MSCA COFUND 2027

MSCA COFUND 2027 is a Horizon Europe call to co-finance new or existing doctoral programmes that adopt MSCA best practices including international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary training and compulsory international mobility. The indicative budget for the 2027 topic is €51,251,165 and a maximum grant per beneficiary is €10 million, with programmes running up to 60 months and recruiting at least three doctoral researchers. Eligible applicants are single legal entities established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal in a single-stage procedure by 6 April 2027 (17:00 Brussels time). Proposals are evaluated on Excellence (50%), Impact (30%) and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation (20%) with an overall threshold of 70/100 and must include detailed recruitment, training, supervision and financial plans consistent with MSCA unit grant rules.

MSCA COFUND 2027 — High-level overview

What it funds

Co-funding (MSCA COFUND) for new or existing doctoral programmes that deliver research training leading to a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Programmes should provide international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary research training, substantial transferable-skills modules, open science and career development support.

Who can apply

Legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries may submit proposals to run doctoral programmes. Proposals should involve partnerships with academic and, where relevant, non-academic organisations; associated partners (including non-academic) and international partners are encouraged.

Call type and schedule:Call HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01 (single-stage). Planned opening 08 December 2026; submission deadline 06 April 2027 17:00 Brussels time ¹.

1. 1Scope: doctoral programmes (bottom-up discipline coverage; exceptional focus possible when linked to RIS3).
2. 2Mandatory elements: international mobility, career development plans, training in transferable skills, supervision quality and open, merit-based recruitment (EURAXESS advertising recommended).
3. 3Encouraged: cross-sectoral secondments, interdisciplinarity, synergies with Cohesion Policy and other EU funds.

Applicants must follow the MSCA quality standards (European Charter for Researchers, Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training), use the submission templates in the Funding & Tenders Portal and comply with Horizon Europe Grant Agreement rules. Programme-level budgets are calculated using MSCA unit contributions for researcher allowances and institutional contributions.

Footnotes

1. 1Call details and application templates are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal; advertise vacancies widely including on EURAXESS: EURAXESS

MSCA COFUND 2027 — Funding Opportunity Overview

Basic identifiers and timeline

Call title: MSCA COFUND 2027 (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01). Type of action: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-D (MSCA co-funding of doctoral programmes). Type of model grant agreement: HORIZON Unit Grant (HORIZON-AG-UN). Opening date (planned): 08 December 2026. Deadline: 06 April 2027 17:00:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission). Indicative budget for this topic: €51,251,165 for 2027.

Purpose, scope and expected outcomes

Purpose: MSCA COFUND co-finances new or existing doctoral programmes (and postdoctoral programmes under other COFUND topics) managed by entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The co-funded programmes must adopt MSCA good practices (international recruitment, minimum employment standards, career development, mobility and training). Scope: Proposals must be for doctoral programmes with an impact on human resources in research and innovation at regional, national or international level. Programmes can be bottom-up across any research discipline, or targeted to specific disciplines in exceptional circumstances (for example where aligned with national or regional RIS3). Programmes should embed international mobility as compulsory, include or encourage cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity, include substantial training modules addressing transferable and digital skills (including generative AI where relevant), foster Open Science and knowledge valorisation, cover FAIR data management and research integrity, and include career development plans for each recruited doctoral candidate. Expected outcomes for doctoral candidates include deeper and broader research and transferable skills, better employability, broadened networks and public engagement capacities. Expected outcomes for participating organisations include improved quality and sustainability of research training, increased attractiveness and visibility, stronger R&I capacity and better feedback of research into teaching.

Reference guidance and principles:Proposals must apply the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training, the European Charter for Researchers and relevant MSCA guidance documents, including the MSCA Green Charter for environmental sustainability and MSCA supervision guidelines. Publication of vacancies should be widely advertised internationally (including EURAXESS) and must state whether published rates include taxes and social contributions ¹.

Eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants: legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries that manage doctoral programmes. Proposals are submitted by a beneficiary (single organisation) requesting co-funding for a doctoral programme; the programme can involve implementing and associated partners (including non-academic sector organisations) that contribute hosting, secondments, training modules or financial in-kind/financial contributions. Participating organisations may include universities, research institutes, research infrastructures, SMEs and large enterprises, NGOs and public bodies. Associated or implementing partners can be from non-associated third countries where relevant to the programme. Affiliated entities and third party in-kind contributors can be included as described in the MSCA COFUND conditions.

