MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 receives record number of applications
The 2026 call has attracted considerable interest from the research community with 21,627 applications submitted.
Results of the call
The 2026 call of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships, part of the EU’s research and innovation framework programme Horizon Europe, closed on 9 September 2026.
The European Research Executive Agency received 21,627 proposals.
This is the highest number of applications received for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships to date and the highest number of proposals ever for any funding action in the 40 years of EU research and innovation framework programmes. It represents an increase of 26.7% compared to the previous year’s 17,066 applications under the 2025 call.
The current indicative budget of €434 million for this call is expected to fund about 1,600 projects.
This year’s submitted proposals are distributed as follows:
- European Fellowships: 20,131 proposals
- Global Fellowships: 1,496 proposals
The graph illustrates the division of European Fellowships and Global Fellowships. European Fellowships account for 93.1%, or 20,131, of the total applications, while Global Fellowships account for 6.9%, or 1,496, of the total applications.
How proposals are organised
Proposals are coordinated by organisations in 43 countries in the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe.
The graph illustrates the distribution of Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 proposals by country of coordinator. The top five countries are: United Kingdom 19.41%, Spain 12.17%, Italy 9.73%, France 9.13% and Germany 7.72%
Applicants to Global Fellowships submitted proposals to carry out part of their research projects in organisations based in 58 countries worldwide not associated to Horizon Europe (Pillar 1).
Indicative timeline
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mid-September 2026 to mid-February 2027
Evaluation by the European Research Executive Agency and external independent expert evaluators.
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mid-February 2027
Notification of call results to applicants, including those eligible for ERA fellowships
- 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 call Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026.
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by end February 2027
Award of Seal of Excellence certificates for eligible applicants.
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April-May 2027
Expected signature of the grant agreement with the European Commission for successful projects.
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as of April 2027
First EU-funded projects start. Projects can start at the latest up to two years after the call deadline (i.e. September 2028).
Evaluation of the applications
The applications will now be evaluated by independent experts. The results of the call will be announced in February 2027.
Since the 2025 call, a new format has been introduced for the evaluation summary reports sent to applicants to further streamline the feedback provided. Besides the score for each criterion, the report provides the experts’ assessments for all aspects under evaluation for each sub-criterion. This will continue in 2026, while the format will be further streamlined.
Funding for excellent research
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and who wish to acquire new skills in Europe and elsewhere in the world through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to excellent researchers of any nationality.
The scheme encourages researchers to work on research and innovation projects in the non-academic sector. It is open to researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe as well as to those with high potential who are seeking to restart their careers in research.
Organisations from all socioeconomic sectors in any country can host and train talented researchers through Postdoctoral Fellowships.
ERA Fellowships
Researchers applying for a European fellowship with a host organisation from a “widening country” (i.e. a country with low participation rates in Horizon Europe) can have the chance to also be considered for the ERA Fellowships call.
The ERA Fellowships fund high-scoring proposals submitted under the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call which cannot be funded due to budget constraints.
Seal of Excellence
The European Commission will also award Seal of Excellence certificates to researchers who applied under the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call in 2026 and who obtained a score 85% or higher but whose proposals cannot be funded due to budgetary constraints.
This label recognises the value of these high-quality proposals and helps individual applicants secure alternative funding, whilst host institutions gain international visibility and attractiveness.
Have you heard? MSCA is celebrating its 30th anniversary
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 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 - go to the MSCA 30th anniversary webpage
- Learn more about the programme, its objectives and its impact on research careers - Get to know MSCA
- Granddaughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, sharing insights on her legacy and its relevance today - Video interview with Prof. Dr. Hélène Langevin-Joliot
- A selection of events organised by MSCA networks to mark the anniversary - discover Events across Europe and beyond
- Ready-to-use visuals, key messages and materials to help partners and stakeholders share and promote the celebrations - go to the Communication toolkit
Stay tuned and follow us for more updates
This page was updated after the announcement of the additional funding.
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