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MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF)

Enhances the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD, wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility.

What is MSCA-PF?

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) are 1-3 years grants for Ph.D. researchers, wishing to execute their research either in the academic or the non-academic sector. The grants, financed by the European Commission, cover salaries and research costs and are open to excellent Ph.D. researchers of any nationality and country, including researchers wishing to reintegrate into Europe, researchers who are displaced by conflict, as well as researchers with high potential aiming for a career restart in research. 

The fellowships focus on research and innovation projects and the career development of the Ph.D. researchers and can also include secondments in the academic or non-academic sector, thus private companies or research institutes can host the researchers for postdoctoral research.

Proposals with host organisations in low R&I performing countries ("Widening Countries") that will receive a high score but will not pass the MSCA-PF grant committee, can be referred per their request to the ERA Postdoctoral Fellowships Grant committee, and upon total score and budget availability, be awarded the same conditions as the MSCA-PF grant. In the submission documents, the applicants can select the option to be referred to the ERA Postdoctoral Fellowships Grant in case of not passing the MSCA-PF grant committee and by that increase their chances of being awarded.

Types of MSCA-PF Programmes:

  • European Fellowships: Total of 12-24 months of recruitment in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (e.g. Israel) + 6 optional months in a non-academic sector.
  • Global Fellowships: Total of 24-36 months, out of which 12-24 months are an outgoing phase to a Third Country (TC), which is any country in the world outside of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, & 12 months mandatory return phase in Europe.

Who can apply?

  • A single independent legal entity ("Beneficiary"), established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country who will employ and supervise a Ph.D. researcher of any nationality during the action.
  • The beneficiary can be from the academic or the non-academic sector.
  • Host organisations hosting the researcher for the outgoing phase in the Global Fellowships will participate as "Associated Partners".
  • Host organisations hosting the researcher for secondments will also participate as "Associated Partners".

Eligibility:

1. Ph.D.: The researcher is required to obtain a Ph.D. degree or present a successful defense on it by the call deadline.

2. Limited research experience: Up to 8 years of research experience after Ph.D. at the call deadline. The period may be extended per the cases detailed in the Guidelines on the Calculation of 8 years of Research Experience.

3. Mobility Rule:

  • Ph.D. Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or in the country of the host organisation (for the outgoing phase of Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline. In that regard, vacations, hoiday and any other stay that was not for the purpose of their main activity work will not be counted.
  • Ph.D. Researchers wishing to reintegrate to Europe from a Third Country must: 1. Either be based in a Third Country at the call deadline, or 2. Have moved directly from a Third Country to an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country within the last 12 months before the call deadline.

Secondments:

  • Optional.
  • Can be worldwide.
  • For European Fellowships, the duration of the secondment is limited to up to 1/3 of the entire Ph.D. researcher's fellowship duration.
  • For Global Fellowships, the duration of the secondment is limited to up to 1/3 of the Ph.D. researcher's outgoing fellowship phase duration.
  • Secondments can be in a single period or several shorter mobility periods.

Placements at the end of Fellowships: 

  • Optional.
  • Up to additional 6 months grant in a non-academic organisation from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
  • The placement should be implemented at a different non-academic host organisation established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Funding:

  • Contribution for the recruited Ph.D. researcher per person-month:
    • Living allowance: EUR 5 080 (total salary)*
    • Mobility allowance: EUR 600
    • If applicable, allowances for family, long-term leave, and special needs.
  • Institutional unit contribution per person-month:
    • Research, training, and networking contribution: EUR 1 000
    • Management and indirect contribution: EUR 650

* Country correction coefficient is added to ensure equal treatment. Applicants hosting in Israel will add 7.2% to the living allowance - See country list for all correction coefficients.

For more information please refer to the MSCA-PF Applicable unit Contributions.

Project Start Date:

Successful proposals will have the possibility to choose one of the possible options as the starting date of their project:

1) "Fixed start date" to be notified, and not later than 1 September of year n+2 (Year N = the year of the call's deadline)

2) First day of the month after Grant Agreement (GA) signature 

Calls:

  • 2024: 10 April –11 Sep

One proposal per Ph.D. researcher can be submitted to a specific MSCA-PF call.

* Resubmission Restriction: An applicant who received a score below 70% will need to wait 1 call before re-submitting a proposal involving the same host institution (= beneficiary or recruiting organisation). For Global Postdoctoral Fellowships applicants, the re-submission restriction applies if the proposal includes the same associated partner hosting the outgoing phase.

Please note that different scientific content does not define a different proposal but rather the organisations and individuals involved in the proposal. The eligibility criteria for resubmission are detailed in the MSCA 2021-2022 Work Programme, pages 88-89, and further clarified on the Call for Proposal FAQ page.

For more information on the call please refer to the full MSCA-PF 2021-2022 Work Programme, the MSCA-PF Guide for Applicants and How to Apply to Horizon Europe MSCA.

 

Call Information

How ISERD can assist you:

  • Applicants may submit to the ISERD MSCA team their proposals to receive detailed evaluation feedback to improve their offer. Applicants may submit only full proposals, at least one month in advance of the call deadline.
  • Applicants may contact the ISERD MSCA team for guidance on the eligibility and submission requirements.
  • Partner Search: Search and post partner matching opportunities.
  • MSCA-PF Proposal Preparation Handbook: Prepared by the national contact points of the MSCA and is based on their experience with the proposal preparation of the programme and the FAQ from applicants. The handbook was prepared for the 2022 MSCA-PF call.   

 

Further Information:

 

Contact Us

For questions regarding the call and its submission requirements please contact the MSCA team at ISERD.