UKRO has collated the answers to the frequently asked questions from those applying to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) 2023 call. This article builds on and extends the previous FAQ article for the MSCA PF 2022 call.
The MSCA PF 2023 call will close on 13 September 2023 at 17:00 Brussels time (4:00 pm UK time).
How do I calculate potential deductions from the 8-year research experience in Postdoctoral Fellowships? What supporting evidence do I need?
The period spent in a non-research position should be deducted from the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) experience in research. The percentage of FTE for non-research activities outside of the researcher’s main research activity must be clearly documented, e.g. by a work contract/job description. These documents are not to be included in the MSCA PF application, but the host organisation (beneficiary) must keep them for their records in case of an audit.
The Research Executive Agency (REA) published a dedicated guidance and a self-assessment tool to support applicants with calculating their research experience for the MSCA PF call purposes.
Both documents are available on the “How to Apply to MSCA” website in the “Postdoctoral Fellowships” section.
Who submits the proposal: the host institution, the fellow or the supervisor?
The Funding and Tenders Portal (FTOP) submission system has been set up in a way that MSCA PF proposals can be created and submitted by a designated contact person from the host institution, the supervisor or the researcher. Any person creating an application in the FTOP system can give access rights to other parties, allowing them to submit the proposal (“full access”).
However, as the submission of the proposal and other actions that follow this procedure (such as a withdrawal or, if successful, the grant agreement signature) ultimately fall under the responsibility of the host organisation, it is advised that the host institution submits the proposal on behalf of the researcher (EC FAQ 911).
Can I apply to the 2023 MSCA PF call if I have already been funded under a previous MSCA call, e.g. as a MSCA Doctoral Candidate and/or a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow?
As outlined in the EC FAQ 16403, if the researcher fulfils the eligibility conditions for the MSCA PF call, they can apply with a new and original research idea even if they received MSCA funding in the past. In this case, the added value and originality of the research activity under the new project must be clearly explained in the proposal. To avoid double funding, a researcher cannot benefit from two MSCA grants at the same time and the same project cannot benefit twice from different European funding programmes.
Do I need to state the research budget in my proposal? Can I apply for additional grants?
Applicants do not need to state the required budget for their research, career and training activities in their proposal, as these costs will be covered by the ‘Research, Training and Networking’ budget and, if the institution agrees, also by the ‘Indirect and Management’ budget.
Applicants and/or the host institution can apply for other funding sources if the budget for the research activities exceeds the available MSCA budget. However, during the project implementation, the researcher must ensure no “double-funding”. This means that researchers cannot reclaim the costs for the same activities from the MSCA PF grant and the other funding source(s). Fellows also cannot receive, for their activities carried out in the frame of the project, other incomes than those received from the beneficiary (EC 16406).
As part of my 2023 MSCA Global Fellowship proposal, I would like to start the project with a 3-month secondment at the host organisation for my return phase. How do I encode this in the budget table in Part A of the application?
In this case, the 3-month secondment undertaken at the host organisation before going to the Associated Partner in the Third Country counts as part of the outgoing phase and is automatically included in the funding requested for that phase in the budget table of Part A.
This starting secondment undertaken at the beginning of the Fellowship has no effect on the length of the return phase, which has to be 12 months. As clarified on page 11 of the MSCA PF Guide for Applicants, this 3-month starting secondment must be included within the maximum 1/3 duration of the optional secondment.
What should I do if the keywords do not match my research field in Part A of the proposal?
Following subscribers’ queries, UKRO has clarified with the REA that in this case, the applicant must still select the keywords in the drop-down menu in Part A which would best describe their research. They can also provide additional information on their research area in the “free keywords” section of Part A. The vice chairs of the evaluation panels will take this information into account when allocating proposals to evaluators.
In the section “Quality and capacity of the host institutions and participating organisations, including hosting arrangements”, should applicants mention the support they will receive from the host institution’s HR services?
It is advised that applicants briefly include the support the host institution’s HR services will be able to provide them with.
This support can include hosting agreements, the work contract, familiarisation with internal procedures, supporting the researchers in applying for the relevant visa and support with relocation and/or getting accommodation (if applicable).
