The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) enhance the creative and innovative potential of postdoctoral researchers wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to excellent researchers of any nationality.

The MSCA is a prestigious and well-funded grant that has a high positive impact on a researcher’s CV.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the selected host institution for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline. Additionally, at the call deadline, researchers must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date that the researcher holds a doctoral degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave) will be considered.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships: i) European PF: open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career, lasting between 1 and 2 years; ii) Global PF: funds the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

If you apply for an MSCA-PF in a widening country (of which Portugal belongs) you are applying for two funding opportunities:

1. The first is to receive funding from the MSCA Postdoctoral mechanism;

2. If an application exceeds the quality threshold, but is not funded in the MSCA selection process, it will be eligible for the ERA Fellowship call (without further application, just a tick in the original application form).

At CESAM, we have two ongoing MSCA-PF projects: Improving detection of marine transmissible cancers and SO-TOX – Source and toxicological profile of airborne particles in an african megacity. We also have former members that were awarded with a MSCA-PF and are currently abroad (e.g. Extremophile cyanobacteria as life supporters for Mars colonization).

More information and applications can be found in the EU Funding & Tender Portal here (topic: HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01-01). If you want to apply you should analise abstract of awarded applications (in your research area) here.

If you apply, please get in touch with us (cesam-gesciencia@ua.pt).