ERA Fellowships

The ERA Fellowships, under the call HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-TALENTS-01-01, are part of the Horizon Europe initiative aiming to enhance the European Research Area (ERA) by supporting postdoctoral researchers through fellowships for cross-border mobility. This program specifically targets host organizations located in EU Widening Countries, which are characterized by lower performance in research and innovation. The initiative seeks to increase the attractiveness and research capacity of these countries, facilitating integration into the broader European research landscape.

Eligible applicants include postdoctoral researchers of any nationality, who must apply in conjunction with a legal entity, either academic or non-academic, in a Widening Country. The application process is streamlined, allowing proposals submitted to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 to be automatically considered for this call if they do not achieve sufficient ranking for funding, thereby providing an additional opportunity for prospective applicants.

The call prioritizes a comprehensive development of research skills and experiences, promoting a range of competencies including innovation, transferable skills, research integrity, and Open Science practices. Fellowships support research projects with a focus on technology validation and integration, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches.

Each fellowship has an expected EU contribution ranging between 100,000 to 500,000 EUR, with about 50 grants anticipated under a total budget of 8 million EUR. The application process consists of a single-stage submission deadline, scheduled for September 10, 2025, following the provisional opening on May 8, 2025. The grants are designed to improve institutional reforms in Widening Countries, promote talent mobility, and improve gender balance in research.

Overall, the ERA Fellowships initiative aims to strengthen research ecosystems in underperforming EU countries by funding postdoctoral positions and encouraging collaborative efforts, ultimately enhancing knowledge exchange and innovation across Europe.

The ERA Fellowships, under the call HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-TALENTS-01-01, are part of the Horizon Europe program and aim to deepen the European Research Area (ERA) by supporting the free circulation of knowledge and upgrading research and innovation systems, specifically targeting host organizations in Widening Countries. This action builds upon the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 (HORIZON-MSCA-PF-2025).

The expected outcomes for supported ERA Fellows include an increased set of research and transferable skills, new mindsets through international and interdisciplinary experience, and enhanced networking and communication capacities. For participating organizations in Widening Countries, the expected outcomes are increased alignment of working conditions with the European Charter for Researchers, enhanced quality of research training, increased global attractiveness, stronger R&I capacity, better knowledge transfer, and regular feedback of research results into teaching. For Widening countries in general, the expected outcomes are increased attractiveness for researchers and more postdoctoral researchers being drawn to these countries.

Fellowships are provided to excellent researchers undertaking cross-border mobility. Applications must be made jointly by the researcher and a legal entity in the academic or non-academic sector located in a Widening Country. The fellowships should take place in a Widening Country and are open to researchers of any nationality wishing to engage in R&I projects by either coming to the EU or moving within the EU to a Widening Country.

To apply, applicants must submit their proposal to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025. To be eligible, the host organization must be in an eligible Widening country. Applications to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 will be automatically resubmitted to this call if they fail to reach adequate ranking for funding, offering an additional funding opportunity for applicants moving to Widening countries. Applicants can opt out of this resubmission during the application stage.

Proposals must fulfill all admissibility and eligibility conditions of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 and pass all thresholds for that call. ERA Fellowships will be implemented using the award criteria, scoring, and thresholds for MSCA. The ranking order will follow the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call scores and evaluation procedure, retaining scores and comments from the Evaluation Summary Report (ESR). The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 model grant agreement will be used.

Researchers may include a secondment phase within their fellowship, not exceeding one-third of the fellowship duration, in any country worldwide, provided it aligns with project objectives. Fellowships can also provide an additional period of up to six months for placements in a non-academic organization in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement should be at a different host organization if the fellow was initially recruited from the non-academic sector. The request for a non-academic placement must be part of the proposal and will be subject to evaluation.

Training activities should include key transferable skills, foster innovation and entrepreneurship (e.g., commercialization of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication, public engagement, and citizen science), promote good scientific conduct (research integrity), and promote Open Science practices (open access to publications, FAIR data management, societal engagement, etc.).

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor and the researcher to enhance career opportunities inside and outside academia. This plan should include research objectives, training needs, transferable skills, teaching, publication planning, and participation in conferences and events. The plan must be submitted as a project deliverable and can be updated as needed.

The call aims to attract and mobilize talent, improve institutional reforms in Widening countries, better utilize research infrastructures, reverse brain drain, improve linkages between academia and business, promote free circulation of knowledge, and improve gender balance.

The call opening is provisionally scheduled for 08 May 2025, with a deadline of 10 September 2025. The budget is 8,000,000 EUR, with contributions ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 50 grants.

Admissibility conditions are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D, and submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F. The legal and financial setup is in Annex G. Specific conditions are described in the MSCA part of the Work Programme.

The call provides various support resources, including an Online Manual, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, a Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, a Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network, an IT Helpdesk, the European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and a Partner Search tool.

In summary, this ERA Fellowships call is designed to boost research capabilities and attractiveness in Widening Countries by providing funding for postdoctoral fellowships. It leverages the existing MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships framework, offering a streamlined application process and additional opportunities for researchers to develop their skills and careers while contributing to the ERA's strategic priorities. The call emphasizes mobility, intersectoral experience, and the implementation of Open Science practices, aiming to foster a more inclusive and effective European Research Area.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are postdoctoral researchers of any nationality in conjunction with a legal entity (academic or non-academic) located in a Widening Country. The host organization must be located in an eligible Widening country.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required, specifically a researcher applying jointly with a legal entity in a Widening Country.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility focuses on "Widening Countries." Researchers of any nationality can apply, but the host organization must be located in an eligible Widening Country. Secondments can take place in any country worldwide, and placements in the non-academic sector can be in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Target Sector: The program targets all research and innovation sectors, with an emphasis on deepening the European Research Area (ERA), promoting researcher mobility, fostering intersectoral collaboration, and strengthening research capacity in Widening Countries. It also focuses on training activities, including transferable skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, communication, public engagement, citizen science, research integrity, and Open Science practices.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and Widening Countries as regions. It also mentions that secondments can take place in any country worldwide.

Project Stage: The project stage is aimed at postdoctoral research, implying a stage of research and development, with potential for validation and demonstration depending on the project.

Funding Amount: The contributions range from 100,000 EUR to 500,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The application to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 will be automatically resubmitted to this call if it fails to reach an adequate ranking.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. They will also receive non-monetary services through training activities and career development support.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

The ERA Fellowships call (HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-TALENTS-01-01) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship under the Horizon Europe program. It aims to support excellent researchers by providing fellowships for cross-border mobility to Widening Countries. The call is specifically targeted at host organizations located in Widening Countries, aiming to increase their attractiveness, research capacity, and integration into the European Research Area (ERA). Researchers of any nationality can apply, but they must do so jointly with a legal entity (academic or non-academic) in a Widening Country. The application process involves submitting a proposal to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025, and if the proposal is not funded under that call, it will be automatically resubmitted to the ERA Fellowships call. The fellowships provide funding for research, training, and career development, with opportunities for secondments worldwide and placements in the non-academic sector within the EU or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The call emphasizes the importance of transferable skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, research integrity, and Open Science practices. The expected EU contribution ranges from 100,000 EUR to 500,000 EUR, and the call is expected to fund approximately 50 grants. The call opens on 09 April 2025, and the deadline for submission is 10 September 2025. This initiative is designed to deepen the ERA, promote brain circulation, and foster institutional reforms in research institutions within Widening Countries.