The European Commission has announced new calls for proposals under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) as part of the work program MSCA for 2026-2027. MSCA will provide organizations and researchers with more than €1.25 billion to fund doctoral and postdoctoral training and support scientific careers in all disciplines and stages in 2026.
A key element of the new work program is the second MSCA call Choose Europe for Science, whose budget has been increased to €51.25 million. Based on last year's pilot project, this initiative aims to promote more attractive and stable career paths for postdoctoral researchers and contribute to retaining talent in Europe.
The call focuses on projects in which academic and non-academic organizations recruit postdoctoral researchers with the prospect of long-term employment after the end of the project. A new evaluation criterion is the emphasis on the long-term career prospects that organizations are able to offer to researchers.
The MSCA COFUND and Staff Exchanges 2026 calls are already open, with more to come in the spring
The first two calls of the MSCA program – COFUND and Staff Exchanges – were opened before Christmas. Further calls will follow in spring 2026 (Postdoctoral Fellowships, Doctoral Networks). Now is therefore a good time for researchers and institutions to start preparing systematically for the upcoming funding opportunities.
COFUND - open
- Supports organizations that want to create or strengthen doctoral and postdoctoral programs, co-finances the education of researchers and their career development.
- Call details: HERE.
- Deadline for submitting proposals: April 8, 2026
Staff Exchanges - open
- Supports international, cross-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary staff exchanges, enabling knowledge transfer between academia, industry, and other sectors.
- Call details: HERE.
- Deadline for submitting proposals: April 16, 2026
Postdoctoral Fellowships - Spring 2026
- Supports PhD researchers in carrying out their research activities abroad, acquiring new skills and international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral experience for the purpose of developing their careers.
- Call details: HERE.
- Application deadline: April 9, 2026 – September 9, 2026
Doctoral Networks – Spring 2026
- Supports the recruitment and training of doctoral students in academia and other sectors, including industry, business, and public administration. The program also includes specialized networks of joint doctorates and industrial doctorates.
- Call details: HERE.
- Application deadline: May 28, 2026 – November 24, 2026
All details regarding the submission of applications and participation in these calls are available at MSCA website.
Those interested in assistance with submitting a grant application can also contact the staff of the Project Service at Palacký University in Olomouc.