MSCA4Ukraine Fellowships 2025

The MSCA4Ukraine Fellowships 2025 initiative focuses on supporting researchers displaced from Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict. This program falls under the Horizon Europe framework and is aimed at facilitating the continuation of research activities for these individuals in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Eligible applicants for the program include host organizations such as academic institutions and businesses located in the eligible regions, which can apply on behalf of displaced researchers. The program is accessible to doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers who are Ukrainian nationals or have been displaced since February 24, 2022. The funding mechanism is structured as a grant, with a total budget of €10 million for this specific call. Individual contributions to projects may range between €9.5 million and €10 million, with a maximum grant of €2 million available for each recruiting organization, allowing for the recruitment of multiple researchers. The call will open on May 15, 2025, and close on September 16, 2025, and features a single-stage submission and evaluation process. All domains of research and innovation are eligible, promoting interdisciplinary and innovative projects. The program aims to reinforce ties between Ukrainian researchers and European academic communities, enabling continued development of research capacity in Ukraine. It emphasizes the importance of training, career development, and mobility opportunities for the participating researchers, and it encourages inter-sectoral collaborations and secondments. The expected outcomes include enhanced integration of displaced researchers into the EU research landscape, development of new skills and knowledge, and contributions to the revitalization of Ukraine’s research and innovation sector. Support provided to fellows will cover salaries, mobility allowances, and additional family needs. This initiative is a crucial effort to support Ukrainian researchers during a significant crisis, helping to maintain and develop research capabilities while contributing to re-establishing Ukraine's scientific community in the long term.

The HORIZON-MSCA call, under the Horizon Europe program, aims to provide fellowships to researchers displaced from Ukraine due to the ongoing war. This initiative, a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA), has a budget of €10,000,000 and follows a single-stage submission process. The call opens on May 15, 2025, and closes on September 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The expected contribution per project ranges from 9,500,000 to €10,000,000, with an indicative number of one grant to be awarded.

The expected impact of this call is to allow the EU to respond to the crisis faced by displaced researchers from Ukraine, upholding core values and academic freedom. It aims to sustain Ukrainian research and innovation capacities by enabling these researchers to continue their work and contribute to the restoration of Ukraine’s R&I sector, while also reinforcing EU-Ukraine research and innovation cooperation.

The scope of the call involves providing fellowships to displaced researchers from Ukraine to continue or resume their research activities at host organizations in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Support is open to all domains of research and innovation and aligned with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) principles, including scientific excellence, skills and career development, inter-sectoral mobility, equal opportunities, attractive working conditions, work/life balance, open science, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The call supports training activities tailored to identified needs in various research and innovation areas, focusing on developing new scientific knowledge through original research projects. Complementary training should develop key transferable skills, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and promote Open Science practices. Short-term secondments to other organizations, including those in Ukraine if conditions allow, and third countries non-associated to Horizon Europe, are encouraged. Inter-sectoral secondments are particularly encouraged to increase the employability of the researchers outside academia.

Particular attention will be paid to the quality of supervision, mentoring, and career guidance. Supported researchers can be doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers who are Ukrainian nationals, stateless persons, or nationals from third countries other than Ukraine residing in Ukraine, displaced on or after February 24, 2022.

Eligible third parties that will recruit researchers include any academic or non-academic organizations established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Other organizations, including those in non-associated third countries, can host researchers for short-term secondments. Organizations based in Ukraine are encouraged to host displaced researchers if conditions allow, supporting their reintegration.

The duration of each fellowship is determined by the beneficiaries in agreement with the recruiting organizations, with a maximum of 2 years. Secondments are eligible for up to one-third of the fellowship duration. The expected duration of the action is 36 months.

Admissibility conditions require adherence to proposal page limits and layout as 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 listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are also described in Annex B.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. The granting authority can fund a maximum of one project, with award criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D. Submission and evaluation processes are outlined in Annex F and the Online Manual, with the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement also in Annex F.

Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants based on unit contributions, as per the Decision of March 11, 2021, for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The same unit contributions as in MSCA Doctoral Networks and MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships will be applied. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is €2.00 million, covering the recruitment of several researchers. Legal and financial set-up details are in Annex G.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme and in HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 sections 1, 2, and 13. Application and evaluation forms, as well as the model grant agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Standard application and evaluation forms (HE CSA) are used, with necessary adaptations. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Additional documents include the HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates a €10,000,000 budget for 2025, with a single-stage process, an opening date of May 15, 2025, and a deadline of September 16, 2025. The expected contribution ranges from 9,500,000 to €10,000,000, with one grant to be awarded.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To start the submission process, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirming their choice of action type and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Support resources include 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, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to support researchers displaced from Ukraine by providing fellowships to continue their research in EU Member States or associated countries. It covers all research domains, emphasizes training and skills development, and encourages mobility and open science practices. The call is designed to protect and integrate Ukrainian researchers into the European research community, contributing to the future rebuilding of Ukraine’s R&I sector. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with detailed guidelines and support resources available through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Summary:

This opportunity, the MSCA4Ukraine Fellowships 2025, is a Horizon Europe call HORIZON-MSCA aimed at supporting displaced researchers from Ukraine. The program provides fellowships for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers to continue or resume their research activities in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The call is open to all domains of research and innovation and aligns with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) principles. Eligible host organizations include academic and non-academic entities within the EU and associated countries. The program encourages training, inter-sectoral mobility, and secondments, including potential placements in Ukraine if conditions allow. The funding is provided through grants, with a total budget of €10,000,000 for the call. The application process is a single-stage submission, with the deadline on September 16, 2025. The maximum grant to a third party is €2.00 million. The call aims to protect researchers, sustain Ukrainian research capacities, and reinforce EU-Ukraine research cooperation.