Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF-EF) at ESO - Funding Line Overview
MSCA PF-EF OVERVIEW
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowships is a European Commission funding programme under Horizon Europe (2021–2027). It supports postdoctoral researchers in developing an independent research project while gaining skills through international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral mobility and training. The fellowship is open to researchers of any nationality and all research areas.
KEY FEATURES
- Duration: 12-24 months
- Flexible project design: Individual, researcher-driven project with free choice of topic
- Research excellence: Opportunity to conduct high-quality, innovative research
- Professional development: Training in research and transferable skills
- Mobility options: Optional non-academic placement of up to 6 months and optional secondments
- Employment benefits: Full employment contract with the host institution
FUNDING
MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF-EF) are funded through fixed EU unit contributions defined in the Horizon Europe MSCA Work Programme.
Researcher allowances (monthly EU unit contributions)
The researcher-related contribution consists of:
- Living allowance: €6,350/month (subject to the country correction coefficient of the host country; for Germany, this is 101.2%). The living allowance contributes to the researcher’s salary and related employment costs.
- Mobility allowance: €710/month.
- Family allowance: €660/month (if applicable).
- Long-term leave allowance and special needs allowance may apply in specific cases.
The actual net salary (~ €4,000/month) received by the fellow depends on internal taxation and social security contributions for both the employer and the employee.
Institutional contributions (monthly EU unit contributions)
- Research, training and networking costs: €1,000/month.
- Management and indirect costs: €650/month.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants need to meet all MSCA eligibility requirements.
Academic eligibility
- PhD awarded by the call deadline
- Thesis successfully defended before submission deadline
- Maximum 8 years of full-time equivalent research experience after PhD award
- Periods outside research, career breaks, and research in third countries (i.e. countries that are neither EU Member States nor Horizon Europe Associated Countries) do not count towards this maximum.
Completion of a self-assessment using the MSCA guidelines and eligibility assessment tool is required and must be confirmed by the applicant. Guidance is available in the Guidelines on the Calculation of the 8-Years Research Experience, as well as through the Self-Assessment Tool for Calculating the 8-Years Research Experience.
Mobility rule
Applicants must not have resided or worked in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline (9 Sept 2023 - 9 Sept 2026).
Resubmission rule
Applications involving the same applicant and ESO that scored below 80% in the 2025 call are not eligible for resubmission in 2026.
CONTACTS
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
- ESO Faculty supervisor
- Head of the Office for Science Garching, Dr. Michael Hilker
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
- Grants Officer, Stella Chasiotis-Klingner