How do I include references in a MSCA PF proposal?
UKRO understands that there is no rule on the format of the references, and applicants can choose to include them as footnotes or endnotes depending on the reference convention in their subject area.
However, the text in B1, including the references, cannot exceed the page limits set by REA.
What are the formatting rules for Part B2?
UKRO understands that the formatting of Part B2 should follow the formatting rules for Part B1.
What is the font size of the Gantt Chart? Is a Gantt Chart mandatory?
As indicated in the Standard Application Template, the Gantt Chart is mandatory and counts towards the 10-page limit. It should include major deliverables, milestones, secondments, and placements, if applicable.
Text elements in the Gantt Chart must be legible and not smaller than 8 points.
Where can secondments and non-academic placements take place? Is there a limit in terms of duration and sector? Do I need a letter of commitment?
Secondments can take place anywhere in the world and in any sector during the project. Their duration is limited to up to 1/3 of their proposed project duration (European Fellowship) or up to 1/3 of the duration of the outgoing phase (Global Fellowship).
Non-academic placements can only take place in the non-academic sector, after the end of the MSCA Fellowship, for up to six months. They must be hosted by non-academic organisations located in EU Member States or third countries associated to Horizon Europe (AC).
Letters of commitment are no longer needed for secondments and non-academic placements in this call (Guide for Applicants, p.11 and 12).
I would like to include a non-academic placement as part of my MSCA Fellowship. What should I consider?
The optional non-academic placement can only take part in a EU Member State or a third country associated to Horizon Europe, at the end of the MSCA Fellowship and only for a maximum of 6 months.
The host institution for this placement needs to be from the non-academic sector. Applicants should check what sectoral status of the potential host organisation has been assigned by the European Commission during the validation process on the FTOP as early as possible during proposal writing.
A dedicated budget for a non-academic placement is available in the 2023 MSCA PF call. Applicants must ensure to encode the request for a non-academic placement correctly in the online submission system. Applicants are encouraged to check the REA’s document on the most common mistakes in MSCA PF proposals.
Can I do a secondment and/or a non-academic placement in the same country as my host institution?
Applicants can undertake their secondments and/or non-academic placement in the same country as the host institution. However, it is recommended to include international mobility if possible.
Applicants should clearly explain why this particular set-up of secondment(s) and non-academic placement in the same country as the hosting institution is beneficial and necessary for the successful completion of their research project and which specific skills training and/or career opportunities will result from them.
How should I format Part B of my MSCA proposal?
Applicants should follow the formatting guidelines in the 2023 MSCA PF Standard Application Template, which they can download from the FTOP after creating the online application in the submission system on the 2023 MSCA PF call page.
I would like to have two supervisors/mentors. Is this allowed? Where can they be located?
As clarified in the EC FAQ 16399, there can be only one supervisor per host institution. As European Fellowships have only one host institution, fellows can only have one supervisor. For Global Fellowships, an additional supervisor should also be appointed for the time spent at the associated partner for the outgoing phase.
However, other (senior) colleagues supporting the supervision of the fellow can be included as ‘mentors’ in the descriptive part of the proposal. They can be located anywhere in the world.
Applicants must clearly describe the value these particular mentors will bring to their MSCA project, e.g. in terms of skills, expertise and/or career support. Applicants must also clearly detail the supervisory arrangements, and make it clear that their main supervisor will be primarily responsible towards the granting authority for the correct implementation of the proposed project.
I am confused by the section on publications, infrastructure and projects in the Administrative Section (Part A). What does this refer to?
Following subscriber queries, UKRO has published an article on this topic.
Can you give me access to successful MSCA PF proposals?
UKRO cannot share examples of successful MSCA PF proposals due to copyright ownership. Applicants and research managers should be contacting previous MSCA fellows directly. We would also encourage you to consult the resources listed below.
Additional Support
- UKRO has published a list of resources for this call.
- Applicants and those supporting them are strongly advised to refer to the European Commission’s list of common mistakes when setting up their proposal.
Questions?
In case of any questions, please contact us at mariecurie-uk@ukro.ac.uk.