MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program)

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Programme offers five different types of grants aiming to strengthen Europe’s research activities and innovation capacity by investing in researchers’ long-term careers. The programme, part of Horizon Europe, aims to set up different types of training networks (MSCA-DN) or training programmes (MSCA-COFUND), while other grants fund fellowships (MSCA-PF) and events (MSCA-NIGHT) to increase the popularity of science in society.

What is the goal of the MSCA Work Programme

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programme aims to enhance the skills of researchers or scientific staff at different stages of their career and support their career development in science. It also promotes international mobility and cooperation, because researchers often need to travel towards another country to gain skills or exchange knowledge. In addition, the programme equips researchers with inter-sectoral exposure, through which it also supports collaborative research projects.

The goal of the programme is to achieve a lasting impact on higher education institutions, research centres and non-academic organisations. The MSCA Work Programme has a total budget of €1.25 billion in 2025 and consists of five grant schemes:

• MSCA Doctoral Networks
• MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
• MSCA Staff Exchanges
• MSCA COFUND
• MSCA and Citizens

On this page we share an overview of the 2024-2025 MSCA Work Programme, the grants it consists of and its individual call deadlines.

MSCA Doctoral Networks (DN)

The MSCA-DN grant aims to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers. Through this training the scheme supports the response to current and future challenges, helping researchers convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for social and economic benefit.

Subsidy: Varies depending on location and project duration

Call deadline: 25th November 2025 (28 May 2025: Launch of the call for proposals)

Scope: The MSCA-DN scheme aims to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers. Through this training the scheme supports the response to current and future challenges, helping researchers convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for social and economic benefit.

More about this grant

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF)

Through MSCA-PF individual, trans-national fellowships are awarded to the best or most promising researchers of any nationality, who will be employed in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The postdoctoral training programmes take the form of European Fellowships or Global Fellowships. European Fellowships are held in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries and are open to researchers either coming to Europe from any country worldwide or moving within Europe.

Subsidy: Varies depending on location and project duration

Deadlines: 10 September 2025 (9 April 2025: Launch of the call for proposals)

More about this grant or visit the website

MSCA Staff Exchange (SE)

The MSCA-SE scheme promotes international and cross-sector collaboration through exchanging research and innovation staff, and sharing knowledge and ideas from research to market (and vice-versa). As a result, the scheme fosters a shared culture of research and innovation that welcomes and rewards creativity and entrepreneurship. This helps to turn creative ideas into innovative products, services or processes.

Deadlines: 8 October 2025 (Launch of the call for proposals: 27 March 2025)

Scope: The MSCA-SE scheme promotes international and cross-sector collaboration through exchanging research and innovation staff, and sharing knowledge and ideas from research to market (and vice-versa). As a result, the scheme fosters a shared culture of research and innovation that welcomes and rewards creativity and entrepreneurship. This helps to turn creative ideas into innovative products, services or processes.

More about this grant or visit the website

Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND)

The MSCA-COFUND scheme aims to co-fund new or existing regional, national, and international programmes, which provide international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary training. Alongside, MSCA-COFUND also facilitates transnational mobility for researchers at all career stages. In addition, MSCA-COFUND supports doctoral programmes for PhD candidates, as well as fellowship programmes for experienced researchers.

Subsidy: max €10,000,000

Deadlines: 24 June 2025

More about this grant or visit the website

MSCA and Citizens: European Researchers’ Night and Researchers at Schools 2026-2027

European Researchers’ Nights are public events dedicated to bringing researchers closer to the public, which showcase the diversity of research and highlight its impact on our daily lives. Through these events the MSCA-NIGHT scheme also aims to motivate young people to embark on research careers. The events provide an important platform to promote how researchers contribute to our society by displaying their work in an interactive and engaging forum.

Subsidy: €100,000-300,000 per project

Deadlines: 22 October 2025

More about this grant or visit the website

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