Postdoctoral Fellowships call: 6 steps to prepare your application

If you are considering applying for Postdoctoral Fellowships, here are some useful tips and guidance to start preparing your proposal.

Step 1: Get familiar with how funding works

Have a look at the Postdoctoral Fellowships page and key resources for an introduction to the scheme’s characteristics and opportunities.

Consult the  MSCA Work Programme and annexes for all details about the call conditions.

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Step 2: Make sure you can apply

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to postdoctoral researchers from all over the world that

• hold a PhD degree on the closing date for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree are also eligible to apply
• have a maximum of eight years of experience in research from the date of the award of the PhD degree – the following experience will not be counted towards this maximum
  • years of experience outside research and career breaks
  • years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe
• comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

Some exceptions and specific conditions apply.

Have a look at the following resources to verify your eligibility

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) publishes a series of essential resources for any applicant

• The guide for Applicants is the best starting point for any researcher interested in the scheme
• A specific guide will help you avoid the most common mistakes in Postdoctoral Fellowships proposals
• To check your research experience, REA has prepared a Self-assessment tool and guidelines on the calculation of 8-years research experience in Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe
• Proposal templates, evaluation guidelines used by experts and many other resources

The RADIANCE project, run by MSCA National Contact Points, offers unofficial complementary resources to support applicants

• Library (handbooks, and other guidance documents)
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal also offers a set of Frequently Asked Questions

If you are still uncertain about your eligibility, MSCA National Contact Points can help you go through the criteria and, in some cases, do a pre-submission check of your application.

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Step 3: Find a host organisation and supervisor

Organisations from all socioeconomic sectors in any country can host an MSCA postdoctoral fellow – although conditions differ depending on the modality you are applying to. This includes

• higher education institutions
• research centres and infrastructures
• private sector organisations, including industry, businesses, and small and medium-sized enterprises
• public sector organisations, including national, regional, and local governments, agencies, and museums
• certain international organisations, bodies and research institutions
• other organisations such as NGOs, foundations, charities, etc.

Applications are made jointly by the researcher and a prospective beneficiary (i.e. main host organisation) in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.  

Organisations based in third countries that are not associated to the Horizon Europe programme can host researchers for Global Fellowships and for short-term secondments (see specific conditions in the MSCA Work Programme). If you are not sure whether a country is associated to Horizon Europe, have a look at the list of participating countries to Horizon Europe.

If you do not yet have a host organisation in mind or are still looking for a secondment or a placement host, the following resources may help you find your match

• MSCA Matchmaking platform
• Euraxess hosting offers
• Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (see “Partner Search Announcements”)

If you are looking for a non-academic host or seeking advice for research-business collaboration, reach out to the European Enterprise Network’s contact points.

If you are applying for a standard European Fellowship with a host from a Widening Country and outermost regions, you will have the opportunity  to opt in to  the 2026 ERA Fellowships call when submitting your proposal. Around 40 ERA Fellowships should be awarded to excellent applicants who were not selected under the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call due to budget constraints.  

Access the list of eligible host countries under ERA Fellowships.

While an individual researcher can only submit one proposal per call, supervisors and host institutions may be involved in more than one proposal. To draft a successful application, you will need to work together with your prospective supervisor. It is therefore important to ensure that they can dedicate sufficient time to support your application and, if successful, your project. Supervisors who are involved in a large number of proposals per call do not necessarily achieve high success rates. 

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Step 4: Start drafting your application

Here are some useful resources for drafting your application and understand how it will be assessed

• Award Criteria and budget structure (MSCA Work Programme, p.77 and 83)    
• Application form (coming soon on the Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call page)
• Evaluation forms
• The Horizon Europe Programme Guide offers more guidance on specific aspects evaluated under the award criteria such as
  • Gender dimension and inclusiveness (p. 16-20)
  • Dissemination and exploitation of research (p. 31-39)
  • Open science (p. 40-55)
• Sustainability: in line with the green objectives of the European Union, projects are strongly encouraged to adopt sustainable practices in line with the MSCA Green Charter and report on their efforts in that direction. Read useful tips and guidance to increase the sustainability of projects.

You can also attend dedicated webinars, matchmaking events, bootcamps and hands-on workshops to help you prepare your application. MSCA National Contact Points and Euraxess organise webinars regularly. Contact them to find out the next sessions planned. 

Your future host organisation may also have dedicated training.

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Step 5: Check your application with others

Your supervisor and your host organisation are your first contact points, but if you want to receive feedback on your draft and get advice from former applicants and other contacts you can also reach out to

• the MSCA National Contact Point in your future host country
• the Marie Curie Alumni Association has an active network of former awardees ready to help you in the drafting of your proposal. The association also organises regular training for future applicants
• some host organisations may also have resources to verify your application

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Step 6: Submit your application

The Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call for applications opened on 9 April 2026 and will close on 9 September 2026, 17.00, CEST. 

During this period, you can prepare and submit your application and learn more about the submission process on the call page on the Funding and Tenders Opportunities Portal and through the portal’s online manual.

To avoid last-minute problems, submit your proposal as early as possible before the deadline expires . You can update, download, or withdraw your proposal up until the deadline.

The European Research Executive Agency’s website provides an overview of the evaluation process on.

The evaluation process takes approximately 5 months and the results should therefore be announced in the course of February 2027.