MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 offer funding for excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. The programme aims to increase research and transferable skills and competences, improve employability, enhance global networking, promote better research conditions and inter-sectoral experience, and facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and the non-academic sector. Funding is available for both European and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, with options for secondments and placements, and requires a Career Development Plan focusing on research objectives and transferable skills.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EUother
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	9 Apr 2026
End date	9 Sep 2026
Budget	European Fellowships: 339,192,721 EUR (2026) Global Fellowships: 59,857,539 EUR (2026) Additionally, for projects in the Euratom field: an indicative annual contribution of 1 million EUR.

Grant application conditions

Applicant Type	Postdoctoral researchers (with a doctoral degree) Applications must be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary organisation (academic or non-academic sector).
Nationality/Residence Requirements	European Fellowships: Open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in research and innovation (R&I) projects by either coming to Europe or moving within Europe. Global Fellowships: Open to European nationals or long-term residents who wish to conduct R&I projects with organisations outside the EU or associated countries. A mandatory return phase to Europe is required.
Project Duration	European Fellowships: 12–24 months Global Fellowships: Outgoing phase of 12–24 months in a Third Country, plus a mandatory 12-month return phase in Europe
Secondments	Optional secondments are possible in any country worldwide within the fellowship duration. For European Fellowships: cannot exceed half the fellowship duration and must align with project objectives. For Global Fellowships: up to half of the outgoing phase can be spent on secondments. A maximum of three months at the start may be spent at the beneficiary before moving to the associated partner in the Third Country. Secondments are not allowed during the mandatory return phase.
Non-academic Placement	An additional period of up to 6 months is possible for work in a non-academic organisation established in the EU or an associated country at the project’s end. Placement requests are part of the proposal and must justify the added value.
Career Development Plan	A Career Development Plan, established by the supervisor(s) and researcher, is required at the start of the fellowship and must cover research objectives, training, skills, teaching, and outreach activities.
Eligible Countries	EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries; global mobility possible under conditions specified for European and Global Fellowships.
Euratom Research Areas	Specific eligibility conditions apply for fellowships in nuclear research under the Euratom Research and Training Programme.
ERA Fellowships	Support for researchers to undertake their fellowship in an eligible 'widening' country (as per the Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area Work Programme).
Proposal Requirements	Proposals must follow page limits, layout and forms as described in Horizon Europe Work Programme Annexes A and E. Eligibility, financial, and operational capacity requirements are as set out in the relevant Annexes.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-MSCA-2026-PF-01-01

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements