MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Are you thinking about your next career step as a postdoctoral researcher?

Are you aiming to advance your intersectoral, interdisciplinary or international experience?

Are you looking for a young and dynamic university to host your research?

In that case you can apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral  Fellowship with the University of Antwerp as host institution!

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships fund promising postdoctoral researchers to develop their academic and transferable skills and enhance their career prospects by moving and working abroad.

The University of Antwerp allows you to work in a first class research environment located within the vibrant city of Antwerp while further increasing your academic and transferable skills.

​MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are individual grants for Postdoctoral  Researchers to support mobility, research projects and training. There are two types of fellowships:

• European Fellowships (EFs) for promising postdoctoral researchers of any nationality who wish to work elsewhere in Europe or to return to Europe. Researchers will have to move (or have moved recently) from any country to the EU Member State or the Associated Country where the host institution is located. The standard duration of EFs is between 12 and 24 months.
• Global Fellowships (GFs) for promising postdoctoral researchers who are nationals or long-term residents of an EU Member State or an Associated Country and who wish to work outside Europe (outgoing phase). GFs require an outgoing phase between 12 and 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host institution in Europe.

The fellowships may also include a secondment to another organisation in any country worldwide for max 1/3 of the fellowship duration, provided this secondment boosts the impact of research.

Both fellowships can be extended with an additional period of up to 6 months at the end of the project to support a placement in the non-academic sector (e.g. in a company or a non-profit organization).

• Postdoctoral researchers (PhD holders) which have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research (at the call deadline)
• Mobility is a key requirement: fellows must comply with the mobility rule of not having resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for EF), or in the country of the outgoing phase (for GF) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.
• All domains of research are eligible for funding.

The call usually opens in April/May, with a deadline in September.

Support during the application phase

• The proposal can be elaborated in a joined approach by you as fellow and a dedicated coaching team at the University of Antwerp composed of your supervisor, a research manager/MSCA expert and an administrative support staff from the Grants Office.
• The Grants Office provides
• an informative MSCA PF starter package
• an in-house training workshop “Keys to writing a successful MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal”
• advise on institutional aspects and horizontal issues (open science, gender, ethics and research data management, etc.)
• advise on MSCA specificities
• possible proofreading of your proposal
• administrative support for your online  application

An excellent research environment that supports international scholars

The University of Antwerp is a young and dynamic university with high standards in education, internationally competitive research and entrepreneurial approach. It ranks 5th in the Times Higher Education Millennials 2020 young universities ranking and 12th in the ​Times Higher Education 2024 world ranking and is a founding member of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance, which was selected in the first European Universities Initiative call in February 2019. The University has an excellent and long-standing track record as to participating in EU framework R&D programmes, collaborative research projects, ERC grants, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships and Networks. Under Horizon Europe, the University of Antwerp excels in attracting MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows, achieving an average success rate of mpre30%.  With no fewer than 88 nationalities represented among its staff members (and around 130 nationalities among its students) the University of Antwerp has an excellent international reputation and offers a well-suited setting for international scholars. The University holds the “HR Excellence in Research” logo and strives to offer staff the best opportunities for personal development.

Working and living in Antwerp, a dynamic and prosperous city

Antwerp is a dynamic and prosperous city in the Flemish region in Belgium,  with a rich historical past and a vibrant cultural life. It also has a thriving fashion, design, food and nightlife scene. The city is well connected by train to major European cities like Brussels (30 minutes), Amsterdam (75 minutes), London (3 hours) and Paris (2 hours). Find out more about Antwerp on the University’s webpage Antwerp Life.

• Verify your eligibility for the Postdoctoral Fellowship call;
• Make sure you have an excellent project idea for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship which matches the expertise of a supervisor/host group at University of Antwerp and connect with the supervisor;
• Get in touch with the Grants Office of University of Antwerp by contacting our MSCA coordinator. They can help you with verifying your eligibility and will inform you about the available support services.
• Inform and prepare yourself by participating in an MSCA-PF information session and training workshop and by carefully reading the call documents. Make sure you fully understand what (applying for) an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is all about (April-June);
• Write the proposal in close collaboration with your coaching team at University of Antwerp and create your proposal in the online Participant Portal (June-August);
• Send your draft proposal (90% ready) to the Grants Office for feedback (August);
• Ask the Grants Office for administrative support where needed (e.g. help with completing part A of the proposal);
• Submit your proposal through the EU Funding and Tenders portal in a timely way and at the very latest by the final submission deadline.