Eligible applicant types (summary)

Eligible applicant organisation types include universities, higher education institutions, public and private research organisations, research performing organisations, research infrastructures, SMEs and large enterprises (non-academic sector partners), other public bodies and non-profit organisations involved in research and doctoral training. Individual researchers cannot apply directly; the call supports programmes managed by organisations.

Funding details and financial arrangements

Funding instrument: Unit grant (action grant) under Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND. The call provides co-funding to programmes by means of unit contributions per recruited researcher (person-months) and institutional unit contributions (research, training, networking, management and indirect contributions) as defined in the Unit Grant Annexes (Annex 2 and Annex 2a of the Unit MGA). The MSCA COFUND unit contribution for doctoral actions follows the COFUND allowance rules with a specified per-person-month COFUND rate for doctoral programmes; the application must present the full financial package (EU co-funding + beneficiary own resources + implementing/associated partners’ contributions) and the values entered in Part A must match Part B of the application form.

Indicative total topic budget:€51,251,165 (indicative contribution for the 2027 topic).

Application and evaluation process

Deadline model: single-stage call. Submission is via the Funding & Tenders Portal submission system; Part A (structured data) and Part B (technical description) must be submitted as prescribed (Part B1 and Part B2 formats and page limits). The call has a single-stage evaluation against Excellence, Impact and Quality and efficiency of implementation award criteria, following the HE MSCA evaluation templates and thresholds. The overall threshold (sum of the three individual scores) is 70 points according to the HE evaluation grid; weighting and scoring rules follow the HE MSCA evaluation form. Evaluation uses independent experts; procedures and timelines follow Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Portal Online Manual. If successful, a Unit Grant model grant agreement (HE Unit MGA) will be signed; legal and financial set-up follow Annex G and the HE Unit MGA provisions, including continuous reporting and deliverables obligations.

Application type and submission

Application type: Open call (single-stage). Applicants must use the standard HE MSCA COFUND application forms available in the submission system (Part A and Part B templates). Part B is split into two documents for submission (Part B1 with page limit and Part B2 without an overall page limit). Applicants must respect PDF formats, fonts, page sizes, margins and file size limits. Applicants must upload both Part B documents to the submission system to enable submission.

Who should apply and consortium requirements

Consortium requirement: Single applicant (a single beneficiary submits a proposal for co-funding of a doctoral programme). The programme must describe participating implementing partners and associated partners (academic and non-academic organisations) and detail their role, financial and in-kind contributions and hosting/secondment capacities. Associated partners (APs) and implementing partners (IPs) are included in Part B and, where required, listed in Part A. Collaboration with non-academic sector and wide networks of partners is positively evaluated.

Beneficiary geographic eligibility

Beneficiary scope: Beneficiaries must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Activities and partner participation can involve organisations from non-associated third countries in line with the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and specific eligibility rules. The MSCA COFUND action funds programmes that award doctoral degrees in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Target sectors and themes

Target sector: Bottom-up across all research disciplines — the call is open to any thematic area, including but not limited to health, environment, energy, transport, ICT, manufacturing, social sciences and humanities, life sciences, mathematics, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, climate, agriculture and more. Exceptional targeted calls can be justified if aligned with national/regional RIS3 strategies; the range of disciplines should permit reasonable topic flexibility for researchers.

Mentioned countries and regions:Explicitly referenced geographic groups: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Participation of organisations from non-associated third countries is allowed and encouraged where appropriate and subject to eligibility provisions in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Project stage, maturity and expected activities

Project stage: Programme-level action covering the design, implementation, management and recruitment phases of doctoral training schemes. The call expects established or new doctoral programmes with training and research activities at research and doctoral maturity levels leading to a doctoral degree; activities include recruitment, supervision, network-wide training events, secondments, placements, career guidance, open science practices and outreach.

Funding type, nature of support and co-funding

Funding type: Grant (Unit grant action). Nature of support: Monetary funding (EU co-funding as unit contributions for recruited researchers and institutional contributions) combined with non-financial support expected (training, hosting, secondments, supervision, networking) provided by beneficiary and partners. Co-funding requirement: Yes — beneficiaries must show own resources and financial contributions from implementing/associated partners. The total funding package in Part B must reconcile with Part A budget entries. The call requires the applicant to indicate beneficiary own resources and implementing partners contributions; co-funding is an integral part of the proposal’s financial design.

