Commission awards €404.3 million to postdoctoral researchers, confirming Europe’s position as a global hub for scientific talent

The research community has been bolstered by the European Commission’s 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships, with a budget worth €404.3 million for this year’s edition. This initiative will empower 1,610 postdoctoral researchers, selected from 17,066 international applicants, to develop their own projects, while receiving high-quality training, international mobility opportunities, and expert supervision at academic and non-academic institutions. This development reinforces Europe's reputation as a hub for scientific excellence, openness, and innovation, as illustrated by the Horizon Europe framework – the EU’s multi-billion programme for research.

The selected fellows represent nearly 80 nationalities. They will carry out their research projects in 45 countries in Europe and beyond, working at universities, research centres, public institutions, private organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises. Their projects span all scientific disciplines. The strongest representation is in social sciences and humanities, life sciences and engineering and range from fundamental research to projects directly addressing major societal and technological challenges.

Most of the funding will support European Postdoctoral Fellowships, enabling 1,446 researchers to work in the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe. In addition, 164 researchers will benefit from Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. This will allow them to carry out part of their research in leading institutions outside Europe - notably in the United States, Canada and Australia - before returning to Europe to share the knowledge and experience they will have garnered within their institution.

Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, said: “The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships show once again why researchers choose Europe. These results reflect the strength of our research ecosystem and our commitment to supporting scientific excellence, openness and mobility. I congratulate all the selected fellows and look forward to seeing how their work will contribute to Europe’s competitiveness, innovation capacity and societal progress.”

The next call for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is planned to open on 9 April 2026. More information is available on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website.