MSCA 2026 call to co-fund doctoral and postdoctoral programmes receives 141 proposals
COFUND gives organisations a unique opportunity to attract research and innovation talent through their own doctoral and postdoctoral fellowship programmes.
The sixth call under Horizon Europe of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions-funded COFUND scheme closed on 8 April 2026. Through the 2026 call, the European Union will fund around 30 projects with an indicative budget of €105.5 million.
The European Research Executive Agency (REA) received 141 proposals.
In comparison, 136 proposals were submitted in 2025 and 31 were eventually placed on the main list, comprising 14 doctoral training programmes and 17 postdoctoral fellowship programmes.
This year’s submitted proposals are distributed as follows
Under this round, organisations based in 24 countries submitted proposals.
Proposals by the country of the coordinating organisation
Selected projects can include several partners from the EU and worldwide, which will recruit, employ and train researchers.
Funding for excellent doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes
Under this call, the European Commission will fund doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes.
- COFUND Doctoral Programmes offer doctoral candidates research training activities to develop and broaden their skills and competences, allowing them to obtain a doctoral degree.
- COFUND Postdoctoral Programmes fund individual advanced research training and career development fellowships for postdoctoral researchers.
COFUND allows organisations to attract international talent, increase their research and innovation capacity and contribute to their local, regional and/or national socio-economic ecosystem by training talented researchers.
The EU co-funds a significant part of the programme cost, which organisations need to top up with their own resources.
These schemes spread MSCA best practice by promoting high standards for selection and recruitment as well as excellent working and employment conditions.
They promote sustainable research training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility to
- engage researchers and innovators in academia and beyond
- provide them with new knowledge, skills, career development perspectives and increase their employability
- allow them to enlarge their networks and carry out cutting-edge, collaborative research
- boost their creativity and entrepreneurship
Seal of Excellence
The European Commission will also award Seal of Excellence certificates to applicants who applied to the MSCA COFUND call in 2026 but whose proposals cannot be funded due to budgetary constraints.
This label recognises the value of these high-quality proposals and helps organisations secure funding from other sources.
Indicative timeline
-
April 2026 to September 2026
evaluation coordinated by REA and undertaken by external independent expert evaluators
-
end of September 2026
notification of call results to applicants
- applicants will be able to access the results of the evaluation on their personal space of the Funding and Tenders Opportunities Portal
- an overview of the evaluation results, cut-off scores and statistics will be published on the page of the COFUND 2026 call
-
December 2026
expected signature of the grant agreement for successful projects with the European Commission
-
early 2027
first EU-funded projects start
Did you know about the 30th anniversary of MSCA?
This year marks a key milestone: the 30th anniversary of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
For 3 decades the programme has played a crucial role in advancing research and innovation, supporting over 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel Prize winners. The programme has been a cornerstone of European research and a beacon of excellence, fostering mobility across disciplines, sectors, and countries and attracting and nurturing top talent.
2026 is a moment to reflect on what has been achieved, and to look ahead to what comes next.
Explore the activities marking 30 years of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
A dedicated page structured around the symbolic theme of Radium (in reference to Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s discovery), showcasing stories, milestones and highlights from 30 years of MSCA.
Learn more about the programme, its objectives and its impact on research careers.
Granddaughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, sharing insights on her legacy and its relevance today.
A selection of events organised by MSCA networks to mark the anniversary.
Ready-to-use visuals, key messages and materials to help partners and stakeholders share and promote the celebrations.
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