Funding amount and unit contributions

Funding amount: The topic budget is €51,251,165 (indicative). The applicable EU contribution per recruited researcher is calculated via the COFUND unit allowance (expressed as EUR per person-month) for doctoral programmes. The MSCA COFUND rules set minimum per-month living allowances for doctoral actions (and rules for fixed-amount fellowships where applicable). Applicants must complete tables in Part B describing the amounts per cost category, number of recruited researchers and person-months. Exact unit values and calculation methods are provided in Annex 2a of the Unit MGA and the HE MSCA specific conditions; applicants must follow the HE MSCA COFUND financial templates in the submission system.

Application structure and templates

Application forms: Use the HE MSCA COFUND standard application form available in the Portal submission system. Part A (administrative and budget data) and Part B (technical description) must be completed. Part B is provided as two documents: Document 1 (Part B1) with a maximum of 34 pages including Start Page, Table of Contents and sections 1-3, and Document 2 (Part B2) containing sections 4-6 with no overall page limit (but respecting per-section limits where specified). Part B templates include detailed guidance and mandatory tables (e.g. Table 1.1 for financial package per researcher, Table 1.3 for network-wide training events, Work Package descriptions and deliverables in Part 3). Applicants must also prepare Continuous Reporting deliverables and project deliverables if funded. The HE MSCA COFUND application templates (Part A, Part B1 and Part B2), evaluation forms and the Unit MGA are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal reference documents.

1. 1Part A — Application administrative and budget details (structured fields in the Portal).
2. 2Part B1 — General description, sections 1-3: Excellence (research and training objectives; recruitment and selection procedures; training, supervision, career development), Impact (HR practices alignment, employability measures, dissemination/exploitation/communication) and Implementation (workplan, management, resources, risks). Page limit: 34 pages for Document 1 including start page and TOC.
3. 3Part B2 — Sections 4-6: Ethics, Partner organisations detailed descriptions (APs and IPs) and Environmental considerations (MSCA Green Charter). Submitted as Document 2, no overall page limit but respecting per-section constraints.
4. 4Mandatory annexes and templates: financial tables, deliverables list, milestones and critical risk table, table of partner organisations and their commitments, data management plan (deliverable by month 6), Career Development Plan deliverable at recruitment, and the MSCA-specific templates provided in the Portal.
5. 5Applicants must comply with PDF formatting, fonts and page size rules and must upload both Part B documents for submission.

Evaluation, stages and success rates

Evaluation process: Single-stage evaluation by independent external experts using the HE MSCA evaluation form (Excellence 50%, Impact 30%, Quality and efficiency of implementation 20% weighting typical for MSCA COFUND). Thresholds: each sub-criterion thresholds as per General Annexes; the combined overall threshold is 70/100. The evaluation process follows steps described in Annex F and the Online Manual including eligibility checks, remote evaluation and consensus. Indicative timeline: evaluation after the call deadline as per Annex F; the Portal provides an indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement preparation.

Application stages: 1 (single-stage submission and evaluation).

Success rates: Not published for this specific topic; MSCA COFUND is a competitive call and success rates vary by year and topic volume of applications. Historically, COFUND calls fund a limited share of proposals passing thresholds due to constrained budgets. Applicants should assume a competitive selection and prepare high-quality proposals addressing all award criteria.

Administrative, legal and reporting requirements

Grant management: Grants will be signed under the Horizon Europe Unit MGA model (HE Unit MGA). Reporting uses continuous reporting in the Portal (deliverables, milestones, indicators) and periodic reporting for financial reporting. Prefinancing and subsequent payments, recoveries, checks and audits follow HE Unit MGA rules and EU Financial Regulation. Beneficiaries must comply with record-keeping, data protection, ethics and security provisions and allow audits and checks by the granting authority and EU bodies (OLAF, ECA).

Reporting and deliverables:Continuous reporting (Portal tool) and mandatory deliverables (e.g. recruitment reports per call, communication/dissemination reports, training & career development reports, ethics reports, data management plan by month 6, career development plan at recruitment). The full set of deliverables will be specified in the Grant Agreement and in Annex 1 (Description of the Action).

