MSCA COFUND 2026

The HORIZON-MSCA-2026-COFUND-01 call, part of the Horizon Europe program, aims to strengthen human resources in research and innovation by co-funding doctoral and postdoctoral programs. The total budget designated for this call is €105,457,362. The application process is a single-stage submission with an opening date planned for December 16, 2025, and a submission deadline set for April 8, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The grant falls under the Model Grant Agreement type HORIZON Unit Grant.

Eligible applicants include universities, research organizations, and other institutions involved in research training at regional, national, or international levels within EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Collaboration with associated partners from the non-academic sector is encouraged. Programs can address any research discipline while accommodating prioritization of disciplines aligning with national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation.

The expected outcomes of the funding include enhancing the skill sets of researchers through improved employability, innovative mindsets, and strengthened networking abilities. The outcomes for participating organizations are heightened research training quality, increased visibility and reputation, and enhanced contributions to socio-economic ecosystems.

Doctoral programs aim to develop the research skills and competencies of candidates, leading to PhD qualifications, and include training modules that emphasize digital skills and Open Science practices. Postdoctoral programs focus on advanced research training and career development, also stressing the importance of digital skills and inter-sectoral collaboration.

A Career Development Plan must be established for each recruited researcher, encompassing research objectives and transferable skills development, with mandatory updates within 18 months. Each program should stipulate fixed deadlines for selection procedures, ensuring openness and transparency as per the European Charter for Researchers.

Co-funding is fundamental, requiring beneficiary organizations to secure additional funding from various sources to cover the associated costs. This call is characterized by a competitive evaluation process, although specific success rates are not provided; previous calls suggest a typical range of 10-39%. High-quality proposals that do not receive funding may earn a Seal of Excellence, facilitating access to alternative funding streams.

The summary encapsulates a prime opportunity for organizations dedicated to enhancing research training through collaboration, funding support, and a commitment to fostering an innovative research environment.

The HORIZON-MSCA-2026-COFUND-01 call, part of the Horizon Europe program, aims to co-fund doctoral and postdoctoral programs to enhance human resources in Research and Innovation (R&I) at regional, national, or international levels. The call encompasses two types of actions: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-D for Doctoral programs and HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-P for Postdoctoral programs. The total budget for this call is 105,457,362 EUR. The call adopts a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is December 16, 2025, and the deadline for submission is April 8, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is HORIZON Unit Grant [HORIZON-AG-UN] and is forthcoming.

The expected outcomes for supported doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers include a deeper and more diverse set of research-related and transferable skills and competences, improved employability and career prospects, new mind-sets and approaches to R&I work through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary experience, and enhanced networking and communication capacities. For participating organizations, the expected outcomes are enhanced quality and sustainability of research training, increased global attractiveness, visibility, and reputation, stronger R&I capacity and output, increased contribution to socio-economic ecosystems, and regular feedback of research results into teaching and education.

The scope of the call involves applicants submitting proposals for new or existing doctoral or postdoctoral programs. These programs can cover any research disciplines ("bottom-up"), but can also focus on specific disciplines based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies). Funding synergies with Cohesion Policy Funds and other EU funding sources are strongly encouraged. A Career Development Plan must be jointly established by the supervisor and each recruited researcher upon recruitment, including research objectives, training, career needs, transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications, and participation in conferences. The plan should be revised within 18 months.

Doctoral programs should offer research training activities to develop skills and competences, leading to a doctoral degree in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, based on the EU Principles on Innovative Doctoral Training. These programs should develop training modules addressing key transferable skills, including digital skills (e.g., generative AI), Open Science, knowledge valorisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and research integrity. The programs should prepare doctoral candidates for increased research collaboration and information-sharing using new technologies, such as collaborative tools, open access to publications, FAIR data management, societal engagement, and citizen science. International mobility is compulsory, and cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity are encouraged. Collaboration with non-academic partners is positively considered. The selection procedure must be open, transparent, and merit-based, in line with the European Charter for Researchers. The vacancy notice should mention if published rates include all taxes and contributions, and the gross salary should be published if possible.

