Ten simple rules for a successful Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship (PF) application

18/08/2022

Today PLOS Computational Biology published the editorial article "Ten simple rules for a successful EU Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral (MSCA) fellowship application". The team of authors is comprised of former MSCA postdoctoral fellows and reviewers who have been evaluating MSCA applications for several years. BayFOR has also contributed here.

The most important factor for a researcher's success on the academic job market is scientific output, i.e. published work, accompanied by other factors such as networking and participation in scientific communication. Academic mobility helps to build international collaborations and is seen very positively in job applications. Only 4% of researchers move to a new country, but mobile researchers have a 40% higher citation rate compared to non-mobile colleagues. Researchers also need to raise funds to successfully carry out their own projects and gain scientific independence. To do this, postdocs, as future group leaders, need to know how to obtain funding independently.

The Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) specifically support the above factors and help researchers develop their skills. They are part of the ninth European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation "Horizon Europe". The programme contains a number of major research funding schemes, including the prestigious MSCA postdoctoral fellowships and the co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND).

The aim of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is to foster the creative and innovative potential of postdoctoral researchers through new skills acquired through advanced training, as well as international, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers with a PhD and a maximum of 8 years of postgraduate experience. Researcher mobility is a key requirement in all MSCA programmes.

This paper provides 10 simple rules for preparing a successful postdoctoral fellowship application and COFUND application in the MSCA programme. However, many aspects of the application process overlap with the other EU funding programmes, so these useful tips can be applied there as well.

The publication can be found here.

The deadline for the #MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is approaching! Deadline: 14 September 2022. Do you need help? BayFOR will advise you individually on your application.