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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

SECTOR-AGNOSTIC
Core objective: To enhance the creative and innovative potential of PhD-holding researchers by supporting advanced training, international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility, and enabling them to undertake excellent research projects.
Target recipient type: Academic and non-academic organizations (beneficiaries) that host PhD-holding researchers.
Target recipient size: Not specified; organizations of any size are eligible.
Geographic scope: Host organizations must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. The research itself can involve international mobility, including phases in non-associated Third Countries for Global Fellowships.
Key filtering criteria: Applicant must be a PhD holder, interested in mobility and advanced research, with a proposed project to be hosted by an eligible organization in Europe.
Grant frequency: Recurring (this is the 2025 call, indicating an annual opportunity).
Program context: Part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under the broader Horizon Europe framework program.

Financial Structure

Total budget for the call: EUR 404,292,808 for 2025, with EUR 343,648,887 allocated for European Fellowships and EUR 60,643,921 for Global Fellowships.
Currency: EUR.
Funding type: Fellowships are provided through a unit cost model, aiming to cover living, mobility, and family allowances for the researcher, as well as research, training, and networking costs, and management and indirect costs for the host organization.
Budget range per project: Specific minimum or maximum grant amounts per individual fellowship are not explicitly stated in the provided text, but are determined by the unit costs and fellowship duration.
Co-financing requirements: Not explicitly mentioned, but MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships typically cover 100% of the defined unit costs.
Eligible costs: Cover costs related to the researcher's salary/allowances, research/training/networking activities, and institutional costs.
Ineligible costs: Not specified, but standard EU grant rules apply, excluding non-eligible expenditures.
Payment schedule and mechanisms: Details described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
Financial reporting requirements: Described in Annex G, including audit requirements.
Indirect cost policies: Included within the unit cost model; specific policies are detailed in Annex G.
Financial guarantees: Not explicitly required beyond standard EU financial capacity assessments for beneficiaries.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Requirements

Host organization type: Must be a legal entity from the academic sector (e.g., universities, research organizations) or the non-academic sector (e.g., companies, NGOs, public bodies, research infrastructures).
Host organization location: Must be established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe. For Euratom-related research, the organization must be active in nuclear research and established in an EU Member State or a country associated with the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025.
Track record and experience: Expected to provide high-quality research training and supervision.

Researcher Requirements

Education: Must hold a PhD degree.
Nationality/Residency:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to researchers of any nationality.
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: Open to European nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Mobility Rule: Strict rules apply based on the fellowship type:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships: Researchers must either be coming to Europe (EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country) from any country worldwide or moving within Europe.
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: Requires an outgoing phase (minimum 12, maximum 24 months) in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organization in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.
Career Status: The scheme encourages researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, those displaced by conflict, and those seeking to restart their careers in research.

Project Requirements

Research Focus: Proposals must be for an original and personalized research project, which can be across all sectors of research.
Alignment: Projects in the research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025 have specific eligibility considerations.

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and operational capacity: Organizations must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Application Timeline

Call opening: The provisional call opening was 08 May 2025.
Submission deadline: 2025-09-10 00:00:00+0000.
Submission procedure: Single-stage application process.
Evaluation timeline: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes (not detailed in provided text).

Application Procedure

Joint Application: Proposals are submitted jointly by the researcher and a host organization (beneficiary) in the academic or non-academic sector.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Standard application form: A call-specific application form is available in the Submission System.
Part B of the Application Form: Contains proposal page limits and layout details.
HE-MSCA-PF Guide for Applicants: A specific guide with instructions for applicants.
Career Development Plan: A plan jointly established by the supervisor(s) and the researcher, comprising research objectives, training needs, transferable skills training, teaching, publication planning, and participation in science communication events. This plan is a required project deliverable at the beginning of the action and can be updated.

Types of Support Offered

Funding: Direct financial support in the form of fellowships.
Training: Advanced training, including transferable skills, innovation, entrepreneurship (e.g., commercialization of results, IPR), communication, public engagement, citizen science, research integrity, and Open Science practices.
Mobility: Support for international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility.

