Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported postdoctoral fellows

• Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects of MSCA postdoctoral fellows within academia and beyond;
• New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;
• Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

• Increased alignment of working conditions for researchers in accordance with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers;
• Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training and supervision;
• Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);
• Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations; better transfer of knowledge;
• Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Postdoctoral Fellowships either can take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe:

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents[1] who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organisation based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Specific eligibility conditions apply to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in the research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme [1].

Secondments

Researchers receiving a Postdoctoral Fellowship 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.

For European Postdoctoral Fellowships, secondments cannot exceed half 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.

For Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, optional secondments are permitted for up to half 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 organisation in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Placements in the non-academic sector

Postdoctoral Fellowships can provide an additional period of up to six months to support researchers opting for a placement at the end of the project to work on R&I projects in an organisation from the non-academic sector established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country[3]. While this possibility is also available to fellows recruited in the non-academic sector, such a placement must be implemented at a different non-academic host organisation established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country[4]. The request for such a non-academic placement must be an integral part of the proposal, explaining the added-value for the project and for the career development of the researcher, and will be subject to evaluation. This incentive aims at promoting career moves between sectors and organisations and thereby stimulate innovation and knowledge transfer while expanding career opportunities for researchers.

If the placement does not meet the requirements (taking place in an academic organisation or in a Third Country), the proposal will be evaluated without taking into account the placement. This might affect the final score.

Training activities

The training activities implemented under the Postdoctoral Fellowships should integrate key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, including digital ones (e.g. generative AI), and foster the culture of Open Science, knowledge valorisation[5], and when applicable innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as good scientific conduct such as research integrity. In particular, the Postdoctoral Fellowships should empower fellows to pursue a career in research and adequately prepare them for increased research collaboration and information-sharing made possible by new (digital) technologies (e.g. collaborative tools, opening access to publications and to other research outputs including data, FAIR data management, societal engagement and citizen science, etc.).

Career Development Plan

In order to equip MSCA postdoctoral fellows with skills that enhance and expand their career opportunities inside and outside academia, a Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the researcher. In addition to research objectives, this plan should comprise the researcher's training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events aiming at opening science and research to citizens. The Plan will have to be submitted as a project deliverable at the beginning of the action and can be updated when needed.

Euratom

Aiming to enhance nuclear expertise and excellence as well as synergies between Programmes, organisations active in nuclear research established in one of EU Member States or countries associated to the Euratom Research and Training programme, are eligible to participate[6]. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in this area of research will be supported by the Euratom Research and Training Programme through an indicative annual financial contribution of EUR 1 million to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call[7].

ERA Fellowships

The ERA Fellowships implemented through Work Programme Annex 11, Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area, provide specific support to researchers to undertake their fellowship in a widening country[8]. This will help spread excellence and contribute to fostering balanced brain circulation in widening countries.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

All Horizon Europe proposals are scored on three decisive pillars:

✔️ Excellence

• Clear, innovative idea beyond state-of-the-art
• Strong methodology and scientific credibility
• Well-defined, measurable objectives 

✔️ Impact (most decisive in practice)

• Demonstrated societal, economic, or environmental impact
• Strong dissemination & exploitation plan
• Alignment with EU priorities (Green Deal, digital, SDGs) 

✔️ Quality & Efficiency of Implementation

• Realistic work plan, timeline, and deliverables
• Clear governance and task distribution
• Feasible and justified budget 

👉 Proposals must meet minimum thresholds (≈10/15 total) and ≥3 per criterion to be fundable

🧠 2. Consortium Strength (Top Empirical Predictor)

From large-scale studies of EU Framework grants:

Key factors:

• Prior EU funding experience (very strong predictor)
• High scientific reputation / excellence of partners
• Strong existing collaborations (network familiarity)
• High “network visibility” in EU research ecosystem 

Structural advantages:

• Balanced consortium (academia + industry + SMEs)
• Inclusion of well-established Western EU institutions
• Application-oriented collaborations perform better 

👉 This is one of the most consistently proven predictors across studies

🌍 3. Strategic Consortium Composition

Successful proposals often show:

• Multidisciplinary & cross-sector teams
• Inclusion of:
  • Universities
  • Industry/SMEs
  • Public or non-profit organizations
• Alignment of partner roles with project objectives 

👉 “Triangular collaboration” (academia + industry + research orgs) is common in funded projects

📊 4. Strong Alignment with Call Topic

• Precise match with call scope and expected outcomes
• Explicit referencing of:
  • Work Programme priorities
  • EU missions / policy goals
• Avoid “generic” proposals

👉 Misalignment is a major reason for rejection (even for strong science)

📑 5. Proposal Quality & Compliance

Critical but often underestimated predictors:

• Full compliance with:
  • Formatting rules
  • Page limits
  • Mandatory annexes
• Clear, readable, structured writing
• Inclusion of ethics, gender, and data management plans 

👉 Administrative errors can lead to automatic rejection

💰 6. Budget Credibility

• Budget must be:
  • Realistic
  • Justified per work package
  • Linked to outputs

👉 Weak or inflated budgets reduce evaluation scores

⏳ 7. Preparation Time & Proposal Development

• Successful consortia typically:
  • Start 6–8 months in advance
  • Iterate drafts and internal reviews
• Proposal preparation often requires 2–3 person-months effort 

📈 8. Experience with Evaluation Process

• Understanding scoring system and evaluator mindset is crucial
• Key predictors:
  • Prior submissions (even unsuccessful ones)
  • Use of experienced coordinators or consultants

👉 Studies show success depends on both:

• Excellent idea
• Understanding evaluation system 

📉 9. Success Rate Context (Competitiveness)

• Average success rate ≈ 16% in Horizon Europe 

👉 Meaning: even strong proposals fail → optimization of all predictors is essential

🧩 Summary: Most Important Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

1. Strong consortium (experience + reputation)
2. Clear impact (policy + societal relevance)
3. Excellence of idea

Moderate but critical:
4. Implementation quality
5. Call alignment
6. Budget credibility

Supporting factors:
7. Proposal writing quality & compliance
8. Early preparation
9. Familiarity with EU evaluation process

💡 Practical Insight

The biggest shift from Horizon 2020 → Horizon Europe is:

👉 Impact is now as important (or more) than scientific excellence