The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call is now open, with a budget of €399.05 million and a deadline for applications of 9 September 2026 (4pm UK time).
The Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.
Who can apply?
- You must be a researcher with a maximum of eight years of full-time equivalent research experience, from the date you received your PhD, exclusions apply.
- Open to all disciplines. You can submit an application along with a host organisation, which can be a university, research institution, business, SME or other organisation based in an EU member state or Horizon Europe Associated Country
- You must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
- As from 2026, resubmission restrictions apply for applications that received a score below 80% the previous year.
Types of Postdoctoral Fellowships
There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships: open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State (MS) or Horizon Europe Associated Country (AC) and can last 1-2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: fund researchers’ mobility outside Europe. The fellowship lasts 2-3 years, of which the first 1-2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU MS or Horizon Europe AC. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU MS or Horizon Europe ACs can apply.
Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world and could also include an optional 6-month placement in a non-academic organisation at the end of the standard fellowship.
What is funded
The MSCA provides a contribution to the:
- salary costs of the recruited researcher
- research, training and networking costs and overall management of the project
The full MSCA contribution is listed in the MSCA Work Programme.
Information webinar
The UK MSCA National Contact Point (NCP) will be hosting a free information webinar on the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call, which will provide potential applicants with a comprehensive overview of the scheme and how to apply. Further details and registration link available on this page, under related content (See above right hand side box).
Find out more about how to apply to this call, including the 6-step guide and the Guide for Applicants. To calculate your years of research experience, you can use this self-assessment tool, together with the relevant Guidelines.
Contact us if you have any questions.
Last updated: 22 April 2026