MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027 (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01): European and Global Fellowships Under Horizon Europe

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027 (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01): European and Global Fellowships Under Horizon Europe

Key details at a glance

Current status and what applicants should know

The 2026 Postdoctoral Fellowships call has closed. The next round is the 2027 call, listed by the European Commission as forthcoming. Its dedicated MSCA call page schedules launch for 7 April 2027 and a submission deadline of 8 September 2027; those dates and the associated result and project milestones are explicitly indicative and marked “TBC.” The deadline in this listing reflects the published 2027 schedule, not an open application window. Applicants should check the official call page and Funding & Tenders Portal for amendments before making plans.

This opportunity supports an individual postdoctoral researcher’s research and career development through a jointly prepared project with a host organisation. It is not an individual application detached from a host, nor a large multi-beneficiary consortium grant. The fellowship combines a research project with advanced training, supervision, mobility, and career development. The project can be in any research field, subject to the eventual call text and any specific provisions, including the stated Euratom conditions.

The scheme has two principal modalities. European Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers of any nationality moving to Europe from anywhere in the world or between eligible European countries. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships support a defined mobility sequence for eligible European nationals and long-term residents, with research at a non-associated third-country host followed by a mandatory return period in Europe. The choice affects host locations, mobility eligibility, and the proposal structure, so applicants should decide the modality before settling on a project and host arrangement.

Budget and award size

The Commission’s MSCA call page currently gives an indicative 2027 budget of EUR 388.57 million and marks it TBC. A later Commission announcement dated 1 October 2026 says that the 2027 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships budget will reach EUR 459 million after additional funding. The Commission estimates that this revised envelope could support more than 1,800 postdoctoral researchers. These are programme-wide budget and planning figures; they do not promise an award to a particular proposal or establish a personal stipend amount.

The contribution for an individual fellowship is governed by the relevant MSCA Work Programme and call documents, including unit contributions and applicable country or family adjustments. Do not treat the overall call budget as the grant amount an applicant will receive. The authoritative detailed budget structure, proposal template, evaluation forms, and conditions should be taken from the 2027 Work Programme and the Funding & Tenders Portal when the applicable package is available. The discrepancy between the current call page’s indicative figure and the later top-up announcement is disclosed here so that applicants can see both official figures and their status rather than mistaking one for a personal award value.

Fellowship routes

European Postdoctoral Fellowship

The European route is open to researchers of any nationality. A researcher may move to an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country from another part of the world, or move between eligible European countries. The standard fellowship duration is 12 to 24 months. A beneficiary organisation in an eligible country hosts the researcher and participates in preparing and submitting the proposal.

This route may fit a researcher seeking new expertise, infrastructure, supervision, or interdisciplinary or inter-sectoral experience in a European setting. A strong choice of host should be justified by what the host can provide for the research and the researcher’s development. The mobility condition is a formal eligibility test: applicants generally must not have lived or carried out their main activity in the beneficiary country for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately before the call deadline. The final Work Programme governs any specific exceptions or interpretations.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Global route is limited to European nationals or long-term residents under the scheme’s rules. It supports an outgoing period at an organisation in a country not associated to Horizon Europe, followed by a mandatory 12-month return period at a host organisation in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. The outgoing phase must last at least 12 months and no more than 24 months. The return host and the outgoing host must both have credible roles in the project, and the proposal needs to explain why this sequence is valuable for the research and the fellow’s development.

The Global route is not a general permission to carry out a project anywhere without a European return host. Researchers should confirm the country status, their nationality or residence basis, and the mobility rule for the outgoing host against the 2027 call documents. Mobility calculations and residence evidence should be checked early, because a compelling scientific proposal cannot cure failure to meet a formal eligibility rule.

Eligibility checks before preparing a proposal

The MSCA guidance describes applicants as postdoctoral researchers who hold a PhD by the application deadline. People who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet received the formal degree award may also be eligible. The general experience limit is a maximum of eight years of research experience from the date the PhD was awarded. The guidance excludes certain experience from that calculation, including time outside research and career breaks; it also describes an exception for research experience in third countries for nationals or long-term residents returning to Europe. The 2027 Work Programme will be the binding source for the exact calculation and evidence required.

Applicants must also pass the relevant mobility test. For a European Fellowship, the test concerns residence and main activity in the beneficiary country. For a Global Fellowship, it concerns the organisation hosting the outgoing phase. In general, the limit is more than 12 months in the relevant country or host during the 36 months immediately before the call deadline. Some exceptions and specific conditions apply, so applicants should use the 2027 call text rather than relying on a summary of the rule.

The application is made jointly by a researcher and a beneficiary organisation in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Eligible beneficiaries can be academic or non-academic organisations; examples in MSCA guidance include universities, research centres, businesses, public bodies, NGOs, and other research-performing organisations. A third-country organisation may host the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship or a permitted secondment, subject to the Work Programme conditions. Country association status can change, so check the official participating-country list for the relevant call year.

The scheme is open across disciplines, encourages participation by the non-academic sector, and includes pathways for researchers reintegrating into Europe, displaced by conflict, or restarting research careers. These features do not waive the core eligibility tests. Euratom-related research areas have specific conditions under the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2026-2027, which applicants in those areas must examine separately.

