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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of the 'MSCA Choose Europe for Science 2025' grant is to co-finance new or existing doctoral and postdoctoral programmes. This aims to enhance talent and knowledge circulation, improve career prospects for researchers, and make Europe a more attractive destination for scientific talent.
The target recipients are entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries that manage researcher training programmes.
This grant is SECTOR-AGNOSTIC regarding the specific research disciplines, as proposed programmes can cover any field of research.
The geographic scope includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening include being an established organization capable of running and sustaining a significant doctoral or postdoctoral programme, committed to high standards of researcher employment and career development.
This is part of the recurring Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND programme under Horizon Europe, focusing on co-funding regional, national, or international researcher programmes.

Financial Structure

Total budget allocated for this specific call topic in 2025 is EUR 22,500,000.
This is a co-financing grant. EU funding in the first phase (24-36 months) is equivalent to the minimum gross salary for each recruited researcher.
Applicants are expected to continue employing researchers in a second phase (24 months) with salaries attractive at a national level, funded through their own internal or external resources.
Specific minimum or maximum grant amounts per individual programme are not detailed in the provided information.
Eligible costs primarily include the gross salary of recruited researchers during the initial EU co-funded phase.
Financial and operational capacity requirements for applicants are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Organizations managing new or existing doctoral programmes or postdoctoral fellowship schemes.
Must be capable of ensuring continued employment and attractive salaries for researchers in a second phase (24 months) after EU co-funding for the initial 24-36 months.

Program Requirements

Co-funded programmes must adhere to MSCA's best practices for international recruitment.
Must follow the minimum standard of employment for recruited fellows as described in the 'European Charter for Researchers'.
The selection procedure for candidates (fellows) must be open, competitive, merit-based, and conducted with transparent international peer-review.
Selection criteria for fellows should be primarily based on 'excellence'.
Additional selection criteria for fellows must clearly align with local human resources needs identified in relevant institutional, regional, or national strategies.
Vacancy notices for fellows must be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website.
Vacancy notices must list the gross salaries applicable to both programme phases.
Proposed programmes can encompass any research disciplines.

General Conditions

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and in Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Application Submission System Opening Date: 2025-10-01
Application Deadline: 2025-12-03 00:00:00+0000
Submission procedure: Single-stage process.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: Described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (applicants should consult this external document for specific dates).

Required Documentation and Materials

Proposal page limits and layout: As detailed in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and Part B of the Application Form (which will be available in the Submission System).
Application form templates: A call-specific application form will be made available in the Submission System.
Guidance documents: Applicants should consult the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), future call-specific HE Unit MGA, and the forthcoming HE MSCA Choose Europe 2025 Guide for Applicants.
Additional supporting documents: This includes various EU regulatory and programme documents such as the HE Main Work Programme 2023-2025, EU Financial Regulation, and guidelines on legal entity validation.

Application Procedure

Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System.
The selection procedure for the individual researchers recruited under the programme must be open, competitive, merit-based, and include transparent international peer-review.

Post-Award Requirements

A 'Career Development Plan' must be maintained for each recruited researcher throughout their participation in the Choose Europe for Science programme.
This plan must outline research objectives, the researcher's career development needs (e.g., training in languages, transferable skills, teaching, publications, conference participation), and projected career progression paths within the host institution.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation and Award Criteria

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Applicants must consult this document for detailed scoring.

Specific Project Quality and Impact

Enhancement of talent and knowledge circulation: Demonstrated through international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility facilitated by the programme.
Alignment with MSCA policies: Compliance with principles outlined in the 'European Charter for Researchers' and the 'Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment' (encouraged).
Improved attractiveness of researchers' careers: Focus on better working and employment conditions, concrete career prospects, and increased career stability for supported researchers.
Strengthening Europe's human capital base in R&I: Through effective training of highly-skilled researchers.
Increase Europe's attractiveness: Contribution to Europe's standing as a leading R&I destination.
Enhanced quality of R&I: Contribution to Europe's sustainable competitiveness.
Sustainable collaboration: Establishment of lasting partnerships between academic and non-academic organizations.
Fostering a culture of open science, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Researcher skill development: Capacity to provide a deep and diverse set of research-related, academic, and transferable skills and competences, leading to greater autonomy for researchers.
Organizational alignment: Better alignment of research and Human Resources practices (recruitment, career progression) within the participating organization(s) with EU frameworks.
Increased global attractiveness, visibility, and reputation of the applicant organization(s).
Stronger R&I and teaching capacity and output within the applicant organization(s).
Contribution to socio-economic ecosystems: Increased impact on local, regional, and/or national socio-economic development.
Synergies: Stronger synergies across institutional research, management, and teaching structures.
Excellence: Demonstrable excellence as a primary factor in the selection of researchers.
Career development framework: Robust plans for researchers' career progression, including transversal skills, job-specific skills, language courses, and pathways to long-term career prospects like open-ended contracts.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Applicants must adhere to all general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annexes A, B, C, D, E, F, G), which cover admissibility, eligible countries, financial capacity, evaluation, and legal/financial setup.
Strict compliance with the principles of the 'European Charter for Researchers' is mandatory, particularly concerning international recruitment and minimum employment standards for fellows.
Alignment with the principles of the 'Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment' is strongly encouraged.
Programmes must feature a fair, equal, inclusive, transparent, and structured system for career accession and progression, in line with the Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation, and entrepreneurial talents in Europe.

Risk Management and Strategic Focus

The grant specifically aims to address challenges like 'brain drain' and the 'precarity of researchers' careers' within Europe. Proposals should demonstrate how they will contribute to mitigating these issues.
A key expectation is to offer 'excellent working conditions' to researchers, including competitive salaries, adequate professional resources, and comprehensive career development opportunities.
Emphasis is placed on providing concrete and attractive long-term career prospects for researchers, including clear pathways towards open-ended contracts.

Data and Information Availability

It is crucial for applicants to note that many detailed requirements, such as specific evaluation criteria, the full list of eligible countries, detailed financial rules, and the exact evaluation timeline, are referenced in external annexes and will be provided in future guides/templates. Therefore, applicants must actively consult these documents once they become available to ensure full compliance.

Grant Details