Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action is developed to improve and fund the quality of non-academic research.

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action hopes to encourage and invest long term in exceptional research by providing sponsorship for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers at all stages of their careers with new knowledge and skills, through mobility across borders and exposure to different sectors and disciplines. 

With this objective forefront, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action is offering a postdoctoral scholarship to encourage outstanding work and creativity.

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Scholarship Value

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action or MSCA hopes to provide borderless education in order to set standards for high-quality researcher education and training in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers.

So let’s get into the actual benefits of this scholarship. What would the recipient benefit?

• a living allowance
• a mobility allowance
• if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances
• In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities
• management and indirect costs

Before you hurry on, there is something extremely important that you need to know. Despite the simplified details above, this scholarship is not as plain.

Actually, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship offers two types of scholarship awards and you need to know which you qualify best for or which one suits your ambitions.

Types of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action Fellowships;

MSCA offers postdoctoral scholarships as I’ve already said in order to support excellence and quality education in research so it only makes sense that they provide opportunities to support their vision, hence this post doctoral scholarship.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships offered here with different criteria and they are:

1. European Postdoctoral Fellowships. 

This is a geographically limited scholarship.

Yes, this scholarship is for Europe, but unlike what you are thinking, it is not only for Europeans per se, they are also open to non Europeans provided that they, the researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. 

Remember, this is not a university that offers this scholarship, it is being offered by a charitable foundation, so whatever research institute that you are choosing to further your career, you have to ensure that it not only meets the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Foundation requirement but also is situated in any country in Europe to be eligible for this European scholarship by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie foundation.

Therefore these particular fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and are open to researchers moving from any country of the world to a European state.

Value Of The European Postdoctoral Fellowships:

The MSCA support the mobility of researchers between countries, sectors and disciplines to acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies from any part of the world so you would be provided with a mobility fund

Also, the MSCA is open to all domains of research and innovation and encourages international cooperation to set up strategic collaborations, so researchers from outside Europe can apply for this scholarship which can last between 1 and 2 years. 

2. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships:

Unlike the European Scholarship, only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply for the MSCA Global Postdoctoral Fellowships.

This too funds researchers’ mobility for the fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years.

However, the recipient of this scholarship would adhere to a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organization based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country. 

And in an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sectors, researchers can receive additional support to carry out placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Now you know what kinds of scholarships that exist here, I’m sure you’re itching to know the eligibility so you can go off and apply. So I shall inform you immediately.

Eligibility Criteria For A Fully Funded Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Scholarship Grants:

• The candidate is expected to have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. 

• The MSCA supports excellent researchers. Therefore you must have evidence to prove that you are one.

• Alongside the above, you must have a maximum of eight years of experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe.

• You must  have successfully defended your doctoral thesis even though you have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree you are still eligible to apply (with or without the certificate as long as you have defended.)

• You must not have resided or carried out a major activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

• For Postdoctoral Fellowships in research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme, researchers need to be nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or a Euratom Associated Country. 

• The institute of choice that is recruiting the researcher also needs to be established in an EU Member State or Euratom Associated Country.

• Finally, in addition to the above, the beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to have recruited the researcher for the total period of the fellowship.

Conclusion

 The MSCA hopes to help build Europe’s capacity for research and innovation by investing in the long-term careers of excellent researchers by funding the development of excellent doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes and collaborative research projects worldwide. 

This way, they achieve a structuring impact on higher education institutions, research centres and non-academic organisations.