MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025

The HORIZON-MSCA-2025-COFUND-02-01 call, titled "MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025," is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action aimed at addressing brain drain in research and enhancing the attractiveness of Europe for emerging talents. The total budget for this initiative in 2025 is 22.5 million euros, with an open submission process beginning on October 1, 2025, and closing on December 3, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Eligible applicants include organizations capable of establishing talent recruitment programs for researchers with doctoral degrees. This includes universities, research institutions, businesses, and other entities in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The application process is single-stage, and the programs must recruit a minimum of three researchers. The MSCA will co-fund a significant portion of the researcher’s salary during the initial 24-36 months, while the host organization must continue to employ the researcher and cover competitive salaries in the following 24 months.

The initiative supports research across all fields with an open submission procedure, and candidates will be selected through a transparent peer-review process based on merit. The focus is on enhancing human resources and career stability for researchers, providing excellent working conditions, and fostering skills development to increase their employability both within and beyond academia.

The supported programs aim to offer diverse academic and management opportunities, aiming to improve research practices and strengthen socio-economic contributions. Applicants must create a Career Development Plan outlining the researcher's trajectory and training needs during the fellowship, ensuring the alignment of research activities with both European standards and local human resource strategies.

This grant opportunity aims to foster long-term career prospects for researchers and enhance the visibility and reputation of European research institutions, thereby strengthening the overall research landscape in Europe.

The HORIZON-MSCA-2025-COFUND-02-01 call, titled "MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025," aims to tackle brain drain and precarity in research careers, making Europe more attractive to promising young talents. This initiative falls under the Horizon Europe Programme and is specifically a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA). The call is for HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Postdoctoral programmes (HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-P).

The total budget allocated for this call in 2025 is 22,500,000 EUR. The call follows a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date for submissions is October 1, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is December 3, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes for supported researchers include concrete career prospects, increased career stability, access to diverse career pathways both inside and outside academia, and a deeper, more diverse set of research-related, academic, and transferable skills. For participating organizations, the expected outcomes are better alignment of research and Human Resources practices with the European Charter for Researchers and the Council Recommendation of December 18, 2023, increased global attractiveness, visibility, and reputation, stronger R&I and teaching capacity, increased contribution to local socio-economic ecosystems, and stronger synergies across institutional structures.

The scope of the call involves applicants submitting proposals for talent recruitment programmes that offer researchers holding a doctoral degree excellent research and academic opportunities, potentially coupled with management activities, to lead them to concrete and attractive career prospects. These programmes will be co-funded by MSCA Choose Europe for Science and are intended to enhance human resources in R&I at institutional, regional, national, or international levels.

The programmes are structured in two phases: a first phase (24-36 months) where EU funding covers the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher, and a second phase (24 months) where the applicant continues to employ the researcher, sets competitive salaries, and ensures the availability of necessary funds.

The proposed programmes can cover any research discipline. The selection procedure for candidates must be open, competitive, merit-based, and involve a transparent international peer-review, aligning with the European Charter for Researchers. Alignment with the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment is also encouraged. Excellence is the primary selection criterion, with additional criteria requiring alignment with local human resources needs identified in relevant strategies. These needs must be described in the proposal and listed in the vacancy notice, which should be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website, alongside the gross salaries for both programme phases.

Selected fellows can work in research, teaching, or management positions and, where relevant, define their own research topic at their host institution(s). The programmes should offer excellent working conditions, including salary, professional resources, and career development.

Career development should incorporate transversal and job-specific skills, and language courses where relevant, to align training with career opportunities following the fellowship. These opportunities must include concrete and attractive long-term career prospects, such as pathways to open-ended contracts, subject to assessment and evaluation. A fair, equal, inclusive, transparent, and structured career accession and progression system must provide access to these opportunities, in line with the Council Recommendation of December 18, 2023, the European Charter for Researchers, and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment.

A Career Development Plan must be maintained throughout the programme, comprising research objectives and the researcher's career development needs, including training on languages, transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications, and participation in conferences and events. The Plan should outline projected career progression paths within the host institution.

Regarding general conditions, admissibility conditions concerning proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are also described in Annex B, while financial and operational capacity and exclusion are covered in Annex C. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Annex D. Submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F and the Online Manual, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreements is also in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the MSCA part of the Work Programme.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates will be available in the Submission System in the future. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE Unit MGA (reference document) and a call-specific HE Unit MGA, which will be available in the future. Call-specific instructions will be provided in the HE MSCA Choose Europe 2025 Guide for Applicants, also to be available in the future.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023-2025 (General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and General Annexes), the HE Programme Guide, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Model Grant Agreement), the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement.

