MSCA Choose Europe

The objective of MSCA Choose Europe for Science is to:

• increase the attractiveness of European research careers by addressing the issue of precarity

• offer excellent working conditions, turning the current challenge of brain drain in the research and innovation sector into brain gain

The pilot action supports projects in which academic and non-academic organisations recruit postdoctoral researchers, with a view to offering longer-term employment beyond the project period. 

The main novelty of the initiative is that organisations will be selected also based on their offers of longer-term professional perspectives. This is in addition to the goal of spreading MSCA’s best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions.

A single legal entity in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country applies and is responsible for recruiting the researchers. Additional associated partners can be included in the project. 

The total budget for this call is €22.5 million. A beneficiary can receive a maximum of €3.5 million for this call.

Projects should recruit at least 3 researchers for up to 5 years, with MSCA co-funding the first 2 to 3 years and the institutions providing the funding (with internal or external funds) for an additional 2 years.

Funding helps host organisations cover a fixed amount (Choose Europe for Science allowance) to support any cost items of the programme, equivalent to the minimum salary that researchers should receive during the first 2-to-3-year phase of the project (€6700), a long-term leave allowance and a special needs allowance, if applicable, for each supported researcher.

Expected Outcome:

For supported researchers:

• Concrete career prospects and increased career stability

• Access to diverse career pathways in and outside academia

• Deeper and more diverse set of research-related, academic and transferable skills and competences, leading to greater autonomy 

For participating organisations:

• Better alignment of research and Human Resources practices, including recruitment, career accession and progression systems, at participating organisation(s) with the European Charter for Researchers and the Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment;

• Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

• Stronger R&I and teaching capacity and output;

• Increased contribution to the local, regional and/or national socio-economic ecosystems;

• Stronger synergies across institutional research, management and teaching structures.

Scope: The objective of this new scheme is to tackle brain drain and precarity of researchers' careers to make Europe more attractive to the most promising young talents. Applicants submit proposals for talent recruitment programmes that will provide researchers holding a doctoral degree with excellent research and academic opportunities, potentially coupled with management activities, to lead them to concrete and attractive career prospects. This will have an impact on the enhancement of human resources in R&I at institutional, regional, national or international level. These programmes will be co-funded by MSCA Choose Europe for Science.

The programmes will be divided into two phases. A first phase (24-36 months) in which the EU funding is equivalent to the minimum gross salary for the recruited researcher during this phase and a second phase (24 months) in which the applicant is expected to continue to employ the researcher, set salaries attractive at a national level and ensure availability of the necessary internal or external funds.

Proposed programmes can cover any research disciplines. The selection procedure for candidates must be open, competitive, merit-based and with a transparent international peer-review in line with the European Charter for Researchers. Alignment with the principles outlined in the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment is also encouraged. Selection criteria should be based primarily on excellence. Additional selection criteria require clear alignment with local human resources needs identified in the relevant institutional, regional or national strategies. These must be described in the proposal and must be listed in the vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website) alongside the gross salaries applicable to the two programme phases (net salary + employee’s taxes and contributions). Selected fellows will be able to work in research, teaching or management positions and, where relevant, define their own research topic at their host institution(s). The programmes should aim at offering excellent working conditions to researchers, including salary, professional resources, and career development.

The career development should incorporate transversal skills but also job-specific skills and, where relevant, language courses to ensure that the training is in line with the career opportunities offered following the fellowship. These opportunities must include concrete and attractive long-term career prospects, such as pathways towards open-ended contracts, which can be subject to assessment and evaluation. There must be a fair, equal, inclusive, transparent, structured career accession and progression system providing access to these opportunities in line with the Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, the European Charter for Researchers in its annex and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment.

A Career Development Plan must be maintained throughout the period of the Choose Europe for Science programme. In addition to research objectives, this Plan comprises the researcher's career development needs, including training on languages, transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events. The Plan should outline the projected career progression paths in the host institution. 

Applicable unit contributions:

The EU contribution for MSCA Choose Europe for Science will take the form of unit contributions.

The Choose Europe for Science allowance can be used during the first phase to cover:
 

• costs of the researchers throughout the fellowship duration including the remuneration payable to the researchers recruited under an employment contract with full social security coverage and complying with the applicable social security legislation, as well as the mobility costs and, if applicable, the family costs, and/or

• costs related to the training, research expenses, activities related to networking of researchers and transfer of knowledge, costs of managing the action and indirect costs.

During the first phase, the monthly gross remuneration, i.e. salaries, social security contributions, taxes and other costs or compulsory deductions under national legislation linked to remuneration must be no lower than EUR 6700 (i.e. the Choose Europe for Science allowance).

During the second phase, the monthly gross remuneration can differ from the initial phase but must remain attractive and competitive at national level. The beneficiary will be responsible for the availability of the necessary funds to cover the monthly gross remuneration during this phase. This phase should contribute to the longer-term career prospects and employability of the recruited researcher following the project period.

The monthly gross remuneration for both phases, as well as the costs or compulsory deductions under national legislation, such as employer and employee’ social security contributions and direct taxes, must be clearly communicated in the vacancy notice.

The long-term leave allowance contributes to the personnel costs incurred by the employer in case of the researchers’ leave, including maternity, paternity, parental, sick or special leave, longer than 30 consecutive days. The special needs allowance contributes to the additional costs for the acquisition of special needs items and services for researchers with disabilities, whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are certified by a competent national authority, and of such nature that their participation in the action may not be possible without them (e.g. assistance by third persons, adaptation of work environment, additional travel/transportation costs). These special needs items or services must not have been funded from another source (e.g. social security or health insurance). Both long-term leave and special needs allowances can be requested when the need arises during the first phase of the project. During the second phase, the beneficiary should continue to follow the applicable national legislation regarding remuneration of researchers on leave and provisions for researchers with special needs.