Evaluation strengths and key points assessed

1. 1Excellence: clarity, ambition and novelty of the programme research and innovation objectives; quality and soundness of the proposed training and supervision; appropriateness of open science practices.
2. 2Selection/recruitment process: transparency, merit-based selection, dissemination of vacancies (including EURAXESS), selection committee composition, equal opportunities and diversity policies, competitiveness and attractiveness of appointment conditions (including gross salary information and employer contributions).
3. 3Research options: interdisciplinarity, inter-sectoral opportunities, international mobility levels, secondments, open science and FAIR data management.
4. 4Training programme quality: transferables, research skills, entrepreneurship, digital skills (generative AI where relevant), knowledge valorisation and research integrity.
5. 5Supervision and career development: quality of supervision, mentoring, monitoring, Career Development Plans, career guidance and enhancement of employability.
6. 6Impact: contribution to institutional, regional and national HR practices, career perspectives, dissemination/exploitation and long-term sustainability.
7. 7Implementation: workplan, governance, management resources, deliverables, milestones, risk mitigation, host institution capacity and partner contributions.

Practical tips for applicants

1. 1Use the HE MSCA COFUND Part A and Part B templates exactly as provided in the submission system. Adhere to page, font and formatting rules.
2. 2Make sure that the financial tables in Part A and Part B match exactly and that beneficiary own resources and implementing partners’ contributions are properly declared.
3. 3Describe recruitment processes in detail: vacancy dissemination (EURAXESS), eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, selection committee composition, appeal/review procedures and equality/inclusiveness measures.
4. 4Provide a credible Career Development Plan template and explain how it will be adapted and updated for each recruited researcher within 18 months of recruitment.
5. 5Detail supervision and mentoring arrangements and reference the MSCA supervision guidelines.
6. 6Demonstrate resources, infrastructure and institutional commitment, and list implementing and associated partners with their roles and contributions.
7. 7Include concrete open science measures (FAIR DMP), knowledge valorisation activities, public engagement and communication plans.
8. 8Include risk register and mitigation measures; provide a realistic workplan with deliverables, milestones and recruitment timelines.
9. 9Ensure ethical compliance and address any potential ethics issues in Part B2 (ethics self-assessment where applicable).
10. 10Plan for MSCA Green Charter measures and environmental sustainability of project activities.

Templates and application form structure (outline)

Application forms: Part A (standard HE structured form) — sections: general information, participants, budget, ethics and security. Use the HE MSCA COFUND-specific Part A fields for number of recruited researchers, person-months, COFUND allowance and own resources. Part B (Part B1 and Part B2) — Part B1 includes Start Page, Table of Contents, General Description of the Programme and Beneficiary information (max 2 pages), then Sections 1-3: Excellence (1.1 research objectives; 1.2 recruitment process and appointment conditions including Table 1.1 amounts provided to researchers and hosting organisations; 1.3 research options; 1.4 research training programme including Table 1.3 network training events; 1.5 supervision and career guidance), Impact (Section 2: HR practices, career measures, dissemination/exploitation/communication) and Implementation (Section 3: WP descriptions, deliverables table €3.1B, milestones 3.1c, critical risks 3.1d). Part B2 contains Sections 4-6: Ethics, Partner Organisations (tables for Implementing and Associated Partners with roles and financial contributions) and MSCA Green Charter environmental considerations. Mandatory tables and templates are provided in the Part B templates and must be used.

Evaluation criteria, scoring and thresholds

The evaluation follows the HE MSCA evaluation form. Scores are 0-5 with one decimal. Weighting for MSCA COFUND: Excellence 50%, Impact 30%, Quality and efficiency of implementation 20% (confirm in the current call guidance). The overall threshold is 70/100. Individual criterion thresholds apply as described in the HE MSCA evaluation templates and General Annex D. Evaluators will apply the pre-defined scoring descriptors (0 = fails to address criterion; 5 = excellent).

Co-funding, eligible costs and financial capacity

Co-funding is required: Applicants must declare own resources and any implementing or associated partners’ financial contributions in Part A and justify them in Part B. Eligible unit contributions follow Annex 2a methodologies in the Unit Grant and include the COFUND allowance per person-month for recruited researchers, long-term leave and special needs allowances, and institutional contributions (research, training & networking; management and indirect contributions). The beneficiary must demonstrate financial and operational capacity as required by Annex C and the declaration of honour; LEAR and legal entity validation rules apply. Financial statements and certificates (if applicable) follow the HE Unit MGA requirements during grant preparation and reporting.

Summary: What is this opportunity about and who should apply?

