EU announces €105.5 million boost for 29 doctoral and postdoctoral research programmes

The European Commission has announced €105.5 million in funding for 29 doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes under the 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND scheme

The funding is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and will support 15 doctoral training programmes and 14 postdoctoral fellowship programmes.

The selected projects are expected to train hundreds of researchers and improve international collaboration in research and innovation.

The next generation of researchers

The MSCA COFUND scheme allows organisations to establish or improve their own doctoral and postdoctoral programmes.

EU co-funding covers a significant share of programme costs, while participating organisations contribute additional funding.

The initiative aims to raise standards for researcher training and working conditions while helping institutions attract talented researchers worldwide. It also supports researchers in developing new skills, expanding professional networks and pursuing international career opportunities.

The 2026 call attracted 141 applications, with 136 considered eligible and evaluated. The call selected 29 projects, for an overall success rate of 21%.

International collaboration across 38 countries

The selected programmes involve more than 400 organisations across 38 countries, including 65 small and medium-sized enterprises.

France leads the list of coordinating countries with 11 successful projects, followed by Spain with five and Ireland with three. Belgium and the Netherlands each coordinate two projects, while Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Germany, Poland and Sweden each coordinate one.

The programmes also bring together partners from countries such as Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, India and Japan. France is represented in 72 partnerships, while Spain has 40 and Germany 39.

Research spanning multiple fields

The selected projects cover a range of research areas, including life sciences, quantum physics, sustainable energy, environmental research and space.

Ten of the 29 successful proposals are bottom-up programmes, which means researchers can propose projects in any field rather than being restricted to a specific research topic.

Focus on skills, innovation and career development

The funded programmes will emphasise international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral collaboration. Researchers will have opportunities to develop technical and transferable skills, build networks and gain experience beyond traditional academic settings.

Programmes will also consider areas such as open science, research ethics, community engagement, research valorisation, gender considerations and high-quality supervision.

The results come during the 30th anniversary year of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Since its launch in 1996, the programme has supported more than 150,000 researchers, including 23 Nobel Prize winners.