Application

How to Apply for MSCA as a Researcher

Use EURAXESS for Doctoral Network jobs. Use the Funding & Tenders Portal for Postdoctoral Fellowships written with a host. Do not treat the consortium deadline as a student form.

ScholarshipUnion Editorial 2 min read Updated Oct 6, 2026

Researcher application tracker

Official PF preparation is six steps. Doctoral Network candidates skip the consortium portal and go to EURAXESS. Planning tool only.

Progress0 / 6

Choose the action — DN vacancy or PF proposal
Confirm eligibility including mobility and (PF) 8-year cap
Find the host or vacancy — EURAXESS jobs / hosting offers
Draft with the supervisor (PF) or follow the vacancy process (DN)
Check with experts — host research office, NCP, Marie Curie Alumni Association
Submit on the official channel — EURAXESS institution link or Funding & Tenders

Doctoral Networks: apply to a job, not a call

The official Doctoral Networks page is explicit. Candidates apply to funded projects by consulting open vacancies advertised internationally, including on EURAXESS. You apply directly to the institution or project. You do not upload a personal proposal to HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01.

EURAXESS also covers visas, pensions, taxation, and recognition of qualifications. MSCA National Contact Points in the future host country can explain participation rules. Official how-to: How to apply for funding and MSCA jobs.

Postdoctoral Fellowships: six official steps

1
Get familiar with how funding works
Read the action page and the Work Programme.
2
Make sure you can apply
PhD, 8-year cap, mobility, and (from 2026) resubmission.
3
Find a host and supervisor
EURAXESS hosting offers, MSCA Matchmaking, Partner Search.
4
Draft the application
Award criteria: Excellence 50%, Impact 30%, Implementation 20%.
5
Check the draft
Supervisor, NCP, Marie Curie Alumni Association.
6
Submit on the Funding & Tenders Portal
You can update until the deadline.

The 2026 call opened 9 April 2026 and closed 9 September 2026, 17:00 CEST. Evaluation takes about five months; results are expected in February 2027. The next call is indicatively open from 7 April 2027 to 8 September 2027 (TBC). Source: 6 steps page (updated 29 May 2026) and the PF 2027 call page.

Organisations use a different door

Consortia register a PIC, find partners, and submit on the Funding & Tenders Portal from the call opening date. That is the process behind the 24 November 2026 Doctoral Networks deadline. If you are a researcher, you are not that applicant.