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Europe (multi-country)

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (EU)

The EU's flagship postdoc grant: you and a host institution co-write a project, and if it scores, the fellowship pays a genuine salary plus a research budget. The evaluation rubric is public, which makes it one of the most learnable big grants in science.

No application feeHost professor requiredMobility rule applies

Fact sheet

Funding
≈ €5,000+/month gross (country-adjusted) + family allowance
Typical deadline window
One annual call: opens ~May, closes ~Sep
Application fee
None
Language test
None
Where you study
EU + associated countries (and global outgoing track)

What it covers

  • ✓Salary-level living allowance (country-corrected) for 12–24 months
  • ✓Mobility and family allowances on top
  • ✓Research, training and networking budget for the project
  • ✓A 'Global' variant funds 2 years outside Europe + 1 return year

Can you apply?

  • ▸PhD in hand by the call deadline, and ≤ 8 years of post-PhD research experience
  • ▸Mobility rule: not more than 12 of the last 36 months in the host country
  • ▸Any nationality (incoming track); the host must be in the EU or an associated country

Insider tips

  1. 01Approach potential hosts 4–6 months before the September deadline — the proposal is co-authored, not reviewed by them at the end.
  2. 02Score yourself against the published criteria (excellence / impact / implementation) before submitting; evaluators literally fill that grid.
  3. 03Proposals above ~85% that miss funding often receive a 'Seal of Excellence' — several national funders pick those up automatically. A near-miss is an asset.
Official page ↗Track this applicationDocument checklist

Useful services for this route

How we fund this site

Magoosh IELTS Prep ↗

Self-paced IELTS prep — far cheaper than coaching centres.

Wise ↗

Pay application/deposit fees abroad at the real exchange rate.

StudentUniverse ↗

Student-only fares for your first one-way flight.

Independent services we'd recommend anyway — using them never costs you extra.

Stipend amounts and deadlines shown are recent figures and change between intakes — always confirm on the official page above before planning.