Horizon Europe MSCA - How to apply

Below you will find specific information on the application process for MSCA under Horizon Europe. 

Please note that for different MSCA calls for proposals, specific eligibility criteria may apply regarding the participation of organisations and countries. For details, please consult the MSCA Work Programme and the Guide for Applicants in the section below related to the specific MSCA.

To apply, you must create a profile on the Funding & tenders portal. Then, select the call for proposals you wish to apply for and use the proposal online form on the page below to submit your proposal before the deadline.

To help you with the specificities of the MSCA calls, the MSCA National Contact Points organise specific Information Days in different Members States and Associated Countries. During these events they present the calls for proposals and help applicants to prepare successful proposals. Please contact your respective National Contact Point for MSCA related events in your country. 

Below you will find a range of resources to help you prepare your proposal for each MSCA.

• Doctoral Networks
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Staff Exchanges
• COFUND
• MSCA and Citizens (European Researchers’ Night)
• MSCA4Ukraine

All MSCA

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For detailed information about the Doctoral Networks, including the eligibility conditions and implementation modalities, please check the corresponding sections in the MSCA Work Programme and the dedicated Funding & Tenders portal page.

Additional useful information for applicants on the Doctoral Networks can be found in the:

• Doctoral Networks Guide for Applicants 2024
• General annexes of the Work programme
• Proposal template and instructions on how to fill it in
• Watch the Doctoral Networks Information Day recording
• 6 steps to prepare your application for the 2024 Doctoral Networks call
• MSCA specific evaluation forms used by the expert evaluators

In order to help the REA select the appropriate expert evaluators whose expertise best matches your proposal, you will be asked to select specific keywords in the proposal template.

Any additional useful documents can be found on the call page.

Access the proposal online form for all Doctoral Networks modalities (please click on ‘Start submission‘).

For detailed information about the Postdoctoral Fellowships, including the eligibility conditions and implementation modalities, please check the corresponding sections in the MSCA Work Programme and the dedicated Funding & Tenders portal page.

Additional useful information for applicants on the Postdoctoral Fellowships can be found in the:

• Postdoctoral Fellowships Guide for Applicants 2024
• General annexes of the Work programme
• Proposal template 2024 and instructions on how to fill it in
• 6 steps to prepare your application for the 2024 Postdoctoral Fellowships call
• Common mistakes in MSCA-PF proposal submission
• MSCA specific evaluation forms used by the expert evaluators
• Guidelines on the calculation of 8-years research experience in Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe
• Postdoctoral Fellowships Self-assessment tool for the calculation of the 8-years research experience

In order to help the REA select the appropriate expert evaluators whose expertise best matches your proposal, you will be asked to select specific keywords in the proposal template.

Any additional useful documents can be found on the call page.

Access the online proposal submission form for Postdoctoral Fellowships (the link is available under the ‘Start submission‘ section).

For detailed information about the Staff Exchanges, including the eligibility conditions and implementation modalities, please check the corresponding sections in the MSCA Work Programme and the dedicated Funding & Tenders portal page.

Additional useful information for applicants on the Staff Exchanges can be found in the:

• Staff Exchanges Guide for Applicants 2024
• General annexes of the work programme
• Proposal template and instructions on how to fill it in
• 6 steps to prepare your application for the 2024 Staff Exchanges call
• Staff Exchanges informative flyer
• MSCA specific evaluation forms used by the expert evaluators
• Specific FAQs for Staff Exchanges call 2024

In order to help the REA select the appropriate expert evaluators whose expertise best matches your proposal, you will be asked to select specific keywords in the proposal template. These keywords should also be considered if your proposal includes interdisciplinary secondments following the instructions provided in the Guide for Applicants.

Any additional useful documents can be found on the call page.

Access the proposal online form for all Staff Exchanges modalities (the link is available under ‘Start submission‘ section).

For detailed information about the COFUND, including the eligibility conditions and implementation modalities, please check the corresponding sections in the MSCA Work Programme and the dedicated Funding & Tenders portal page.

Additional useful information for applicants on the COFUND can be found in the:

• COFUND Guide for Applicants 2024 
• General annexes of the work programme
• Proposal template and instructions on how to fill it in 
• 6 steps to prepare your application for the 2024 COFUND call
• MSCA specific evaluation forms used by the expert evaluators

Any additional useful documents can be found on the call page.

Access the proposal online form for all COFUND modalities (the link is available under ‘Start submission‘ section).

For detailed information about the MSCA and Citizens, including the eligibility conditions and implementation modalities, please check the corresponding sections in the MSCA Work Programme and the dedicated Funding & Tenders portal page.

Additional useful information for applicants on the MSCA and Citizens can be found in the:

• MSCA and Citizens Guide for Applicants
• General annexes of the work programme
• Proposal template and instructions on how to fill it in
  Template Part B
  Annex (detailed budget table)
• 6 steps to prepare your application for the 2023 MSCA and Citizens call
• MSCA specific evaluation forms used by the expert evaluators

Any additional useful documents can be found on the call page.

Access the online proposal form for MSCA and Citizens.

For detailed information on the MSCA4Ukraine scheme, please consult this page.

1. After the deadline, the REA organises an evaluation process. MSCA proposals are evaluated by at least 3 independent external expert evaluators. The experts evaluate each proposal against the award criteria defined in the work programme.
   
   After completion of the evaluation, the REA informs applicants about the results. More information on the MSCA evaluation process.
   
   The evaluation phase lasts up to 5 months from the call deadline.
    
2. Once applicants are informed about the evaluation results, the REA launches the grant agreement preparation process together with the successful applicants. A grant agreement between the REA and the project partners (‘the beneficiaries’) is concluded. You can consult the MSCA specific grant agreements under Horizon Europe reference documents.
   
   Generally, the parties sign the grant agreement within 3 months.

You can find inspiration from previously funded projects in the CORDIS database.

Please consult the specific sections Who can apply and Support for applicants on our website.

All other Horizon Europe calls for proposals can be found on the Funding and tenders portal.

Disclaimer: 

The content of this page is for information purposes only. The relevant legal instruments and the text of the call shall take precedence over the information contained on this page. The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency do not accept responsibility for any use made of the information contained therein.