Project Implementation Timeline and Reporting Obligations

Grant duration: European Postdoctoral Fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships require a minimum 12 to maximum 24 months outgoing phase and a mandatory 12-month return phase.
Secondments: Optional secondment phases are permitted within the overall fellowship duration, in any country worldwide. For European Fellowships, secondments cannot exceed one-third of the requested duration. For Global Fellowships, optional secondments are permitted for up to one-third of the outgoing phase, with a maximum of three months at the beneficiary's premises at the start.
Non-academic placements: An additional period of up to six months can be included at the end of the project for a placement in a non-academic sector organization in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
Progress tracking: The Career Development Plan must be submitted as a project deliverable and updated as needed.

Post-Award Requirements and Compliance

Monitoring and evaluation: Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organizations is encouraged.
Compliance: Adherence to the legal and financial set-up of grants as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation Criteria

The award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. While specific scoring factors are not detailed in the provided text, the expected impacts and scope give insight into what will be valued: Expected Impacts

Researcher Development: Proposals should demonstrate how they will enhance the researcher's creative and innovative potential, diversify their individual competences and skills through advanced training, and foster international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral mobility.
Employability and Career Prospects: Expected to lead to improved employability and career prospects for MSCA postdoctoral fellows within academia and beyond.
Mind-sets and Approaches: Proposals should foster new mind-sets and approaches to Research & Innovation (R&I) work.
Networking and Communication: Enhance networking and communication capacities with scientific peers and the general public.
Organizational Alignment and Quality: Contribute to the host organization's alignment with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, enhance the quality and sustainability of research training and supervision, and increase the organization's global attractiveness, visibility, and reputation.
R&I Capacity and Knowledge Transfer: Strengthen the R&I capacity and output of participating organizations and facilitate better knowledge transfer.
Europe's Attractiveness: Contribute to Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I and good working conditions for researchers.
Brain Circulation: Facilitate knowledge transfer and brain circulation across the European Research Area (ERA).

Cross-Cutting Themes and Quality Thresholds

Open Science Practices: Proposals must promote Open Science practices, including open access to publications and data, FAIR data management, societal engagement, and citizen science.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, including training in commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), communication, and public engagement.
Research Integrity: Uphold good scientific conduct and research integrity.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Admissibility Conditions: Proposals must meet the general admissibility conditions described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and Financial Set-up: Compliance with the legal and financial rules for grants as outlined in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
EU Financial Regulation: Adherence to the general EU Financial Regulation.
Entity Validation: Compliance with Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment.
Grant Agreement: Conformity with the Annotated Model Grant Agreement (MGAHE Unit MGA v1.0).

Ethical Standards

Good Scientific Conduct: Projects are expected to foster good scientific conduct, including research integrity.
Open Science Practices: Adherence to Open Science practices, such as open access to publications and research outputs (including data), FAIR data management, societal engagement, and citizen science.
Researcher Rights: Alignment with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers regarding working conditions.

Intellectual Property

IPR Training: Training activities should include Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Specific IP policies for results generated under the grant are detailed in the MGA.

Risk Management

While not explicitly detailed, general EU grant regulations and due diligence on financial and operational capacity (Annex C) inherently include risk management aspects.

Unique Aspects

Dual Fellowship Types: Offers two distinct fellowship types: European Postdoctoral Fellowships (mobility to or within Europe) and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (outgoing phase to non-associated Third Countries with mandatory return to Europe).
Non-Academic Sector Emphasis: Strong encouragement for researchers to work on R&I projects in the non-academic sector, including the possibility of a non-academic placement at the end of the fellowship.
Inclusivity: Open to researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, those displaced by conflict, and those seeking to restart their careers.
Euratom Support: Specific support and eligibility for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in nuclear research areas, with an indicative annual financial contribution from the Euratom Research and Training Programme.
ERA Fellowships: Provides specific support for fellowships undertaken in widening countries to spread excellence and foster balanced brain circulation.
Inter-sectoral/Interdisciplinary Focus: Promotes diverse research experiences across sectors and disciplines.
Societal Engagement: Encourages engagement with society at large to make research visible and involve citizens, civil society, and end-users in co-creation of research content.

Grant Details