MSCA co-funds 29 doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes
The European Commission will provide €105.5 million in co-funding for 15 doctoral training and 14 postdoctoral fellowship programmes.
The European Commission has announced the results of the 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) call for Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND). The call is part of the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe.
It will provide €105.5 million to fund 29 projects – 15 doctoral training programmes and 14 post-doctoral fellowship programmes of outstanding quality, subject to successful conclusion of the grant agreement preparation process.
How COFUND works
Through COFUND, organisations can create or enhance their own doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes, with the goal of recruiting researchers and attracting international talent, with MSCA co-funding a significant share of their costs. Institutions benefiting from such funding need to top it up with their own funding sources.
This scheme spreads the MSCA's best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions. It allows organisations to increase their attractiveness and research and innovation capacities.
International cooperation
The European Research Executive Agency (REA) received 141 applications for this call, of which 136 were eligible and evaluated. With 29 selected projects, the success rate for this call is 21%.
These collaborative programmes often involve international partners. They cover over 400 organisations in 38 countries, including 65 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Coordinating organisations
Partners
Many of the selected projects have implementing partners who contribute to the recruitment of researchers. Information on implementing partners cannot be extracted at this stage.
The projects also include associated partners who support the projects in other ways. A first look into the associated partners included in successful project proposals shows a wide involvement of EU member states, countries associated to Horizon Europe, as well as other (“third”) countries.
Frontier research in all fields
Selected projects span various scientific disciplines and will train skilled and innovative researchers in areas such as
- life-sciences
- quantum-physics
- sustainable energy
- environmental matters
- space research
10 out of the 29 proposals on the main list are bottom-up programmes (open topics without limitation to specific disciplines). This allows researchers full freedom to propose their own topics in any field.
An overview of the evaluation results, cut-off scores and statistics has been published on the MSCA COFUND 2026 call page together with a link to the list of applications proposed for funding.
Once the grant agreements are finalised, the complete list of funded projects will be published on the afore-mentioned page and on CORDIS.
High-quality programmes
Selected programmes will promote international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral collaboration to
foster high-quality training of hundreds of researchers and innovators at doctoral and postdoctoral level in academia and beyond
allow them to enlarge their networks and share knowledge to carry out cutting-edge research
provide them with new knowledge, skills and career development perspectives
boost their creativity and entrepreneurship
They will carefully consider important aspects such as
- open science
- community engagement
- research valorisation
- gender in research and innovation content
- ethics
- high-quality supervision
These programmes will allow organisations to
attract international talent to EU Member States and regions
- increase their visibility and attractiveness
- boost research and innovation capacities
Applicants should be able to access the results of the evaluation on their personal space of the Funding and Tenders Opportunities Portal. All information is conditional on the successful preparation of the grants for the initially shortlisted proposals and the continuity of their partnerships.
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).
Since its inception in 1996, 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 related activities
MSCA 30th anniversary webpage – showcasing stories, milestones and highlights from 30 years of MSCA, all structured around the theme of Radium (in reference to Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s discovery).
Get to know MSCA – learn more about the programme, its objectives and its impact on research careers
Video interview with Prof. Dr. Hélène Langevin-Joliot – granddaughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, sharing insights on her legacy and its relevance today
Events across Europe and beyond – a selection of events organised by MSCA networks to mark the anniversary
Communication toolkit – ready-to-use visuals, key messages and materials to help partners and stakeholders share and promote the celebrations
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