The beneficiary must employ and host the selected researchers under an employment contract or 'equivalent direct contract' with full social security coverage (including sickness, parental, unemployment and invalidity benefits, pension rights, benefits in respect of accidents at work and occupational diseases). An exemption from this rule can be accepted only in cases where national legislation or the equivalent internal regulations of International European Research Organisations (IERO), entities created under Union law, or an international organisation, prohibit this possibility and subject to the prior agreement of the granting authority.

In principle, researchers should be employed full-time. The above rates apply to researchers devoting themselves to their project on a full-time basis. Researchers may, in agreement with the beneficiary and with prior approval by the granting authority, implement their project on a part-time basis.

In cases of part-time work, researchers must work at least 50% of the full working time in their recruiting organisation for the action co-funded by the MSCA, whether they are working part-time for family or other reasons180. The beneficiary should report costs as pro rata of the applicable full-time unit contributions.

The EU contribution is limited to EUR 3.5 million per beneficiary for this call. If an applicant submits two or more successful applications totalling more than EUR 3.5 million within this call, the applicant will be required to decide which of these proposals to implement.

The table above specifies the unit contributions for the co-funding of regional, national and international programmes. The EU contribution can be used to support any cost items of the programme during the initial phase (remuneration costs, mobility costs, family costs, research, training and networking costs, management and indirect costs). Complementary funds to implement the project can be fully or partially funded through other sources including EU programmes other than Horizon Europe, such as the Cohesion policy funds, provided that double funding is avoided.

Applicants must specify in their proposal the total cost of their proposed programme and in particular the amounts, including the Choose Europe for Science allowance, that will be provided for the benefit of the researchers in each phase. This information will be needed to evaluate the adequateness and attractiveness of employment and working conditions of the researchers. 

Eligiblity:

Each Choose Europe for Science programme must have two phases: a first phase of 24 months for a 48-month fellowship or 36 months for a 60-month fellowship, and a second phase of 24 months.
 

Participating organisations:

• Applications must be submitted by a single entity established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

• Affiliated entities are not allowed to participate as they cannot claim costs in MSCA Choose Europe for Science.

• International organisations with headquarters in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country will be deemed to be established in this Member State or Associated Country.

• The beneficiary will be responsible for the availability of the necessary complementary funds to implement the proposal and ensure the full coverage of the second phase as described in the proposal.

• In each Choose Europe for Science programme, a minimum of three researchers must be recruited. Proposals foreseeing recruitment for fewer than three researchers will be deemed ineligible.

Recruited researchers:

• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the deadline of the vacancy notice. For International European Research Organisations’ (IERO), 'international organisations' or entities created under Union law, the researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the deadline of the vacancy notice, in the same appointing organisation. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

• Researchers who are already permanently employed by the organisation hosting them cannot be funded by MSCA Choose Europe for Science.

• Researchers who are temporarily employed by the organisation hosting them and who adhere to the mobility requirement can be funded under MSCA Choose Europe for Science.

• Researchers must be nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country in case the main part of the activities is carried out in a country other than an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

• Limitations regarding the researchers' origin and destination should be avoided.

• Supported researchers must be in possession of a doctoral degree at the vacancy notice deadline

Duration of the Action:

• The maximum duration of the action must be 60 months from the starting date set out in the grant agreement for a 48-month fellowship and 72 months for a 60-month fellowship. It also includes the time that is needed to select and recruit the researchers.

• Researchers must be recruited within the first 12 months of the action duration.

• After the first phase (24 or 36 months), the researcher will be offered recruitment by the beneficiary to implement the second phase of 24 months as planned.

• The minimum duration of each fellowship (on the basis of full-time employment) must be 48 months182and the maximum duration is 60 months

Seal of Excellence: 

Seals of Excellence will be awarded to applications with a total score equal to or higher than 85%, but which cannot be funded due to lack of budget available to the call.

Call Budget:

For 2025 Call: EUR 25,50 million

Current Call Information:

Opening: 01 October 2025

Deadline: 03 December 2025

Documents needed for this CALL:

• Click here for the 2025 call launch announcement and details.

• MSCA Work Programme (Updated version dated 14 May 2025): The Work Programme includes information on all calls under the MSCA. You can find details about the 2025 call starting from pages 67 and 148.

• Guide for Applicants (2025 Call): The application guides include details on how to apply to the European Commission for the respective call. Please ensure you consult the 2025 Guide for Applicants for the 2025 call. Link will be updated on the call openning date.

• Proposal Template (2025 Call): The proposal template provides guidance on how to draft a project proposal for the relevant call. (Make sure to download the latest version of the Word/RTF documentfrom the Funding & Tenders Portal.) Link will be updated on the call openning date.

• All documents are also accessible via the European Commission's own platform. Click here to access the “Funding & Tender Opportunities” page.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Please check "Funding & Tender Opportunities" portal of European Commission. You will see "Topic Related FAQ" title.

• Please send your questions to TUBITAK MSCA National Contact Points via ncpmobility@tubitak.gov.tr 

Contact Info

For your inquiries about the Call, please contact with MSCA National Contact Points for Türkiye  (located at TÜBİTAK) ncpmobility@tubitak.gov.tr