There are 19 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on October 1, 2025.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application. The Online Manual serves as a guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on the structure, budget, and political priorities of Horizon Europe. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses frequently asked questions. The Research Enquiry Service can answer questions about European research. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance and assistance, and the Enterprise Europe Network provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical aspects of proposal submission. The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks advise on standardisation. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline the roles and responsibilities of researchers, employers, and funders. A Partner Search tool is available to help find partner organizations.

In summary, this opportunity, MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025, is a Horizon Europe initiative aimed at attracting and retaining research talent in Europe by co-funding talent recruitment programmes. These programmes offer doctoral degree holders excellent research and career development opportunities, with a focus on long-term career prospects and alignment with European standards for researchers. The funding covers a significant portion of the researcher's salary in the initial phase, with the expectation that the host institution will ensure continued employment and competitive compensation in the subsequent phase. The call is open to all research disciplines and emphasizes a transparent, merit-based selection process. The goal is to enhance human resources in R&I, increase the attractiveness of European research institutions, and contribute to the socio-economic ecosystems at various levels.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are organizations that can establish and manage talent recruitment programmes for researchers holding a doctoral degree. This includes institutions, regions, or national entities capable of providing excellent research and academic opportunities, potentially coupled with management activities, leading to concrete and attractive career prospects. The focus is on entities that can enhance human resources in Research and Innovation (R&I) at institutional, regional, national, or international levels.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a co-funded programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND scheme. The EU funding is intended to be equivalent to the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during the first phase (24-36 months) of the programme.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the emphasis on alignment with regional or national strategies and the potential for stronger synergies across institutional research, management, and teaching structures suggests that a single applicant or a consortium of applicants could be eligible, provided they can demonstrate the capacity to establish and manage the talent recruitment programme effectively. The mention of participating organisations implies that multiple entities can be involved.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries, as the call aims to enhance human resources in R&I at the institutional, regional, national, or international level. The text mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the research and innovation (R&I) sector, with a focus on enhancing human resources and career development for researchers. It is open to all research disciplines. The program aims to improve research and human resources practices, increase the attractiveness and visibility of participating organizations, and strengthen R&I and teaching capacity.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity does not explicitly mention specific countries, but refers to EU member states, associated countries, and non-EU/non-associated countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects. The geographic scope is broad, encompassing entities at the institutional, regional, national, or international level.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the stage of establishing and implementing talent recruitment programmes. This involves providing researchers with opportunities for research, academic development, and potentially management activities. The programme is designed to offer career prospects and enhance human resources in R&I.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-MSCA-2025-COFUND-02-01 is EUR 22,500,000. The EU funding is equivalent to the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during the first phase (24-36 months). The applicant is expected to continue to employ the researcher during the second phase (24 months) and ensure the availability of necessary funds.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The call is forthcoming, with a planned opening date of 01 October 2025 and a deadline of 03 December 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to co-fund the talent recruitment programmes. The EU funding covers the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during the first phase of the programme. The support also includes non-monetary services such as career development, training, and access to research and academic opportunities.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: Yes, co-funding is required. The programme is co-funded by MSCA Choose Europe for Science, and the applicant is expected to continue employing the researcher during the second phase (24 months) and ensure the availability of necessary internal or external funds to set salaries attractive at a national level.

Summary:

The HORIZON-MSCA-2025-COFUND-02-01 call, under the MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025 programme, aims to tackle brain drain and precarity in research careers by co-funding talent recruitment programmes. These programmes are designed to attract promising young researchers with doctoral degrees to Europe, offering them excellent research, academic, and potentially management opportunities. The EU funding covers the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during the initial 24-36 months, with the expectation that the applicant will continue to employ the researcher for an additional 24 months, ensuring attractive salaries and securing necessary funds. The call is open to any research discipline, and the selection process must be open, competitive, and merit-based, with transparent international peer-review. Applicants should align with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment. The programme emphasizes career development, offering excellent working conditions, transversal skills training, and concrete long-term career prospects. A Career Development Plan is required, outlining research objectives and the researcher's career development needs. Eligible applicants include institutions, regions, or national entities capable of managing these talent recruitment programmes. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of 03 December 2025. The total budget for this call is EUR 22,500,000. This initiative seeks to enhance human resources in R&I, improve research practices, and increase the global attractiveness of European research institutions.