The European Commission has announced a €404.3 million investment in postdoctoral research, as part of its 2025 ‘Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
(MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships’. The funding will empower 1,610 researchers from around the world to pursue innovative projects while benefiting from high-level training, international mobility, and expert mentorship.
Selected from a competitive pool of 17,066 applicants, the new fellows represent nearly 80 nationalities and will conduct research across 45 countries in Europe and beyond. They will join universities, research centres, public institutions, private organisations, and small and medium-sized enterprises to tackle challenges spanning all scientific disciplines—from social sciences and humanities to life sciences and engineering.
“The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships show once again why researchers choose Europe,” said Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. “These results reflect the strength of our research ecosystem and our commitment to supporting scientific excellence, openness, and mobility.”
Most of the funding will support European Postdoctoral Fellowships, enabling 1,446 researchers to carry out projects within the EU and countries associated with Horizon Europe. Meanwhile, 164 recipients of the Global Postdoctoral Fellowships will spend part of their research abroad, in leading institutions in the United States, Canada, and Australia, before returning to Europe to share their expertise.
The 2025 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are part of Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship multi-billion research and innovation programme. The next call for applications is scheduled to open on 9 April 2026.
The year 2026 will also mark the 30th anniversary of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Since its inception in 1996, the programme has supported over 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel Prize winners, and continues to foster international collaboration and scientific excellence.