MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 is an initiative under the Horizon Europe program that aims to enhance the careers of early-career researchers holding a PhD through opportunities for advanced training and international mobility. The fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality, encouraging them to engage in research and innovation projects in both academic and non-academic sectors.

There are two types of fellowships available: European Postdoctoral Fellowships, which cater to researchers moving within or to European Union member states or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships for European nationals or long-term residents wishing to engage in projects outside these areas, followed by a mandatory return phase to Europe. The total budget allocated for these fellowships is EUR 404.3 million, with approximately EUR 343.6 million designated for European Fellowships and EUR 60.6 million for Global Fellowships.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and a host organization in a single-stage submission process. The application window opens on April 9, 2025, and closes on September 10, 2025. The expected duration for European Fellowships is between 12 to 24 months, while the Global Fellowships consist of an outgoing phase lasting 12 to 24 months followed by a 12-month return phase.

Support provided through the fellowships includes financial assistance for the researcher's salary, training, mobility, and other related costs. Fellowship applications are highly competitive, with a potential success rate estimated at below 10%, and evaluation scoring thresholds apply for successful proposals.

A focus is placed on inter-sectoral collaboration and transferable skills training such as innovation, entrepreneurship, and research integrity. The MSCA also promotes the involvement of organizations active in nuclear research, as well as support for researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds or those displaced by conflict.

Overall, the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 is designed to foster the creative and innovative potential of researchers, boost their professional development in various contexts, and ultimately strengthen Europe’s capacity for research and innovation.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF) aims to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD by providing them with opportunities for advanced training, international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility. The call is open to excellent researchers of any nationality. It encourages researchers to work on research and innovation projects in the non-academic sector and welcomes those wishing to reintegrate into Europe, those displaced by conflict, and researchers with high potential seeking to restart their careers.

The call includes two types of actions: European Postdoctoral Fellowships and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. The opening date for submissions is April 9, 2025, and the deadline is September 10, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. Both types of fellowships are funded under the HORIZON Unit Grant [HORIZON-AG-UN] model.

The total budget for European Fellowships (HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF) is 343,648,887 EUR, while the budget for Global Fellowships (HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF) is 60,643,921 EUR.

Expected outcomes for supported postdoctoral fellows include an increased set of research and transferable skills, new mindsets and approaches to R&I work, and enhanced networking and communication capacities. For participating organizations, the expected outcomes are increased alignment of working conditions for researchers, enhanced quality and sustainability of research training, increased global attractiveness, and stronger R&I capacity.

European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country or moving within Europe. The standard duration is between 12 and 24 months.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents who wish to engage in R&I projects with organizations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of 12 to 24 months in a non-associated Third Country and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organization based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Researchers may include a secondment phase within their fellowship, with the duration not exceeding one-third of the action for European Fellowships and one-third of the outgoing phase for Global Fellowships. Secondments cannot take place during the mandatory return period for Global Fellowships.

Postdoctoral Fellowships can provide an additional period of up to six months for placements in the non-academic sector in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Training activities should include training for key transferable skills, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, promote good scientific conduct, and promote Open Science practices. A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor and the researcher.

Organizations active in nuclear research established in EU Member States or countries associated with the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025 are eligible to participate. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in this area will be supported by the Euratom program with an indicative annual financial contribution of EUR 1 million.

ERA Fellowships provide specific support to researchers undertaking their fellowship in a widening country.

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. Other eligibility conditions are described in Annex B. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Annex G. Specific conditions are described in the MSCA part of the Work Programme.

Call documents include the standard application form, standard evaluation form, Model Grant Agreement (MGA), call-specific instructions, and additional documents such as the Horizon Europe Work Programme, Programme Guide, and EU Financial Regulation.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides access to the Electronic Submission Service, online manuals, FAQs, research enquiry services, national contact points, the Enterprise Europe Network, IT helpdesks, the European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and partner search tools.

In summary, the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call offers funding for postdoctoral researchers to undertake international mobility and gain new skills through advanced training and research projects. It supports both European researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe, and European researchers seeking experience in Third Countries before returning to Europe. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility, encouraging researchers to engage with both academic and non-academic organizations. The call aims to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers, strengthen Europe's human capital base in R&I, and contribute to Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for research and innovation. The call provides funding for both European Fellowships and Global Fellowships, with specific eligibility criteria and requirements for each. The application process involves a joint submission by the researcher and a host organization, and proposals are evaluated based on excellence, impact, and implementation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are postdoctoral researchers of any nationality, along with a beneficiary organization, which can be either academic or non-academic. For Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, the researcher must be a European national or a long-term resident. Organizations active in nuclear research established in one of EU Member States or countries associated to the Euratom Research and Training programme 2021-2025 are also eligible to participate in specific cases.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a unit grant under the Horizon Europe program.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, consisting of a researcher and a beneficiary organization. The application must be made jointly by the researcher and the beneficiary.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and, for the outgoing phase of Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, non-associated Third Countries. ERA Fellowships provide specific support to researchers to undertake their fellowship in a widening country.

Target Sector: The program targets all sectors of research and innovation (R&I), with a bottom-up approach, meaning proposals from all scientific areas are eligible for funding. Specific eligibility conditions apply to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in the research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025, which focuses on nuclear research.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, Third Countries (non-associated), Denmark, Sweden.

Project Stage: The project stage is aimed at researchers holding a PhD, so the expected maturity is at the postdoctoral level, focusing on advanced training, international mobility, and enhancing creative and innovative potential.

Funding Amount: The total budget for European Fellowships is EUR 343,648,887 and for Global Fellowships is EUR 60,643,921 for the year 2025. The exact funding amount per project is variable and depends on the unit costs defined in the Horizon Europe program. An indicative annual financial contribution of EUR 1 million is allocated to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in the area of nuclear research supported by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to cover the costs of the fellowship, including researcher salaries, training, research costs, and institutional overhead.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

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

Summary:

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025, under the Horizon Europe program, aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers who hold a PhD. This initiative supports international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility by providing fellowships to excellent researchers of any nationality. The program has two main types of fellowships: European Fellowships, which are open to researchers coming to or moving within Europe, and Global Fellowships, which are for European nationals or long-term residents wishing to engage in R&I projects outside the EU, followed by a mandatory return phase to Europe.

The fellowships encourage researchers to work on R&I projects in both academic and non-academic sectors. The program also supports researchers wishing to reintegrate into Europe, those displaced by conflict, and researchers with high potential seeking to restart their careers. The fellowships aim to foster excellence through training and mobility, equipping researchers with new skills and competences to address current and future challenges.

Training activities should include transferable skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, communication, public engagement, research integrity, and open science practices. A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor and the researcher to enhance career opportunities inside and outside academia.

The call includes specific support for nuclear research through the Euratom Research and Training Programme and for widening countries through ERA Fellowships. The application process is a single-stage open call, and proposals are jointly submitted by the researcher and a beneficiary organization. The call opening is scheduled for April 9, 2025, with a deadline of September 10, 2025. The total budget allocated for European Fellowships is EUR 343,648,887, and for Global Fellowships, it is EUR 60,643,921.