Fully Funded Marie Curie Fellowships in Europe 2026 for All Nationalities

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are accepting applications for the 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships, designed for researchers who hold a doctoral degree and wish to strengthen their research and professional skills through advanced training, international mobility, and collaboration across disciplines and sectors.

This fellowship is considered one of Europe’s leading funded research opportunities and international fellowship programmes. It enables researchers to carry out an independent research project in partnership with a university, research centre, company, or non-academic organisation.

Participants also gain the opportunity to work in an international environment and exchange knowledge with researchers from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds. The programme combines scientific research, international mobility, and cross-cultural and professional exchange.

The call includes two main fellowship pathways: European Fellowships, which are open to researchers of all nationalities who wish to move to Europe or between European countries, and Global Fellowships, which are intended for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe.

Applications are accepted from researchers across all scientific fields and academic disciplines.

Types of Fellowships

European Fellowships

European Fellowships allow researchers to carry out their project at a host institution in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe.

• Open to researchers of all nationalities.
• Suitable for researchers from Arab countries.
• Last between 12 and 24 months.
• Applicants may apply from outside or within Europe, provided they meet the mobility requirement.

Global Fellowships

Global Fellowships allow researchers to complete an outgoing research phase outside Europe, followed by a compulsory return phase at a host institution in Europe.

• Available only to nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe.
• Include an outgoing phase lasting 12 to 24 months.
• Followed by a mandatory 12-month return phase in Europe.

The fellowship provides funding to the host institution to cover the researcher’s employment costs and the implementation of the proposed project. Funding generally includes:

• A monthly living allowance for the researcher.
• A mobility allowance.
• A family allowance for eligible researchers.
• Additional support for researchers with disabilities, where required.
• Funding for research, training, and scientific communication activities.
• Coverage of management costs and indirect expenses incurred by the host institution.
• Advanced training and professional development opportunities.
• The opportunity to work with international research teams.
• The possibility of completing short research secondments at other institutions.
• The option to add a placement of up to six months at a non-academic organisation in Europe after completing the fellowship.

• Hold a doctoral degree by the application deadline.
• Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis may also be eligible, even if the degree certificate has not yet been formally issued.
• Have no more than eight years of research experience after obtaining the doctoral degree.
• Note that certain career breaks or periods of employment outside research may be excluded from the eight-year calculation.
• Comply with the programme’s mobility rule.
• Not have resided or carried out their main professional activity in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months during the 36 months preceding the application deadline.
• Submit a joint research project with a supervisor and an eligible host institution.
• Applicants from all scientific fields and academic disciplines are eligible.
• There is no maximum age limit.
• From the 2026 call onward, resubmission restrictions apply to proposals that received a score below 80% in the previous year.

Eligible Host Countries

MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowships must be carried out at a host institution located in an eligible EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe.

European Union Member States

Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Other Countries Associated with Horizon Europe

The United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Türkiye, Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, the Faroe Islands, Israel, Tunisia, and Egypt.

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