Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions: PhD and Postdoc Funding for European Researchers
By Muntasir • Published Oct 26, 2024 • Career Planning, Study in Europe, Scholarships & Funding
MSCA pays PhD researchers a living allowance of 4,010 EUR a month and postdocs 5,990 EUR a month before country adjustment, plus a 710 EUR mobility allowance and a 660 EUR family allowance if you qualify, and you must not have lived or worked in your host country for more than 12 of the last 36 months.
💶 Doctoral Networks living allowance: 4,010 EUR/month, Postdoctoral Fellowships: 5,990 EUR/month
🏠 A country correction coefficient adjusts your living allowance up or down for your host country's cost of living
📩 Mobility allowance is 710 EUR/month, family allowance is 660 EUR/month if you have dependants
⏱️ You cannot have lived or worked in your host country for more than 12 of the 36 months before recruitment
What MSCA funds
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is the Horizon Europe funding line for researcher training and mobility. The 2 main routes for early-career European researchers are Doctoral Networks, which fund PhD positions inside a consortium of universities and companies, and Postdoctoral Fellowships, which fund a 1 to 2 year research stay after your PhD at a host institution in a different country. Both are managed by the European Research Executive Agency (REA).
How much you get paid
MSCA pays researchers through fixed unit costs, updated by the European Commission after a review of researcher salaries and living costs. Under the rates that apply from 2024 calls onward, according to the European Commission's MSCA unit cost decision :
| Allowance | Doctoral Networks | Postdoctoral Fellowships |
|---|---|---|
| Living allowance (monthly) | 4,010 EUR | 5,990 EUR |
| Mobility allowance (monthly) | 710 EUR | 710 EUR |
| Family allowance (monthly, if applicable) | 660 EUR | 660 EUR |
These are gross figures before your host country's correction coefficient, which the Commission applies to keep purchasing power roughly equal across Europe, so your actual monthly payment is higher in expensive countries and lower in cheaper ones. Your host institution pays these allowances to you as a researcher, on top of full social security coverage, they are not a stipend you apply for separately.
The 12-month mobility rule
To qualify for MSCA funding, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity, meaning work or study, in your host country for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before your recruitment date, according to the official MSCA Doctoral Networks page . This rule exists to fund genuine cross-border mobility, not researchers staying in their home country or current base. Short stays such as holidays do not count against the 36-month window, only continuous residence or work does.
Where European researchers fit in
MSCA funding has no nationality restriction, you can be a citizen of any country as long as you satisfy the mobility rule for your chosen host country. For a European researcher, this usually means applying to a host institution in a different European country from the one where you did your PhD or your most recent long stay, since the rule is based on residence and work history, not passport.
Doctoral Networks versus Postdoctoral Fellowships
Doctoral Networks recruit researchers who do not yet hold a PhD, you get enrolled in a doctoral programme at 1 of the consortium's universities while training across the network. Postdoctoral Fellowships recruit researchers who already hold a PhD, usually completed within the last 8 years, for a fixed research stay at a single host institution. Check which route matches your current qualification before you start looking for open positions.
Tax and net pay
The living allowance is a gross figure, your host institution deducts income tax and social security contributions according to the rules of the host country, so your net pay depends on where you are based. Ask your host institution's HR or grants office for a net pay estimate before you accept a position, gross unit costs alone do not tell you what lands in your account each month.
How long a fellowship lasts
Doctoral Network positions typically run for the length of a PhD in the host country, often 3 years. Postdoctoral Fellowships run for 1 to 2 years, with an optional additional placement phase at a non-academic partner organisation for part of that time in some calls. Check the specific call and consortium for exact duration, it varies by project.
Family and long-term leave support
If you have a spouse, partner, or dependent children, the 660 EUR monthly family allowance applies for the duration of your fellowship, regardless of family size. MSCA also funds a long-term leave allowance if you take maternity, paternity, parental, sick, or special leave during your fellowship, so a career break does not mean losing your funding entirely.
How to apply
Doctoral Networks: look for open positions on the Euraxess jobs portal , you apply to a specific funded position inside a consortium, not to the EU directly
Postdoctoral Fellowships: choose a host institution and a supervisor first, the application is submitted jointly with your proposed host through the Horizon Europe funding portal
Check the current call deadline on the Horizon Europe work programme page for MSCA, deadlines run annually
Confirm you meet the mobility rule for your chosen host country before you invest time in a proposal