MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Who can apply

Hold a PhD by the application deadline, or have successfully defended a thesis without yet formally receiving the degree
No more than 8 years of research experience since the PhD was awarded, excluding career breaks and non-research work
Must not have resided or worked in the country of the host organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline
European Postdoctoral Fellowships: open to researchers of any nationality moving within Europe or coming to Europe
Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: open only to nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country
Application is developed jointly with a chosen host organisation (university, research institute, business, or other organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country), which submits the proposal on the researcher's behalf
For fellowships in fields covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme specifically, both the researcher and the host organisation must be based in, or nationals/long-term residents of, an EU Member State or Euratom Associated Country, a narrower rule than the general Global Fellowship route

Two structurally different routes, not one fellowship

This isn’t one fellowship but two structurally different routes, and which one you’re eligible for depends entirely on your nationality and where you want to go.

European vs Global Fellowships: opposite directions, opposite eligibility

European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality and place you in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country for one to two years. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships work the opposite way: they’re restricted to nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or Associated Country, and the structure sends you outside Europe first, one to two years in a non-associated country, before a mandatory one-year return phase back in Europe. If you don’t hold that nationality or residency status, the Global route isn’t available to you regardless of how strong your proposal is. A narrower version of this rule applies to Euratom-covered research fields specifically, where both the researcher and the host organisation must sit within the EU/Euratom Associated Country group.

Finding a host organisation is the real first step

You don’t apply alone. Every application is developed jointly with a host organisation, university, research institute, or business, based in an EU Member State or Associated Country, and that organisation is the one that actually submits the proposal and would employ you if funded. Finding that host before you can apply at all is the real first step, more than the deadline itself: your own network and hosting-offer listings on Euraxess are where the EU’s own guidance points applicants to look.

A non-academic placement option, and Seals of Excellence for near-misses

Two details worth knowing beyond the core structure. Researchers can get additional support for a placement of up to six months in a non-academic organisation, taken at the end of the fellowship, specifically to build bridges between academic and non-academic careers. And applications that score 85% or higher but still miss out purely because the call’s budget ran out are awarded a “Seal of Excellence,” a formal recognition that can sometimes be used to seek funding from other sources.

The 8-year cap, and why no euro figure is published

The 8-year research-experience cap is worth checking early. It’s measured from the date your PhD was awarded, excludes career breaks and non-research work, and (for EU/Associated-country nationals returning from research abroad) doesn’t count years spent doing research in a non-associated country either. Neither programme page publishes a specific euro figure for the living or mobility allowance; both funding types are set per Horizon Europe’s own unit cost rates and vary by call and personal circumstances, so don’t plan a budget around a number you’ve seen quoted elsewhere without checking the current call’s own financial annex. If you’re specifically drawn to Germany rather than open to any EU or associated country, the Humboldt Research Fellowship is a comparable postdoctoral option worth checking alongside this one.