MSCA Proposal Template 2026: Structure, Sections, and Tips

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 proposal template consists of two mandatory parts: an administrative Part A submitted through online forms in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, and a scientific and technical Part B uploaded as a PDF. The 2026 call, which opened on 9 April 2026 and closes on 9 September 2026, carries a budget of €399.05 million and is expected to fund nearly 1,600 projects (MSCA opens €399 million call for Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2026). Understanding how each template section maps to the evaluation criteria is the single most important step you can take before writing a single word.

Applications are submitted jointly by the researcher and the host organisation. The host can be a university, research institution, company, SME, public body, hospital, or NGO based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (MSCA opens €399 million call for Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2026). Researchers must hold a PhD and have no more than eight years of full-time postdoctoral research experience at the call deadline. Two fellowship types are available: European Postdoctoral Fellowships (12–24 months, open to researchers of any nationality) and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (12–24 months outgoing phase in a non-associated third country, plus a mandatory 12-month return phase, open to EU and Horizon Europe Associated Country nationals or long-term residents), each with distinct eligibility and budget rules (MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call page). Note that specific eligibility conditions apply to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2026–2027; consult the official call page for details. You can find the full call details and the official guidance on the European Research Executive Agency (REA) how-to-apply page.

What Does the MSCA 2026 Proposal Template Consist Of?

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal template is divided into two distinct parts with separate submission requirements. Part A is completed directly in the submission system's online wizard, while Part B is a structured PDF document you prepare offline and upload. Neither part can substitute for the other — both are mandatory and both are evaluated.

Part A: Administrative and Budget Forms

Part A is generated automatically by the standard application form (HE MSCA PF) in the submission system. It contains five sections:

• Section 1 – General information: Proposal title (maximum 200 characters), scientific area, up to five descriptors in descending order of relevance, free keywords (maximum 200 characters), and a 2,000-character abstract (standard application form HE MSCA PF). The abstract is the first text an evaluator reads, so it must clearly state the research question, the fellowship type, and the mobility dimension.
• Section 2 – Participants: Details of the researcher and the host organisation(s). For Global Fellowships, both the outgoing host (third country) and the return host (EU/Associated Country) must be registered.
• Section 3 – Budget: Calculated automatically based on unit costs defined in the MSCA Work Programme. You select the fellowship type, duration, and whether a secondment or non-academic placement is planned — including the option for an additional six-month non-academic placement at the end of the fellowship described below; the system calculates the eligible EU contribution.
• Section 4 – Ethics and security: Mandatory self-assessment of ethical issues, dual-use research concerns, and security-sensitive topics. According to the REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation, incomplete ethics screening is among the most common errors flagged during administrative checks.
• Section 5 – Other questions: Declarations of consent, confirmation that no project activities have started, eligibility statements, and acknowledgement that communication will be conducted through the portal.

A practical point many applicants overlook: the scientific descriptors in Section 1 directly influence which expert evaluators REA assigns to your proposal (standard application form HE MSCA PF). Choose them carefully and in genuine order of relevance — not in the order you think sounds most impressive.

Part B: Technical Annex (the Scientific Proposal)

Part B is the document that evaluators score. It follows a fixed template structure published by the European Commission and must not exceed the page limits specified in the 2026 call conditions published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal — always verify the exact limits in the current call document rather than relying on previous years. The template is divided into three main sections that map directly to the three evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation.

The 2026 call also introduces an important optional feature: researchers may request an additional six months at the end of their fellowship to undertake a placement in a non-academic organisation in Europe (MSCA opens €399 million call for Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2026). If you plan to include this placement, it must be reflected consistently across Part A (budget) and the relevant sections of Part B.

How Is Part B Section 1 (Excellence) Structured?

Section 1 of Part B addresses the Excellence criterion, which evaluates the scientific quality of your research idea and the suitability of the researcher and host. It must convince evaluators that your research idea is scientifically sound, novel, and ambitious — and that you, as the researcher, have the profile to execute it.

The standard sub-sections evaluators expect under Excellence are:

1. Quality and pertinence of the research/innovation objectives: State the research questions clearly. Evaluators look for a sharp, answerable question — not a broad research area. Describe the state of the art, identify the gap your project addresses, and explain why the proposed approach is novel.
2. Soundness of the proposed methodology: Describe the methods, explain why they are appropriate, and acknowledge risks with mitigation strategies. Weak or vague methodology is a frequently cited reason for score loss under Excellence, as noted by evaluators in the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 Call Information Webinar hosted by UK Research and Innovation.
3. Clarity and quality of the transfer of knowledge/training: MSCA fellowships are explicitly training grants. You must describe what new skills, methods, and competences the researcher will acquire — not just what research will be produced. This distinguishes MSCA from a standard research grant.
4. Quality of the supervision and the hosting arrangements: Detail the supervisor's track record, the research environment at the host, and access to infrastructure, networks, and complementary training. Evaluators want evidence that the host can deliver what it promises.

Many applicants underestimate sub-sections 1.3 and 1.4. The training and supervision narrative is not a formality — it contributes directly to the Excellence score and reflects what makes MSCA structurally different from ERC or collaborative project grants.

