More than 700 additional researchers will be able to build their careers in Europe thanks to an additional boost of over €210 million to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) – one of Europe's flagship programmes for research careers. The funding is part of Choose Europe, the European Commission's initiative to position the EU as the main global magnet for scientific talent, research, and technological innovation.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said: “Researchers are choosing Europe. They know that we value and support science, and that Europe offers an environment where talent and ideas can thrive. For 30 years, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions have helped researchers from around the world build their careers in Europe. With this additional funding, we are strengthening our commitment to world-class research and ensuring that European societies and economies can benefit from cutting-edge knowledge, ideas and innovation.”
Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva announced the funding today at the high-level event ‘Celebrating 30 years of MSCA - Curiosity that changes the world' that takes place in Brussels.
The top-up responds to record demand for research career opportunities in Europe. The 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call received 21,627 applications from researchers around the world, the highest number of proposals received for any funding action in more than 40 years of EU research and innovation framework programmes.
The additional funding will strengthen two of the programme's key actions: MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks leading to more opportunities for additional 700 researchers according to estimations.
Investing in Europe's research talent
The announcement comes as the Commission adopted the amended Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 on 29 September. Horizon Europe is the EU's key funding programme for research and innovation running from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of close to €100 billion.
With the additional investment, the budget for both Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks will reach their highest-ever levels since they have been available.
For 2027, the budget for Postdoctoral Fellowships will increase to €459 million, and the budget for Doctoral Networks to €645 million.
On current estimates, the 2027 Postdoctoral Fellowships call could support more than 1,800 postdoctoral researchers, while the 2027 Doctoral Networks call could support more than 2,000 doctoral candidates. The Commission estimates that 700 additional researchers and candidates will be added to that total after today's funding boost.
For 2026, the budget for Postdoctoral Fellowships will reach €434 million, while Doctoral Networks will receive €628 million.
30 years of curiosity that changes the world
2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Since their creation in 1996, more than 150,000 researchers have participated in the programme, including 23 Nobel laureates. What began as a programme supporting around 800 researchers each year, it supports around 8,000 researchers annually.
To mark the anniversary, the Commission also launched a new interactive publication featuring more than 100 stories from the MSCA community. Through an interactive timeline, a world map and stories covering a wide range of scientific fields, the publication showcases the people, ideas and achievements that have shaped the programme over the past 30 years.
For more information
Learn more about the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
30 years of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions