European Research Executive Agency

12/15/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/15/2025 02:06

MSCA announce €1.25 billion to support cutting‑edge research and a second 'Choose Europe for Science' call

Published: 12 Dec 2025

MSCA announce €1.25 billion to support cutting-edge research and a second 'Choose Europe for Science' call

In 2026, the year of its 30th anniversary, the MSCA will continue to support doctoral and postdoctoral training, collaborative research and innovation, and public engagement with science through a new set of calls. The programme will also build on recent policy priorities to further strengthen research careers across Europe.

The European Commission has announced new calls under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) as part of the MSCA 2026-2027 Work Programme (pdf).

In 2026, the MSCA will provide organisations and researchers with over €1.25 billion to fund cutting-edge research through excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, collaborative research and innovation projects and research fellowships.

Through its different actions, MSCA promotes high standards in doctoral and postdoctoral training, encourages cooperation between academia and other sectors, and supports strong links between Europe and the rest of the world.

MSCA will continue to support researchers at all stages of their careers and across all scientific disciplines, in Europe and beyond. These efforts help organisations enhance their research capacity while offering researchers clear professional development pathways.

The calls are included in the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work Programme (pdf) which was adopted earlier this week.

Second MSCA 'Choose Europe for Science' call

Following the 2025 pilot action, the MSCA will run a second Choose Europe for Science call in 2026 with a reinforced budget of €51.25 million. The MSCA Choose Europe for Science scheme aims to increase the attractiveness of European research careers by addressing precarity and offering excellent working conditions, turning the current challenge of brain drain in the R&I sector into brain gain.

Long-term perspectives

Choose Europe for Science will support projects in which academic and non-academic organisations recruit postdoctoral researchers with a vision to employment beyond the project period. The main novelty of the initiative is that organisations will also be selected based on their offers of longer-term professional perspectives.

Application dates

The second Choose Europe for Science call will open on 8 December 2026 and close on 6 April 2027. Potential applicants can look out for relevant info sessions in the lead up to the call.

2026 timeline for all calls

This year's funding round will begin with the opening of two calls on 16 December 2025 , followed by several more throughout 2026.

COFUND

When to apply: 16 December 2025 - 8 April 2026

COFUND helps organisations create or enhance their own doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes, through co-funding, with the goal of attracting and recruiting talented researchers, developing their skills and advancing their careers. Institutions benefiting from this action need to top up the MSCA contribution with their own funding sources.

The Commission co-funds a significant share of these programme's costs, which recipient institutions need to top up with their own funding sources. This scheme spreads the MSCA's best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions.

The 2026 COFUND call has a budget of €105.46 million.

Interested in applying? Get ready with our COFUND 6 steps to apply guide.

Staff Exchanges

When to apply: 16 December 2025 - 16 April 2026

Staff Exchanges fund R&I collaborative projects, foster international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary exchanges and knowledge sharing at all stages of the innovation chain. The scheme helps participating organisations turn ideas into innovative products, services or processes.

The 2026 Staff Exchanges call has a budget of €97.92 million.

Interested in applying? Then get ready with our Staff Exchanges 6 steps to apply guide.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

When to apply: 9 April 2026 - 9 September 2026

Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers holding a PhD to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral experience to advance their careers.

These prestigious fellowships are a stepping stone in researchers' careers, allowing them to carry out cutting-edge research and to cooperate with leading scientific teams and figures.

The 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships call has a budget of €399.05 million.

Interested in applying? Get ready with our Postdoctoral Fellowships 6 steps to apply guide.

Doctoral Networks

When to apply: 28 May 2026 - 24 November 2026

Doctoral Networks recruit and train doctoral candidates in academia and other sectors, including industry, businesses, and public administrations. The scheme also includes specialised Joint Doctorates Networks and Industrial Doctorates Networks.

The 2026 Doctoral Networks call will have a budget of €593.03 million.

Interested in applying? Get ready ahead with our Doctoral Networks 6 steps to apply guide.

30 years of EU support to researchers' skills and career development

With a budget of €6.6 billion for the period 2021-2027, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is a research and training programme that supports the career, skills development, and mobility of researchers at all stages of their careers and from all over the world. The programme funds bottom-up research in all fields based on scientific excellence and competitive funding. The programme was named after the double Nobel Prize winner Marie Skłodowska-Curie to honour and spread the values she stood for.

Since its creation in 1996, more than 150,000 researchers have participated in the programme with many more benefiting from it. These include 23 Nobel laureates, among them the 2025 Nobel Laureates Michel H. Devoret for Physics, Omar M. Yaghi for Chemistry, and Philippe Aghion for Economic Sciences.

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