Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship

Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships foster the creative and innovative capacities of PhD holders aiming to expand their expertise through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral mobility. These fellowships are available to outstanding researchers of any nationality. The program also promotes engagement in research and innovation within non-academic sectors, and welcomes applications from researchers seeking to reintegrate into Europe, those displaced by conflict, and individuals with significant potential looking to resume their research careers. Fellowships will support exceptional researchers pursuing international mobility within EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and non-associated Third Countries. Applications will be jointly submitted by the researcher and a host organization from either academic or non-academic sectors.

What does the funding cover?

The beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to recruit the researcher for the total period of the fellowship.

The EU provides support for the recruited researcher in the form of:

a living allowance;
a mobility allowance; and
if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances.

In addition, funding is provided for

research, training and networking activities; and
management and indirect costs

Types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships: They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

For Postdoctoral Fellowships in research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme, researchers need to be nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or a Euratom Associated Country. The beneficiary organisation recruiting the researcher also needs to be established in an EU Member State or Euratom Associated Country.

Award Amount and Duration

Living allowance, a mobility allowance if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities management and indirect costs for 1-3 years.

Eligibility

Interested researchers submit an application together with a host organisation, which can be a university, research institution, business, SME or other organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. All disciplines are eligible for Postdoctoral Fellowships, including research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme.

Researchers interested in PFs:

should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply;
must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe; and
should comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

As from 2022, resubmission restrictions will apply for applications that received a score below 70% the previous year.

Seals of Excellence will be awarded to applications with a total score equal to or higher than 85%, but which cannot be funded due to lack of budget available under the call.

Application Deadlines

Note: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Date	Deadline
August 16, 2024	Western Research detailed review deadline
September 6, 2024 (2 p.m. EDT)	Western Research final internal review deadline & submission of ROLA proposal
September 11, 2024 (12 a.m. EDT)	Progam application deadline

Approvals

Principal Investigators: Complete a ROLA proposal by the stated internal deadline; send a copy of your complete application to Western Research and your Faculty Research Office, and submit this for approvals in ROLA.

Approvals: Western Research requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission via your ROLA proposal:

Principal Investigator;
Department Head;
Faculty ADR/Dean; and
Institutional Research Programs, on behalf of the Vice-President (Research).

Read Western's Meaning of Signatures/Approvals policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Additional Information & Relevant Documents

You will need to:

Develop an application jointly with your chosen host organisation; and
Submit your application to an open funding call published on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal.

To find a host organisation:

Your network will be an invaluable source.
You can also check the list of hosting offers (expressions of interest) published on Euraxess and other job portals from research institutions interested in supporting your application.

Offers are often in very concrete fields of research proposed by the host organisation. In many cases, you will be in contact with a supervisor to develop your application. You will need to check carefully the requirements to make sure you are eligible to apply.