Portugal secures record funding in Calls Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships and ERA Fellowships

Portuguese institutions secured €7.01 million in Call Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships Call , corresponding to 1.75% of the funding to be allocated, which is Portugal's best result since the start of Horizon Europe in this funding instrument. In addition to this, a further €1.6 million was secured through another Call with MSCA PF, known as ERA Fellowships, bringing the total amount raised by Portuguese institutions to €8.6 million.

More than 17,000 applications were submitted, 496 of which were from Portuguese institutions, representing an all-time record for participation at both European and national level. In Call Postdoctoral Fellowships Call , 1,610 proposals were selected for funding, 40 of which had host institutions in Portugal. Through the ERA Fellowships, Portuguese institutions obtained funding for eight additional proposals.

As a result of the high number of applications, the success rate for Call Postdoctoral Fellowships Call was lower than usual. At European level, it was 9.3% and at national level, 8.1%. It should be noted that this is the edition of this Call Horizon Europe in which the success rate of national institutions is closest to the European average. Adding the eight additional proposals funded through ERA Fellowships, the national success rate rises to 9.6%, slightly above the European average.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are a Horizon Europe instrument that aims to fund a postdoctoral project in any field of knowledge, with the application being submitted jointly by the proposing researcher and a host institution. To be eligible, researchers must comply with a mobility rule, i.e., they must not have resided or had their main activity in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the three years prior to the closing date of Call. In addition, they must not have completed their doctorate more than eight years prior to the closing date of Call there are some exceptions to this eight-year limit, such as maternity leave and time spent away from research).

A new Call Postdoctoral Fellowships Call will open on April 9, with a closing date of September 9. The video recording and slides from a recent information session about the 2025 edition of this Call are available for viewing.

ERA Fellowships are a Call on the same evaluation process as MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, funding additional applications with host institutions in Widening countries, such as Portugal. A Widening country is an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe that has scientific and innovation performance below the European average and is therefore eligible for specific measures aimed at widening participation and reducing inequalities in access to research funding.

The FCT is responsible for promoting Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in Portugal, regularly holding information sessions and proposal writing workshops, initiatives that are publicized through expressions of interest by filling out a form and in news published on the FCT website. The FCT is also responsible for representing Portugal on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Program Configuration Committee, within the European Union.