The 2026 call for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships closed on 9 September 2026, attracting a record 21,627 proposals from researchers worldwide. This is 26.7% more applications than under the 2025 call, for which the European Research Executive Agency (REA) received 17,066 proposals.
The 2026 figure is not only the highest number of applications ever submitted to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, but also the highest number of proposals received for any funding action across the more than 40-year history of the EU’s research and innovation framework programmes.
Of the proposals submitted, 20,131 are for European Fellowships and 1,496 are for Global Fellowships. The top five countries are the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The UK made nearly 20% of this year’s submissions, with close to 4,200 submitted proposals. The current indicative budget for the 2026 call is €399.05 million, which is expected to support approximately 1,600 projects.
Further details can be found on the MSCA news page.
Supporting research excellence and mobility
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers holding a PhD who wish to enhance their creative and innovative potential through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. The fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality and support research and innovation projects hosted by organisations across the academic and non-academic sectors.
The scheme also provides opportunities for researchers seeking to reintegrate into Europe following a period abroad, as well as researchers looking to restart their research careers.
Evaluation of applications
The submitted proposals will now be evaluated by independent experts.
The evaluation summary report format introduced for the 2025 call will continue to be used in 2026. The format was introduced to streamline feedback to applicants. In addition to the score awarded for each evaluation criterion, applicants will receive the experts’ assessments covering all aspects evaluated under each sub-criterion. The format will be further streamlined for the 2026 call.
Call results are expected to be announced in February 2027
MSCA celebrates its 30th anniversary
The record-breaking 2026 call comes as the MSCA marks its 30th anniversary.
Since its launch in 1996, the programme has supported more than 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel Prize winners, and has become a cornerstone of European research and innovation. Over three decades, the MSCA has promoted researcher mobility across disciplines, sectors and countries while helping Europe attract, develop and retain research talent.
The 2026 call figures provide a significant milestone for the anniversary year, with the unprecedented level of interest demonstrating the continued appeal of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships to researchers worldwide.
Join us for the two-day, in-person event ‘MSCA UK30 – Curiosity that crosses borders’ at the Royal Society, London (20-21 October 2026) to celebrate 30 years of MSCA International Talent, Mobility, Collaboration and Impact.
Further information about the event, including the registration form is available here: MSCA UK30: Curiosity That Crosses Borders Event Registration – UK Research and Innovation – Citizen Space