UiA welcomes highly talented early-career researchers that wish to apply for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships proposals with UiA as host institution.
The aim of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines, and non-academic sectors.
UiA will offer dedicated support to both potential incoming MSCA fellows and their UiA supervisors in both proposal development and project implementation.
What help can you get?
Leading up to the 9 September 2026 call deadline, the Division of Research and Innovation, in collaboration with our external partner Innovayt, will offer several levels of support including:
- Training workshop (Masterclass) on writing high-quality and competitive MSCA Fellowship proposals (28-29 May 2026).
The workshop will also include a presentation by a previously successful MSCA fellow. The workshop is open to eligible incoming (and outgoing) postdoctoral fellows, their UiA supervisors and UiA research administration staff. No limit on the number of participants
- Concept development (June 2026)
For first-time applicants. Review of project concept and the fellow’s CV and track record to identify potential strengths and weaknesses of a proposed idea/concept considering programme rules and chances of success.
- Proposal reviews and one-to-one meetings with an external consultant (deadline to submit draft proposals in early August 2026).
- PES Support
UiA researchers supervising an MSCA fellow will be eligible to receive up to 10 000 NOK in Project Establishment Support (PES).
Important milestones and deadlines:
| Activity | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Call opens | 9 April 2026 |
| Deadline to register candidates | 10 April 2026 |
| Masterclass | 28-29 May 2026 |
| Review of one-page summary (for new applicants) | Submission deadline: 7 June 2026 |
| Review of full proposal draft | Submission deadline: 2 August 2026 |
| Call deadline | 9 September 2026 |
We kindly ask that supervisors who have identified a candidate with which they want to co-develop a proposal, register the candidate by sending the CV of the candidate to petter.z.marki@uia.no as soon as possible and no later than 10 April 2026. For supervisors who have not yet identified a potential candidate, and vice versa, please contact the Division of Research and Innovation for assistance.
Who can apply for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship?
Researchers should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply
Researchers must have a maximum of 8 years of research experience, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, until the call deadline (9 September 2026).
There are two types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships:
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships. Open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
- Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. Funds the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.
Recruited researchers must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway (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
What does the funding cover?
The beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to recruit the researcher for the total period of the fellowship.
The EU provides support for the recruited researcher in the form of:
- living allowance
- 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
How are proposals evaluated?
Proposals will be evaluated by experts on the basis of the award criteria 'excellence', 'impact' and 'quality and efficiency of the implementation'.
Evaluation scores will be awarded for each of these criteria, and not for the different aspects listed in the table below. Each criterion will be scored out of 5. Scores will be awarded with a resolution of one decimal place and will be subject to a weighting factor as indicated in the table below.
| Excellence | Impact | Quality and efficiency of the implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Quality and pertinence of the project’s research and innovation objectives (and the extent to which they are ambitious, and go beyond the state of the art) | Credibility of the measures to enhance the career perspectives and employability of the researcher and contribution to his/her skills development | Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, assessment of risks and appropriateness of the effort assigned to work packages |
| Soundness of the proposed methodology (including interdisciplinary approaches, consideration of the gender dimension and other diversity aspects if relevant for the research project, and the quality of open science practices) | Suitability and quality of the measures to maximise expected outcomes and impacts, as set out in the dissemination and exploitation plan, including communication activities | Quality and capacity of the host institutions and participating organisations, including hosting arrangements |
| Quality of the supervision, training and of the two-way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host | The magnitude and importance of the project’s contribution to the expected scientific, societal and economic impacts | |
| Quality and appropriateness of the researcher’s professional experience, competences and skills | ||
| 50 % weight | 30 % weight | 20 % weight |
Applicants may also be subject to restrictions on submitting proposals to future MSCA PF calls based on the outcome of the evaluation. That is, proposals involving the same recruiting organisation (i.e. UiA) and individual researcher submitted to the previous call of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe and having received a score of less than 70% must not be resubmitted the following year.
Contact Petter Zahl Marki for more information about the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and UiA’s support services for MSCA PF applicants