MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026

The HORIZON-MSCA-2026-SE-01-01 call, part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under the Horizon Europe program, is focused on facilitating international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility of research and innovation staff. With a budget of 97,922,509 EUR for 2026, the initiative aims to foster staff exchanges among organizations, including universities, research institutions, and businesses.

Eligible applicants must form consortia with a minimum of three organizations from different countries, at least two of which must be from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. International collaboration is encouraged, especially involving non-associated third countries. The program supports research and innovation projects at all stages of the innovation chain, emphasizing mobility through secondments, which can last from one month to a year.

Participants benefit from direct financial support, including mobility allowances for staff covering travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs. The application process is open for submissions from December 16, 2025, to April 16, 2026, with a single-stage review mechanism. While historical success rates for similar calls range from 10-39%, the exact figures for this call have not been disclosed.

The program aims to enhance researchers' skills and employability while promoting knowledge sharing and innovative cooperation between various sectors. Additionally, it encourages interdisciplinary projects and activities, such as workshops and conferences, to foster networking and collaboration. Co-funding arrangements are optional for partnerships with Brazil and India, supporting enhanced financial backing for those stakeholders.

Overall, this call seeks to boost European research capacity and create long-term collaborations through effective staff mobility and knowledge exchange.

The HORIZON-MSCA-2026-SE-01-01 call, titled HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges, falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program and the MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2026-SE-01). It is a HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE type of action with a HORIZON Unit Grant [HORIZON-AG-UN] Model Grant Agreement. The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of December 16, 2025, and a deadline of April 16, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated to this topic is 97,922,509 EUR for the year 2026.

The expected outcomes for staff members include: Increased research and transferable skills, improved employability, more knowledge translated into products and services, entrepreneurial mindsets, international exposure, and enhanced networking and communication capacities. For participating organizations, the expected outcomes are: innovative cooperation, strengthened collaborative networks, and boosted R&I capacity.

The scope of the call involves MSCA Staff Exchanges, encouraging international cooperation between academic and non-academic sectors, including SMEs, globally. It supports international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility of R&I staff, facilitating knowledge transfer. The program emphasizes mobility through secondments, where organizations contribute to a joint R&I project by seconding or hosting staff. These projects should build upon existing work and foster long-term collaborations. Secondments must involve physical mobility between independent legal entities. The program encourages interdisciplinarity, especially for secondments between academic organizations, and promotes a collaborative approach to exploit complementary competences and create synergies. Projects should enable networking, workshops, and conferences to share knowledge and test innovative approaches. Skills development is a key focus, offering new skills and career development perspectives for participating staff members, with organizations providing adequate mentorship.

Admissibility conditions, 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 in the Submission System. 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 criteria are 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 agreement is also in Annex F. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in Annex G. Specific conditions are detailed in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE MSCA SE). Evaluation form templates, including the standard evaluation form (HE MSCA), will be used with necessary adaptations. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the HE MGA and HE Unit MGA. Call-specific instructions are in the HE MSCA SE Guide for Applicants. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and General Annexes), the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, 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, the Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

There are partner search announcements available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on December 16, 2025.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully. The Online Manual serves as a guide for proposal submission and grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide details the structure, budget, and political priorities. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses common questions. The Research Enquiry Service answers questions about European research. National Contact Points (NCPs) provide guidance and assistance, and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk addresses technical questions, and the European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks advise on standardisation. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment outline researcher roles and responsibilities. A Partner Search tool is available to find partner organizations.

In summary, this MSCA Staff Exchanges call under Horizon Europe aims to foster international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary collaboration through staff secondments. It seeks to enhance the skills and career prospects of researchers while boosting the R&I capacity of participating organizations. The call encourages projects that build upon existing work, promote knowledge transfer, and create lasting synergies between academic and non-academic entities worldwide. The funding supports physical mobility of staff, networking activities, workshops, and conferences, all contributing to the broader impact of research and innovation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are organizations from the academic and non-academic sectors, including SMEs, from across the globe. International cooperation through the participation of organizations from non-associated third countries is strongly encouraged.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specified as a HORIZON Unit Grant.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The organizations constituting the partnership contribute directly to the implementation of a joint R&I project by seconding and/or hosting eligible staff members. Secondments must involve physical mobility of the eligible staff members and must always take place between legal entities independent from each other.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes organizations within EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. International cooperation through the participation of organizations from non-associated third countries is strongly encouraged, and specific provisions may exist for funding participants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Target Sector: This program targets all sectors, as it supports international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility of R&I staff, leading to knowledge transfer between participating organizations. It aims to foster innovative ways of cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries (third countries) are mentioned.

Project Stage: The project stage should be beyond previous work and generate or strengthen long-term collaborations. The projects should enable networking activities and the organization of workshops and conferences, to facilitate sharing of knowledge and testing of innovative approaches for specific R&I topics.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic HORIZON-MSCA-2026-SE-01-01 HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges is 97,922,509 EUR for the year 2026. The indicative number of grants is not specified.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support the staff exchanges and related project activities.

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

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

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

Summary:

This opportunity is the HORIZON-MSCA-2026-SE-01-01 MSCA Staff Exchanges call under the Horizon Europe program. It supports international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility of research and innovation (R&I) staff through staff exchanges between organizations from academic and non-academic sectors, including SMEs, across the globe. The goal is to foster knowledge transfer, skills development, and long-term collaborations. Projects should involve physical secondments of staff between independent legal entities to implement a joint R&I project, enabling networking, workshops, and conferences. The expected outcomes include increased skills and employability for staff members, innovative cooperation, strengthened collaborative networks, and boosted R&I capacity for participating organizations. The call is open to consortia involving organizations from EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and non-associated third countries. The total budget is approximately 97.9 million EUR, and applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal by the deadline of April 16, 2026. This initiative aims to enhance the European Research Area by promoting researcher mobility, international collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge across different sectors and disciplines.