Writing Competitive MSCA-PF Grant Proposals
The EU program Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) is an important channel to get funding to recruit excellent foreign postdocs to Uppsala University. The grant can also be used by researchers at the university who want to go abroad for a postdoctoral stay.
Over the years, MSCA PF has become highly competitive and Uppsala University's Research Support is therefore offering a workshop to guide applicants and supervisors on writing an ambitious MSCA PF proposal. The support provided at this workshop and the personal support offered afterwards can significantly contribute to the chances of receiving the grant.
Research advisors at Uppsala University responsible for MSCA
Eligible applicants
Eligible applicants for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships with Uppsala University as a host hold a PhD, and have no more than 8 years of research experience after PhD. Mobility rules also apply to Standard European Fellowships and applicants cannot have lived or carried out their main activity for more than one year in Sweden during the past three years before the call deadline.
To be able to apply for a MSCA PF with Uppsala University, you need to have been invited to apply together with a host supervisor at Uppsala University.
Calculate co-funding in MSCA PF and MSCA DN
Use a simple Excel template to help you calculate the required co-funding for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) and MSCA Doctoral Networks (DN). The tool can be used during the application phase to get a realistic overview of the co-funding needs quickly.
The template is particularly useful for:
- Giving researchers a quick overview of budgetary conditions. For example, it is common for the coordinator in an MSCA DN to propose reallocating funds to hire a project coordinator for the entire consortium. The tool can easily be updated with current figures based on the coordinator's budget proposal.
- Making it easier for the institution's financial officers to quickly calculate co-funding needs.
- Supporting department heads and management in decisions regarding co-funding.
Questions and support
Financial officers can contact the finance officers at the Devision for Research and Partnership Support via email fos-ekonomi@uu.se with questions about the tool.
Researchers and department heads can contact research advisors who specialise in MSCA within their respective scientific domain with questions about, for example, best practices for reallocating funds in MSCA DN, or if you need support in an MSCA PF or MSCA DN application.
Workshop offered
Research Support offers the workshop “Writing competitive MSCA PF grant proposals” on Zoom to applicants who apply with Uppsala University as host organisation. Both fellows who apply themselves or supervisors recruiting a fellow can attend the workshop.
Time and place
Webinars on Zoom: 28 April and 26 May 2026.
Register for the workshop/webinars “Writing competitive MSCA PF grant proposals”
Contents of the workshop
- Insights and tips from an evaluator
- The Excellence, Impact, and Implementation sections
- Budget overview
- Ethics self-assessment
- Gender aspects
- Open science practices
- Intellectual property rights
- Hosting arrangements
- CV improvements
- Capacity of the participating organisations
- Practical guidance on the online proposal and submission
- Background of the call
Presenters
- The National Contact Point for MSCA
- An MSCA PF evaluator
- Research advisors, Uppsala University
- Uppsala University Innovation
- Uppsala University Library
Timeline of application support
Please contact the research advisor(s) of your faculty (see below) for personalised support with your proposal. The workshop is also open for employees at UU applying for an outgoing fellowship. However, they should contact the research support at their host institutions for personalised support with their proposal.
Deadline for sending the first draft to research support is 10 August 2026.
Contact
Science and Technology: elin.forslund@uu.se; goran.hamrin@uu.se
Medicine and Pharmacy: anna.lobell@uu.se; joakim.bergstrom@uu.se
Humanities and Social Sciences: anna.holen@uu.se, eric.trovalla@uu.se