MSCA COFUND 2027 is a Horizon Europe competitive co-funding call that provides EU unit grant co-financing to organisations that design and operate doctoral programmes (or postdoctoral programmes under other COFUND topics). The objective is to spread MSCA best practices across Europe and Associated Countries by supporting programmes that combine high-quality doctoral training, international and inter-sectoral mobility, strong supervision and mentoring, career development, open science and knowledge valorisation. Beneficiaries are organisations (universities, research institutes, research performing organisations and other legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries) that run doctoral programmes and can demonstrate co-funding and partner involvement. Applicants must submit a single-stage proposal using the HE MSCA COFUND templates, address Excellence, Impact and Implementation criteria in detail, show institutional commitment, provide a credible financial plan including own resources and implementing partners contributions, and plan recruitment and training activities in line with MSCA principles. The call is highly competitive and requires careful alignment with MSCA guidance, the HE Unit MGA financial rules and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. Successful proposals will receive co-funding to recruit doctoral candidates and implement high-quality training and supervision activities that increase the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers in Europe.

The vacancy notices and international recruitment of researchers should be widely advertised, in particular via EURAXESS ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1EURAXESS — Portal for research vacancies and researcher mobility: euraxess.ec.europa.eu.

MSCA COFUND 2027 - Funding Opportunity Analysis

Opportunity Overview

MSCA COFUND 2027 is a European Union funding programme under Horizon Europe that co-finances new or existing doctoral programmes and postdoctoral fellowship schemes at regional, national, or international levels. The call aims to spread best practices of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, including international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary research training, as well as cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all career stages.

Key Funding Details

Total Budget Available:€51,251,165 planned for 2027 under HORIZON-MSCA.

Maximum Grant per Beneficiary:€10 million per call per beneficiary.

Programme Duration:Maximum 60 months for the entire programme.

Fellowship Duration:Minimum 3 months per recruited researcher.

Minimum Researchers:At least 3 researchers must be recruited.

Application Timeline

Call Opening Date:8 December 2026.

Application Deadline:6 April 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Submission Model:Single-stage proposal submission and evaluation procedure.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are single legal entities (mono-beneficiary) established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Projects can include Implementing Partners and Associated Partners. Legal entities can be from any sector including academic institutions, research organisations, businesses, and other socio-economic actors.

Eligible Programme Types

The 2027 call focuses on doctoral programmes only. Applicants submit proposals for new or existing doctoral programmes with impact on enhancement of human resources in research and innovation at regional, national, or international level. Programmes can cover any research discipline in a bottom-up manner, or exceptionally focus on specific disciplines aligned with national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies).

Researcher Eligibility Requirements

• Doctoral candidates must not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment
• Researchers of any nationality are eligible
• Must meet the mobility rule: not have resided or carried out main activity in the host country for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before recruitment, unless as part of compulsory national service or procedure for obtaining EU temporary protection or refugee status
• Must be recruited under an employment contract with equivalent benefits including social security coverage, or under a fixed-amount fellowship agreement with minimum social security coverage
• Must be employed full-time unless granting authority approves part-time employment for personal or family reasons
• Must work exclusively for the action
• Researchers already permanently employed by the hosting organisation cannot be funded

Funding Structure and Rates

MSCA COFUND operates on a unit grant model with fixed monthly contributions. The programme is structured in two phases: an EU-funded phase of 24-36 months where EU funding covers direct and indirect costs, and a phase of 24 months fully funded by the beneficiary where the applicant must set attractive national-level salaries and ensure availability of necessary internal or external funds.

Minimum Monthly Remuneration:€3,500 per person-month for doctoral researchers (gross salary including employer contributions, taxes, and social security contributions).

COFUND Allowance Components:The COFUND allowance covers remuneration, mobility allowance, family allowance (if applicable), long-term leave allowance, special needs allowance, research costs, training costs, management costs, and indirect costs.

Programme Requirements and Conditions

• Selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent, and merit-based in line with the European Charter for Researchers
• Vacancy notices must be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website, and must specify gross salary amounts including all employer and employee taxes and contributions
• Career Development Plan must be jointly established by supervisor and each recruited researcher at the beginning of recruitment and revised within 18 months
• Programmes must develop substantial training modules addressing key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, including digital competencies such as generative AI
• Programmes must foster culture of Open Science, knowledge valorisation, and when applicable innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as good scientific conduct such as research integrity
• Compulsory international mobility required; applicants encouraged to include cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity elements
• Collaboration with wider set of associated partners including non-academic sector positively considered during evaluation
• Particular attention paid to quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance

Expected Outcomes and Impact

For supported doctoral candidates, the programme aims to deliver deeper and more diverse research-related and transferable skills and competences, improved employability and career prospects both within academia and beyond, new mind-sets and approaches to research and innovation work forged through international inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience, and enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers and the general public.

