Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Actions announce €1.25 billion to support cutting‑edge research and new pilot initiative ‘Choose Europe for Science’

The European Commission has announced new calls under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in 2025. This year, the MSCA will provide organisations and researchers with over €1.25 billion to fund cutting-edge research through excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, collaborative research and innovation projects and research fellowships. 

These projects will support, provide jobs and train around 10,000 talented researchers from all over the world, at all stages of their career and in all disciplines. Supported researchers will be able to carry out their research whilst acquiring new skills and developing their careers in and outside academia, in the EU and beyond.

Through its funding programmes, the MSCA are setting high standards for researchers’ careers and continue to achieve a long-lasting impact on European research and innovation systems and organisations, boosting cooperation beyond academia and increasing their global attractiveness and visibility.

The calls are included in the revised 2023-2025 Horizon Europe Work Programme which was adopted this week.

New ‘Choose Europe for Science’ pilot initiative

The MSCA Choose Europe for Science pilot scheme  aims to increase the attractiveness of European research careers by addressing precarity  and offering excellent working conditions, turning the current challenge of brain drain in the R&I sector into brain gain. 

Choose Europe for Science will support projects in which academic and non-academic organisations recruit postdoctoral researchers with a vision to employment beyond the project period. The main novelty of the initiative is that organisations will also be selected based on their offers of longer-term professional perspectives.  

The Choose Europe for Science  call will open on 1 October 2025 and close on 3 December 2025. Potential applicants can look out for relevant info sessions in the lead up to the call. 

2025 calls timeline

This year funding round has already kicked off and will continue with the opening of various calls in the next weeks.

COFUND

COFUND helps organisations create or enhance their own doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes, through co-funding, with the goal of attracting and recruiting talented researchers, developing their skills and advancing their careers. Institutions benefiting from this action need to top up the MSCA contribution with their own funding sources.  

The Commission co-funds a significant share of these programme’s costs, which recipient institutions need to top up with their own funding sources. This scheme spreads the MSCA’s best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions.

The 2025 COFUND call has a budget of €101.8 million.  

The call opened on 23 January 2025 and will close on 24 June 2025.

Interested in applying? Get ready with our COFUND 6 steps to apply guide.  

Staff Exchanges

Staff Exchanges fund R&I collaborative projects, foster international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary exchanges and knowledge sharing at all stages of the innovation chain. The scheme helps participating organisations turn ideas into innovative products, services or processes. 

The 2025 Staff Exchanges call has a budget of €97.7 million.  

The call opened on 27 March 2025 and will close on 8 October 2025.

Interested in applying? Then get ready with our Staff Exchanges 6 steps to apply guide.

Need more guidance? Make sure to attend the upcoming Staff Exchanges information session on 5 June 2025, in-person or online.  

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellowships help experienced researchers acquire new skills, develop their careers and gain international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral experience by working abroad.  

These prestigious fellowships are a stepping stone in researchers' careers, allowing them to carry out cutting-edge research and to cooperate with leading scientific teams and figures.  

The 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowships call has a budget of €404.3 million.  

The call opened on 8 May 2025 and will close on 10 September 2025.

Interested in applying? Get ready with our Postdoctoral Fellowships 6 steps to apply guide.

MSCA4Ukraine

The MSCA will also dedicate an additional €10 million to support displaced researchers from Ukraine through MSCA4Ukraine. Since its creation, the MSCA4Ukraine fellowship scheme has supported 174 displaced researchers from Ukraine with a budget of 35 million euros.

The extra budget will enable doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers from Ukraine, to continue their work safely in academia, businesses, research centres and public institutions based in the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe.

The next MSCA4Ukraine call will open on 20 May 2025 and close on 16 September 2025.  

Doctoral Networks

Doctoral Networks recruit and train doctoral candidates in academia and other sectors, including industry, businesses, and public administrations. The scheme also includes specialised Joint Doctorates Networks and Industrial Doctorates Networks.

The 2025 Doctoral Networks call will have a budget of €597.8 million.  

The call will open on 28 May 2025 and close on 25 November 2025.

Interested in applying? Get ready ahead with our Doctoral Networks 6 steps to apply guide.  

Need more guidance? Make sure to attend the upcoming online Doctoral Networks Information Day on 24 June 2025.

MSCA & Citizens

MSCA & Citizens brings science closer to the public with the European Researchers’ Night and Researchers at Schools activities. Together, they connect researchers with schools and the public, who gets to peak behind university doors or inside leading laboratories. The initiative increases awareness of the importance of research and innovation and showcase the many benefits it brings to our daily lives.  

The 2025 MSCA & Citizens call will have a budget of €16.2 million.  

The call will open on 17 June 2025 and close on 22 October 2025.

Interested in applying? The guide for applicants will be out shortly! In the meantime, why not take a look at ongoing projects across Europe to get an idea already.