MSCA FAQ 2026–27

No. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters is an Erasmus+ taught-degree scholarship. MSCA is Horizon Europe research training and mobility. Different legal base, different portal, different eligibility. A DN fellow is recruited as a doctoral candidate. A PF fellow is a postdoc with a host.

No. That call is for consortia of organisations. Researchers apply later to funded vacancies on EURAXESS and similar international boards.

You must not have a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment. You should be enrolled in a doctoral programme during the project. Any nationality.

Official PF rules treat a successful defence by the deadline as eligible even if the degree has not been formally awarded.

From the date the PhD was awarded. Years outside research and career breaks do not count. For EU/Associated nationals or long-term residents reintegrating to Europe, research years in third countries also do not count. Use REA’s self-assessment tool.

Generally, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity in the relevant country for more than 12 months in the 36 months before recruitment (DN) or the call deadline (PF).

Only nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The outgoing phase is 12–24 months in a non-associated third country, plus a mandatory 12-month return to Europe. Total 2–3 years.

For Postdoctoral Fellowships, resubmission restrictions apply from 2026 if the previous application scored below 80%. Doctoral Networks have had a similar restriction since 2022 for applications that scored below 80% the previous year.

The official PF 2027 call page lists an opening on 7 April 2027 and a deadline on 8 September 2027, with results in February 2028. All of these dates are still marked TBC.

A certificate for PF (and some other) applications scoring 85% or more that cannot be funded because the call budget is exhausted. It is not automatic substitute funding.

In the MSCA Work Programme 2026–2027, not on the action pages. The living allowance is EUR 4,250 a month for DN and EUR 6,350 for PF, before the host country’s coefficient, plus EUR 710 mobility and EUR 660 family if applicable. All are gross. DN vacancies must show the gross salary.

3–36 months (3–48 months for Joint Doctorate fellowships). The network itself lasts up to 4 years, or 5 years for Joint Doctorates.

A DN type that trains candidates who want skills outside academia. Fellows should spend at least 50% of their time outside academia and be jointly supervised by academic and non-academic partners.

Official MSCA news and the Choose Europe 2027 page: launch 8 December 2026, deadline 6 April 2027. It is an organisation-led call, not a personal student form.

Very. The 2025 call funded 1,610 of 16,836 eligible proposals, a 9.6% success rate. The 2026 call drew a record 21,627 applications. Doctoral Networks are also tight: 141 of 1,616 consortium proposals were funded in 2025.