Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Postdoctoral Fellowships - Call 2025

Research, Internationalization

Funding organisation:

Europese Commissie

What?

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) target young researchers who wish to carry out their research activities abroad and who aim to acquire new skills and develop their careers. Postdoctoral Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility either to or between EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, as well as to non-associated Third Countries. 

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

1. European Postdoctoral Fellowships: for researchers of any nationality moving within Europe or coming to Europe from any country in the world. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and last between 1 and 2 years.
2. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: fund the mobility of residents outside Europe for European nationals or long-term residents. The fellowships last between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years take place in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Both types of fellowships may include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship). Secondments do not have a separate budget and can take place for up to a maximum of one-third of the standard duration of the project. Researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organization based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place after the end of the PF.

Who?

Applications are made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Researchers who want to apply for a PF:

• must be in possession of a doctoral degree or have successfully and unconditionally defended their doctoral thesis before the call deadline;
• must have a maximum of 8 years of research experience from the date of the award of their PhD. To check your research experience, you can use the Self-assessment tool and the guidelines on the calculation of 8 years of experience in Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe.
• 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 organization for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the deadline. (Mobility rule)

Make sure to stick to the award criteria when drafting your application (MSCA Work Programme p.95).

For European PF, researchers of any nationality can apply. For Global PF, only nationals or long-term residents (MSCA Work Programme p.122) of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Application?

Interested researchers submit an application together 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. The project proposal must be submitted in the Funding and Tenders portal.

Resubmissions restrictions: proposals involving the same recruiting organisation (and for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships also the associated partner hosting the outgoing phase) and individual researcher that received a score of less than 70% in the 2024 call must not be resubmitted in the current call.

More specific UHasselt facts and figures to complete the application form can be found on our intranet page.

Regulations?

Postdoctoral Fellowships indicated Timeline:

• 9 April 2025: call opening
• 10 September 2025, 5 pm: deadline for submitting proposals
• February 2026: notification of call results to applicants (to be confirmed)
• April 2026: grant agreement signature for successful projects (to be confirmed)
• April 2026: first EU-funded projects start (to be confirmed)

More information?

• Call page of the European Commission
• Participant portal of the European Commission
• Guide for Applicants
• MSCA-NET Postdoctoral Fellowships Handbook and resources
• UHasselt Intranet (will be updated as soon as possible)
• General information package for marie skłodowska-curie fellows 
• MSCA financial guide
• Most common mistakes in MSCA-PF submission forms
• REA: Horizon Europe MSCA - How to apply

Slides and recordings of the previous UKRO webinars:

Deadline

10.09.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail ward.ceunen@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211268945