MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) aim to support the career development and training of researchers in all scientific disciplines through international and intersectoral mobility, in collaboration with a supervisor. These fellowships will be open to excellent researchers of any nationality.

MSCA-PF provide an extremely enriching experience that enhances career perspectives for researchers. The European Office offers information and support in the project proposal to researchers applying with our university.

The Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), founded in 1499 and located in Spain’s capital, is a renowned public institution dedicated to education and research. It is considered one of Spain’s and the Spanish-speaking world’s most important and prestigious universities, consistently ranking among Spain’s top institutions in international university rankings.

Types of Grants

There are two types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships:

  • Composed of one phase held in an EU Member State or Associated Country,

  • Open to researchers of any nationality either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe,

  • Duration of the projects financed in the EF ranges from 12 to 24 months.

  • Composed of two phases:

    • An outgoing phase in a non-associated Third Country (i.e. non-MS / AC),

    • A mandatory return phase to an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country afterwards.

  • Open to European nationals or long-term residents moving towards Third Countries from anywhere (Europe or otherwise) as long as they return to Europe in the return phase

  • Duration of the projects financed in the GF is 24 to 36 months (an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months, and a mandatory 12-month return phase).

Secondments

Researchers may opt to include a secondment phase, within the overall duration of their fellowship in any country worldwide. The secondment phase can be a single period or be divided into shorter mobility periods.

  • Secondments cannot exceed one third of the requested duration of the action (excluding from the duration of the action any additional period for a non-academic placement) and should be in line with the project objectives, adding significant value and impact to the fellowship.

  • Optional secondments are permitted for up to one third of the outgoing phase. A maximum of three months of such secondments can be spent at the start of the project at the beneficiary (or associated partners linked to the beneficiary), allowing the researcher to spend time there before going to the associated partner in the Third Country. This period of maximum three months will be considered as part of the outgoing phase.

  • Secondments cannot take place during the mandatory twelve-month return period to the host organization.

Placements in the non-academic sector

It is available an additional placement period of up to six months at the end of the project in an organization from the non-academic sector (even fellows recruited in a non-academic sector) established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. The request for such non-academic placement must be an integral part of the submitted proposal, explaining the added-value for the project and for the career development of the researcher, and will be subject to evaluation.

Eligible Researchers

At the time of the deadline of the call, researchers shall have obtained a doctoral degree or defended their doctoral thesis.

They should have, at the time of the deadline, a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date of award of the doctoral degree.

This requirement is however subject to the following: for those researchers who have had certain interruptions during their career, the 8-year period will be extended by the length of such interruptions. Interruptions recognized by the EC include:

  • Maternity leave (extended by 18 months – i.e. 548 days per child born after the PhD award date, or the exact duration of maternity leave taken, whichever is longest)

  • Paternity leave (extended by the exact duration per child born after the PhD award date)

  • Long-term sick leave (for periods longer than 30 days)

  • Research in a non-associated TC – only for nationals or long-term residents of MS or AC, who will be reintegrating to Europe through the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (reintegration in Europe means, in this context, moving directly from the non-associated TC to Europe, or having just recently moved back to Europe in the last 12 months. This means research periods in a non-associated TC will count towards the 8-year limit if a researcher has already come back and has been developing his career in Europe since)

  • Time spent not working in research

  • Career breaks

  • Compulsory national service

Also, researchers need to comply with the mobility rules required in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF):

  • Open to postdoctoral researchers of any nationality.

  • The postdoctoral researcher must move or have moved from any country to the Member State (MS) / Horizon Europe Associate Country (AC) where the host institution is located.

  • The postdoctoral researcher has to comply with the general mobility rule: not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline.

  • Open to postdoctoral researcher nationals or long-term residents of MS / AC (long-term: period of full-time research activity in MS/AC of at least 5 consecutive years).

  • The postdoctoral researcher must move or have moved from any country to the TC of the outgoing phase.

  • The postdoctoral researcher has to comply with the mobility rule in the Third Country of the outgoing phase: not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the TC for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline.

  • The postdoctoral researcher is recruited during the whole duration of the project by the European Host Institution.

Financial Support

The grant provides an allowance to cover living, travel and family, long-term leave and special needs costs. The grant is awarded to a host organization, usually a university, research centre or a company in Europe that employs the Experienced Researchers. The research costs and overheads of the host organization(s) are also supported. In addition, funding is provided for: research, training and networking activities, and management and indirect costs.

The grant provides an allowance to cover living, travel and family, long-term leave and special needs costs. The grant is awarded to a host organization, usually a university, research centre or a company in Europe that employs the Experienced Researchers. The research costs and overheads of the host organization(s) are also supported. In addition, funding is provided for: research, training and networking activities, and management and indirect costs.

The European financial contribution for a Marie Curie Fellowship is a flat-rate for the entire period of the project. The salary conditions of a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow is very competitive in relation to the average cost of living (max. gross salary over 60,000 euros). It provides the following entries yearly allocated:

1. Researcher unit cost (per month)

Living allowance* Mobility allowance Family allowance
€ 5,990
€ 710
€ 660

* A country correction coefficient applied to the living allowance: 95,6 ES.

2. Institutional unit cost (per month):

Living allowance* Mobility allowance
€ 5,990
€ 710

Applying for a MSCA-PF

Your supervisor should be a researcher at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), who must agree to sponsor your proposal. If you have not contacted anyone yet, you should have a look at our Expressions of Interest service(EoI) to find groups interested in hosting candidates.

MSCA-PF application tool