How to prepare and submit

The application window is not open yet. The 2027 dates are scheduled, but the application form and final call conditions should be confirmed in the 2027 Funding & Tenders Portal package. Applicants can use MSCA’s general preparation guidance to do useful planning before then:

1. Read the programme rules. Start with the dedicated 2027 call page, then review the Work Programme, general annexes, and the call-specific portal materials once posted. Treat summaries as orientation, not as a replacement for the binding conditions.
2. Check personal eligibility. Confirm PhD status by the deadline, calculate research experience under the official method, document any eligible career breaks or exclusions, and calculate the relevant mobility period. Seek advice from the host’s research office or an MSCA National Contact Point if an edge case applies.
3. Choose the fellowship route. Decide between European and Global Fellowships based on nationality or residence status, host locations, mobility history, and the project’s training logic. For Global applications, secure both the outgoing and return arrangements.
4. Find a host and supervisor. Agree on supervision, access to facilities and data, training, career development, and the host’s administrative role. The main beneficiary and researcher prepare the application together. Partner search notices, MSCA matchmaking resources, EURAXESS hosting offers, and institutional networks can help identify potential hosts.
5. Build the proposal against the official template. Set out the research question, methods, feasibility, work plan, training needs, knowledge exchange, career development, supervision, and the rationale for the mobility. Address open science, ethics, inclusion, dissemination, and sustainability where the call documents require them. Use only the final 2027 forms and page limits once available.
6. Get informed feedback. Ask the supervisor and host research office to review both the scientific plan and the formal requirements. A National Contact Point, former fellow, or experienced proposal reviewer can help spot unclear mobility logic, weak training objectives, and gaps in implementation planning.
7. Submit through the portal when the call opens. Follow the 2027 portal instructions, complete all required sections and declarations, and submit before 8 September 2027 at the exact time and time zone stated in the final call. The portal’s submission status should confirm receipt. Do not wait until the last day to resolve account, validation, or host-registration issues.

Building a credible project plan

A competitive proposal needs a clear relationship between the research and the fellowship’s training and mobility design. Describe what the researcher will learn, how the host and supervisor will deliver that development, and how the experience supports the next career step. The research plan should be ambitious but feasible within the chosen route and duration. A list of tasks alone is not enough: make the dependencies, methods, milestones, and expected results understandable to a reviewer outside the narrow specialty.

For an inter-sectoral project, specify what each setting contributes and how knowledge moves between them. A non-academic placement or secondment should have a defined purpose, suitable mentoring, and a role in the fellow’s development. For a Global Fellowship, explain the added value of the outgoing environment and how the return phase will consolidate the work in Europe. For a European Fellowship, explain why the proposed destination and mobility are appropriate to the project and the fellow’s profile.

Budget and implementation planning should follow the unit-contribution rules in the final call package. Work with the host’s grants office to check that the planned duration, activities, and any secondments fit the rules. Keep a record of the official template version and guidance used during preparation. If the Commission amends the schedule, budget, or forms, use the latest portal documents and revise the plan accordingly.

Timeline and preparation priorities

The currently published indicative timetable lists the call launch on 7 April 2027 and the deadline on 8 September 2027. Results are expected in February 2028, grant agreements in April 2028, and first projects in May 2028; each of those milestones is marked TBC on the official call page. These are planning signals, not guaranteed dates. No application can be submitted before the 2027 portal call opens.

Before opening, researchers can identify host institutions, discuss supervision, review their mobility record, and prepare a project concept. In the period after opening, applicants should use the official call forms, check portal registration and host details, complete the proposal, obtain independent feedback, and submit early enough to address validation errors. The portal deadline and time zone published in the final call notice take precedence over any calendar reminder or summary page.

The evaluation is expected to take place after submission, with results listed for February 2028. Successful applicants will then proceed through grant agreement preparation with their beneficiary. These later stages are not part of the applicant’s initial submission, but the proposed project start and any required relocation should be planned with the host. The official page currently expects first projects to start in May 2028; consult the eventual grant agreement and call communications for the permitted project start arrangements.

Common planning errors

• Using last year’s dates or forms. This entry concerns the 2027 cycle. The 2026 call is closed, and its September 2026 deadline should not be reused for this round.
• Treating the schedule as final. The 2027 official page marks dates and budget as TBC. Recheck the page and portal before committing to internal deadlines.
• Confusing the total budget with personal compensation. The announced EUR 459 million covers the call as a whole, not a single fellowship. Per-project contributions follow the final work programme rules.
• Leaving the host arrangement vague. The researcher and beneficiary jointly prepare the application. Supervision, training, facilities, and administrative responsibilities need to be agreed early.
• Checking mobility too late. Residence and main-activity periods are assessed in relation to the beneficiary or outgoing host. Count the relevant period from the final deadline under the official rules.
• Choosing Global without a compliant return plan. The Global route requires a qualifying outgoing placement and a mandatory 12-month return phase in an eligible European country.
• Assuming every project area has identical conditions. Euratom-related topics and other call-specific provisions may require additional checks in the 2027 documents.

Official sources

• MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027 call page: cycle status, timetable, modalities, and the call page’s indicative budget.
• European Commission announcement on additional MSCA funding: the 1 October 2026 announcement of the EUR 459 million 2027 Postdoctoral Fellowships budget.
• MSCA guidance: six steps to prepare an application: general eligibility, host search, drafting, review, and portal-submission guidance. Its detailed call-specific references may still refer to 2026, so use the 2027 Work Programme and portal materials for binding rules.
• Funding opportunities: official call status and listing of MSCA funding rounds.

The Commission’s call page and the Funding & Tenders Portal remain the controlling sources for final eligibility, proposal forms, budget implementation, and submission instructions. Recheck them when the call opens and whenever a later notice changes a published figure or date.