Postdoctoral programs should fund individual advanced research training and career development fellowships. These programs should offer training to develop key transferable skills, including digital skills (e.g., generative AI), Open Science, knowledge valorisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and research integrity. The programs should empower fellows for increased research collaboration and information-sharing using new technologies, such as collaborative tools, open access to publications, FAIR data management, societal engagement, and citizen science. Postdoctoral programs should have regular selection rounds with fixed deadlines, and the selection procedure must be open, merit-based, and with a transparent international peer review, in line with the European Charter for Researchers. The vacancy notice should mention if published rates include all taxes and contributions, and the gross salary should be published if possible. International mobility is compulsory, and cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity are encouraged. Researchers can freely choose a research topic and host organization.

General conditions for admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal and financial set-up are described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE MSCA COFUND). Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the standard evaluation form (HE MSCA). Guidance documents include the MSCA COFUND 2026 GfA and the HE Programme Guide. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Partner search announcements can be published by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants, as well as any user with an active public Person profile. The submission system is planned to open on December 16, 2025.

Support is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search.

In summary, this opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program's MSCA COFUND scheme, aimed at co-funding doctoral and postdoctoral programs. It seeks to enhance research training and career development, promote international and inter-sectoral mobility, and foster a culture of Open Science and innovation. The call is open to organizations that can host and manage such programs, with a focus on improving the quality and sustainability of research training and increasing the global attractiveness of participating institutions. The funding supports both doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, providing them with enhanced skills, improved career prospects, and opportunities for international collaboration. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with a deadline in April 2026, and requires adherence to specific guidelines and templates provided by the European Commission.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are those who can submit proposals for new or existing doctoral or postdoctoral programmes. This suggests that eligible applicants could include universities, research institutions, and other organizations involved in research and innovation training at the regional, national, or international level. Collaboration with non-academic partners is encouraged, implying that non-academic organizations can also be involved in the proposed programmes.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a co-funded action under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND scheme. The grant is intended to support doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. The type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) is a HORIZON Unit Grant.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the opportunity encourages collaboration with associated partners, including those from the non-academic sector. This suggests that while a single applicant is possible, a consortium or collaboration is viewed favorably.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity is primarily targeted towards entities in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. However, the text mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, suggesting broader eligibility.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is education and research, specifically focusing on enhancing human resources in research and innovation (R&I). This includes doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes across all research disciplines, although there is an allowance for focusing on specific disciplines based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies). The programme also emphasizes the development of transferable skills, Open Science practices, knowledge valorisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and research integrity. Digital skills, including generative AI, are also highlighted.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries are mentioned.

Project Stage: The project stage targets existing or new doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, implying that the projects are at the development and implementation stage.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-MSCA-2026-COFUND-01-01 is EUR 105,457,362. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, meaning that applicants submit a full proposal at once. The call is forthcoming, with a planned opening date of 16 December 2025 and a deadline of 08 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to co-fund their doctoral and postdoctoral programmes.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not specified in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The programme is a co-funded action, meaning that the grant from MSCA COFUND will cover only part of the costs, and the applicant organization will need to provide additional funding from other sources. Funding synergies with Cohesion Policy Funds and other EU funding sources are strongly encouraged.

Summary:

The HORIZON-MSCA-2026-COFUND-01 call, part of the Horizon Europe programme, aims to enhance human resources in research and innovation by co-funding doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. The call is open to organizations in EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and potentially some non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Applicants should submit proposals for new or existing programmes that offer research training and career development opportunities to doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers. The programmes can cover any research discipline, with an emphasis on developing both research-related and transferable skills, including digital skills and fostering a culture of Open Science, knowledge valorisation, and research integrity. Collaboration with non-academic partners is encouraged. The total budget for the call is EUR 105,457,362, and applications must be submitted in a single stage by the deadline of 08 April 2026. The funding takes the form of a grant, and co-funding from the applicant organization and other sources is required. The call seeks to improve the quality and sustainability of research training, increase the attractiveness and visibility of participating organizations, and enhance their contribution to socio-economic ecosystems.