
Salary Publication	Vacancy notice should state if rates include all employer and employee's taxes and contributions; if possible, gross salary should be published.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01-01

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements