Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action: Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA - PF)

Two types of Fellowships are available:

- The European Fellowships take place in European countries or associated with Horizon Europe and are open to researchers of any nationality who come to Europe or move within Europe for a period of one to two years.

- Global Fellowships are aimed at European citizens or long-term residents (at least 5 years) who wish to engage in research projects that include a mobility phase of one or two years to a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organization campus in an EU Member State or in a Country Associated to Horizon Europe.

Both types of fellowships can also include short periods of secondment anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except for the re-entry phase of a Global Fellowship).

In addition, researchers have the opportunity to carry out an additional traineeship, lasting up to 6 months, in a non-academic organisation campus in an EU Member State or in a Country Associated with Horizon Europe. This "non-academic placement" must take place at the end of the fellowship.

The eligibility conditions are defined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme - MSCA. The annual call usually opens in mid-April and closes in mid-September.

For 2026, the MSCA-PF call is scheduled to open on April 9, 2026, while the deadline is scheduled for September 9, 2026.

The International Research Office of the University of Padova supports the applications of researchers who, on the date of the relevant deadline for the submission of PF proposals:

• choose the University of Padova as a Host Institution;
• hold a PhD;
• have worked for up to 8 years full-time in research, measured from the date on which the PhD degree was obtained;
• comply with the MSCA mobility rule: they must not have spent more than 12 months in the three years prior to the expiry of the call in the country of the beneficiary (European PF) or of the Host Organisation campus in the Third Country (Global PF).

An important note regarding resubmissions: from HORIZON-MSCA-2026-PF call onwards, the resubmission threshold corresponds to a score of 80% (instead of 70% applicable under previous HORIZON-MSCA-PF calls). As per the official Work Programme this means that: “proposals involving the same recruiting organisation (and for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships also the associated partner hosting the outgoing phase) and individual researcher submitted to the previous call of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe and having received a score of less than 80% must not be resubmitted the following year”.

Researchers already working at the University of Padova can apply for an MSCA Global Fellowship, spending 12 to 24 months in an institution in a third country, and then carrying out the last 12 months of the fellowship at the University of Padova.

Researchers from all over the world who apply for an MSCA-PF can choose Padova as their Host Institution under a European or Global Fellowship, depending on their eligibility.

The University of Padova is ranked among the top Italian universities for the quality of research. We offer a great working environment, good research facilities, high-performance laboratory equipment and the opportunity to work with world-class research groups.

We adhere to the Declaration of Commitment for the implementation of the "Researchers' Charter" and are awarded by the European Commission with the "HR Excellence in Research" seal. We also act as a Euraxess Contact Point and provide personalized assistance to researchers and their families.

The University of Padova aims to support excellent research to be conducted within its facilities and works to attract young researchers who carry out high-quality, innovative and ambitious research. The University of Padova can boast a growing community of fellows: since 2014, more than 160 post-doc researchers have been awarded funding under the Marie Skłodowska Curie Action by choosing the University of Padova for their research projects. Through a dedicated International Research Office, we support MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship candidates, both in the application process and in the management of funding.

If you would like to receive feedback on your proposal, we encourage you to send us (individual.grants@unipd.it) a complete draft (B1 + B2, using the Official EC template) well ahead of the deadline.

Responses will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. If we receive a considerable number of proposals and we can’t guarantee feedback on time, we may set up a waiting list.
The deadline for the receipt of draft applications is the 19th of August 2026 at the latest.

The offices of the University of Padua close for summer holidays from 10th to 18th August 2026.

You can also apply to participate in the MSCA MaRaThoN@Unipd: Master your Research and Training Needs, an intensive training programme specifically dedicated to researchers who wish to apply for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call in collaboration with a supervisor from the University of Padova. The training takes place in May.

Registrations for the 2026 edition are closed.

Researchers from our University are available to play the role of supervisors in MSCA-PF applications. To find a potential supervisor, you can browse the list of available supervisors below for possible contacts based on your search interest.

See here the list of potential MSCA supervisors at Unipd.
Download the document to apply filters in the excel table.
Last updated: January 2026

It is also possible to consult the complete list of Unipd departments as a further reference.
Unipd professors who wish to play the role of supervisors are invited to fill in and send the following form.

Candidates who choose the University of Padova as the Host Institution and whose project is not selected for funding, but to which the European Commission assigns the "Seal of Excellence – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions", can apply for alternative funding made available by the University of Padova, as part of the syllabus MSCA Seal of Excellence @UniPD.