For participating organisations, expected outcomes include enhanced quality and sustainability of research training, increased global attractiveness visibility and reputation, stronger research and innovation capacity and output, increased contribution to local regional and national socio-economic ecosystems, and regular feedback of research results into teaching and education.

Evaluation Criteria and Assessment

Proposals are evaluated on three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Excellence assessment includes quality and pertinence of research and innovation objectives, quality and novelty of the selection and recruitment process, quality and novelty of research options offered in terms of interdisciplinarity and inter-sectorality, and quality novelty and pertinence of the research training programme. Impact assessment focuses on strengthening human resources good practices and credibility of measures to enhance career perspectives. Quality and efficiency assessment examines the work plan, management structures, risk assessment, and capacity of host institutions.

Overall Evaluation Threshold:70 points out of 100 (based on three criteria with 50 percent weighting for Excellence, 30 percent for Impact, and 20 percent for Quality and Efficiency of Implementation).

Key Application Requirements

• Submission through EU Funding and Tenders Portal
• Part A: General information and participant details
• Part B1: Maximum 34 pages including general description of programme and sections on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation
• Part B2: No overall page limit for sections on Ethics, Partner Organisations, and Environmental Considerations
• Minimum font size 11 points for main text, 9 points for tables, 8 points for footnotes
• PDF format required with embedded fonts
• Proposal must include detailed description of selection procedures, evaluation criteria, appointment conditions, and training activities
• Data Management Plan required as deliverable by month 6
• Career Development Plan template must be included

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed action. The beneficiary must have adequate resources to host and supervise recruited researchers at their premises or through implementing partners. Beneficiaries must maintain eligibility under the EU programme for the entire duration of the action.

Special Considerations and Incentives

Funding synergies with Cohesion Policy Funds and other EU funding sources are strongly encouraged. The programme particularly values proposals that address brain drain and precarity of researchers' careers to make Europe more attractive to promising young talents. Programmes demonstrating alignment with the European Charter for Researchers and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment are encouraged. Environmental considerations in line with the MSCA Green Charter are recommended.

Grant Agreement and Legal Framework

Successful applicants will sign a Horizon Europe Unit Grant Agreement. The agreement includes provisions for continuous reporting through the Portal, periodic technical and financial reporting, and payment arrangements. Initial prefinancing is typically provided within 30 days of entry into force or 10 days before starting date, whichever is latest. Interim and final payments are made following submission of periodic reports within 90 days of report receipt.

Mutual Insurance Mechanism:5-8 percent of maximum grant amount is retained from initial prefinancing as a safety mechanism.

Important Compliance and Ethical Requirements

• Actions must comply with ethical principles and highest standards of research integrity as set out in ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
• Applicable international and national law including Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and European Convention on Human Rights must be respected
• Proposals must have exclusive focus on civil applications; activities intended for military application cannot be funded
• Data protection compliance with GDPR and applicable EU regulations required
• Intellectual property rights must be properly managed with clear ownership of results
• Communication and dissemination activities must acknowledge EU support and display European flag with funding statement
• Beneficiaries must maintain records and supporting documents for minimum 5 years after final payment
• Conflict of interests must be formally notified and rectified immediately

Support and Guidance Resources

Applicants can access comprehensive support through multiple channels. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides detailed guidance on programme structure, budget, and political priorities. National Contact Points in 43 European countries and 9 worldwide hubs offer free personalised assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. The EURAXESS portal serves as the largest database of job, funding, and hosting offers in Europe with over 600 Service Centres providing support on relocation, career development, and research opportunities. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual provides procedures from proposal submission to grant management. The Research Enquiry Service answers questions about European research and EU Research Framework Programmes.

Key Contacts and Further Information

Primary submission portal: EU Funding and Tenders Portal at [[ec.europa.eu. Official call details and topic description available at [[ec.europa.eu. EURAXESS portal for researcher mobility and career development at [[euraxess.ec.europa.eu. Horizon Europe Programme Guide and work programme documents available on the Portal Reference Documents section.

Footnotes

1. 1The two-phase structure allows beneficiaries flexibility in sequencing: the EU-funded phase can occur first or second, as long as the total programme duration does not exceed 60 months. Applicants must specify the order of the two phases in their proposals.