How Is Part B Section 2 (Impact) Structured?

Section 2 addresses Impact — the potential of the fellowship to benefit the researcher's career, contribute to science, and deliver wider societal or economic value. A common challenge here is that researchers write excellent science sections but then produce generic impact statements. Evaluators notice.

Key sub-sections under Impact include:

1. Credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts: Explain how the research results will be used, by whom, and through what channels. Be specific: name potential end-users, policy bodies, industry sectors, or patient communities where relevant.
2. Suitability and quality of the measures to maximise the dissemination and exploitation of results: Describe your publication strategy (open access is mandatory under Horizon Europe), conference participation, public engagement activities, and any plans for commercialisation or policy uptake.
3. Communication plan: Per the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement, beneficiaries must provide a detailed communication plan setting out objectives, key messaging, target audiences, communication channels, social media plan, planned budget, and relevant monitoring indicators (HE AGA, Article 17, p.381). Even at the proposal stage, evaluators expect a credible outline of this plan — not a one-sentence commitment to "disseminate results widely."
4. Benefits to the researcher's career: Explain how the fellowship advances the researcher's long-term career trajectory. This is unique to MSCA — you are expected to articulate the fellowship's role as a career development tool, not just a funding mechanism.

The 2026 call's indicative budget of €399.05 million is split as €339.19 million for European Fellowships and €59.86 million for Global Fellowships (REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation). This allocation reflects a programme that prioritises both individual career development and systemic impact on the European Research Area. Your Impact section should speak to both dimensions.

How Is Part B Section 3 (Implementation) Structured?

Section 3 covers Implementation — the feasibility and quality of the project plan. This is where you demonstrate that the proposed fellowship is realistic, well-organised, and deliverable within the available time and budget.

Standard sub-sections under Implementation include:

1. Overall coherence and effectiveness of the work plan: Present a Gantt chart or equivalent timeline showing all major research tasks, training activities, secondments, and deliverables. The work plan must be consistent with the proposed duration (12–24 months for European Fellowships; up to 36 months total for Global Fellowships).
2. Appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources: Justify how the fellowship duration and budget are allocated across activities. For Global Fellowships, clearly delineate the outgoing and return phases. If you are requesting the optional additional six-month non-academic placement, its activities and added value must be explicitly justified here.
3. Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures: Describe the supervisory relationship, progress monitoring mechanisms, and how disputes or problems would be handled. A brief statement on intellectual property arrangements is expected where relevant.
4. Capacity and role of each participant: For European Fellowships, describe the host organisation's capacity. For Global Fellowships, describe both the outgoing host (third country) and the return host, and explain the added value of the third-country stay.

In practice, the Implementation section is where many otherwise strong proposals lose marks through internal inconsistency — a Gantt chart that doesn't align with the methodology, or a budget justification that contradicts the described work plan. Cross-checking all three sections for coherence before submission is not optional; it is essential.

What Are the Most Common Errors in MSCA Proposal Templates?

Based on published guidance from the European Research Executive Agency and the REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation, the most frequent errors in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals fall into five categories:

• Exceeding page limits: Pages beyond the limit are automatically disregarded by evaluators. There are no exceptions. Always verify the exact page limits in the 2026 call conditions document on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal — do not rely on limits from previous calls.
• Insufficient mobility justification: MSCA fellowships are fundamentally mobility grants. Proposals that do not clearly articulate why the specific host country and institution were chosen — beyond generic prestige — score poorly on Excellence and Implementation.
• Treating the abstract as a summary: The 2,000-character abstract in Part A is read independently by REA administrators and sometimes by evaluators before they open Part B. It must be self-contained and compelling, not a truncated version of the introduction.
• Incomplete ethics self-assessment: Ticking "no ethical issues" for a proposal involving human data, animal models, dual-use technologies, or third-country partnerships raises immediate red flags. According to the REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation, incomplete ethics screening is among the most common errors flagged during administrative checks, and can result in additional ethics review requirements that delay grant signature.
• Generic training plans: Listing conference attendance and one secondment does not constitute a training plan. Evaluators expect named training activities, specific competences to be acquired, and a timeline.

A practical observation: the five-month submission window between 9 April and 9 September 2026 feels generous but closes quickly once you account for identifying a host, agreeing a research plan, completing the host's internal approval process, and conducting peer review of your Part B draft. The host's Legal Entity Appointed Representative (LEAR) must be validated on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before submission can be completed — this process can take several weeks depending on the organisation. Many applicants find that the final weeks before the September deadline are absorbed by administrative corrections rather than scientific writing, a pattern frequently noted in REA guidance sessions including the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 Call Information Webinar hosted by UK Research and Innovation.

How Does the MSCA Doctoral Networks Template Differ from the PF Template?

The MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 call, which opened on 28 May 2026 with a deadline of 24 November 2026 and a budget of €593 million, uses a substantially different proposal template. Understanding the differences matters if your institution is involved in both action types.

Source: MSCA opens €399 million call for Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2026; Doctoral Networks 2026 call opens for submission.

For Doctoral Networks, the proposal template requires significantly more detail on consortium governance, joint supervision arrangements, and inter-sectoral secondment planning. The 2026 Doctoral Networks call also introduces the RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science pilot (call identifier: HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-03) under Horizon Europe Cluster 4, which carries its own additional template requirements (Doctoral Networks 2026 call opens for submission).

What Are the Practical Implications for Proposal Writers and Research Administrators?

If you are supporting a researcher preparing an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship application for the 9 September 2026 deadline, here is a concrete timeline and checklist to manage the process effectively:

• By end of June 2026: Confirm host organisation eligibility, register the host on the Funding & Tenders Portal if not already registered, and agree on the research topic and fellowship type with the prospective supervisor. The host's Legal Entity Appointed Representative (LEAR) must be validated on the portal — this process can take several weeks and should not be left until the final month.
• By mid-July 2026: Complete a first full draft of Part B (all three sections). Share with the supervisor and at least one reviewer who has not been involved in drafting. Reviewers unfamiliar with the project are the most effective at identifying gaps that the research team has become blind to.
• By end of July 2026: Complete the ethics self-assessment in Part A. If your research involves human participants, personal data, dual-use technologies, or non-EU fieldwork, consult your institution's ethics office before completing this section — not after.
• By mid-August 2026: Finalise the Part A forms in the submission system, including the abstract, descriptors, and budget. Run an internal check for consistency between Part A and Part B — particularly the fellowship type, duration, participant details, and whether the optional non-academic placement has been correctly reflected in both parts.
• By 2 September 2026: Submit a test upload through the submission system to verify that the PDF renders correctly, page counts are within limits, and all mandatory attachments are included. Do not submit for the first time on the deadline day — portal congestion in the final days before the closure date is commonly reported and early submission is strongly advisable.

Research administrators managing multiple fellowship applications simultaneously should create a shared tracking document mapping each application's proposal acronym, fellowship type, host LEAR validation status, Part B draft version, and internal review milestones. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal's submission system also provides status indicators for each application that can serve as a reference point across teams. With the 9 September 2026 deadline falling mid-week, early submission is strongly advisable.

For a practical walkthrough of eligibility requirements and fellowship type selection, the EMDESK Academy MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 Application Guide provides complementary detail on the researcher-side preparation process. The official MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 Call Information Webinar hosted by UK Research and Innovation also covers the evaluation process and common applicant questions in detail.

Looking Ahead: What Should Applicants Expect After Submission?

According to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call page, the indicative timeline runs as follows: results notification in February 2027, grant agreement signature in April 2027, and first project starts in May 2027. The evaluation period — approximately five months — involves remote expert review followed by a consensus panel process managed by REA.

Proposals that score above the threshold but are not funded due to budget constraints are placed on a reserve list. REA maintains these lists and occasionally activates them if additional budget becomes available or if funded proposals withdraw. If your proposal reaches the reserve list, you will receive a formal notification and should retain all documentation in case funding is offered at a later stage.

The total MSCA budget for 2021–2027 stands at €6.6 billion (REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation), and the programme has consistently been one of Horizon Europe's most competitive and prestigious individual researcher funding instruments. Investing the time to master the proposal template — and to use the five-month window strategically rather than reactively — remains the most reliable differentiator between proposals that score competitively and those that do not.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the page limit for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 Part B proposal?

The page limit for Part B of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal is specified in the call conditions published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the 2026 call. Pages beyond the stated limit are automatically disregarded by evaluators, with no exceptions. Always verify the exact limit in the 2026 call document rather than relying on previous years, as limits can vary between calls.

Can a researcher submit an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposal without a host organisation?

No. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship applications must be submitted jointly by the researcher and the host organisation through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The host must be based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and must be registered on the portal with a validated LEAR (Legal Entity Appointed Representative). Proposals submitted without a confirmed host are inadmissible.

What is the difference between a European and a Global MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the 2026 call?

European Postdoctoral Fellowships last 12–24 months and are open to researchers of any nationality who carry out their project in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships require a 12–24 month outgoing phase in a non-associated third country followed by a mandatory 12-month return phase in Europe, and are open to nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The 2026 budget allocates €339.19 million to European and €59.86 million to Global Fellowships (REA MSCA PF 2026 Information Presentation). Some exceptions and specific conditions apply — consult the official call page for details.

When will MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 applicants receive their evaluation results?

According to the indicative timeline published on the official MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call page, applicants can expect notification of results in February 2027, approximately five months after the 9 September 2026 submission deadline. Grant agreement signature is expected in April 2027, with first projects starting in May 2027. These dates are indicative and subject to confirmation by the European Research Executive Agency.

Does the MSCA proposal template differ between the Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks calls?

Yes, significantly. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Part B template is structured around Excellence, Impact, and Implementation for an individual researcher-host pairing. The Doctoral Networks template requires a consortium-level narrative covering network quality, joint doctoral training design, inter-sectoral secondments, and governance arrangements. The 2026 Doctoral Networks call, with a budget of €593 million and a deadline of 24 November 2026, also includes new requirements for the RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science pilot (HORIZON-RAISE-2026-01-03) under Horizon Europe Cluster 4.