What is MSCA-PF?

• The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) supports research training of early career scientists with an emphasis on comprehensive professional and career development. Evaluators expect both:
  (1) high-quality scientific proposal;
  (2) presentation of career progress plan including the development of applicant´s professional skills under the guidance of an experienced supervisor. It is vital that apart from the research objectives applicant addresses how the fellowship will help to meet her/his professional ambitions.
• Call is open to any research discipline, using bottom-up approach. The proposed research must be explained very clearly - evaluators are affiliated to distinct panels according to their research field but they still may not be experts in applicant´s specific research topic.
• Unlike many other grant schemes, it is not essential to have the preliminary data since the applicant is expected to explore a new topic/field.
• Special attention must be paid to the impact and outreach of the proposed research.
• Engagement of the supervisor is very important during writing the proposal and implementation of the project too.

Who is it for?

Eligible candidates comply the following conditions:

• they are PhD holders who spent no more than 8 years working in research (since PhD) or PhD students who will obtain their PhD at latest on the day of call deadline (mid September 2022).
• They meet the mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

What benefits you get?

• MSCA fellow receives: (1) living allowance (= competitive salary), (2) mobility allowance and if applicable the fellow gets also (3) family, (4) long-term leave and (5) special needs allowances
• Host institutions gets: (1) research, training and networking activities and (2) management and indirect costs

Related funding - where else you can re-use your proposal

• OP JAK MSCA - proposals that achieved score of >70% will be eligible to apply for a so-called „MSCA-CZ“ funded from the Structural Funds and administered by MEYS - Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports), expected to open in June 2022 with deadline for submission in August 2022
• ERA fellowship - for those who end up just below the cut-off score in selected countries, including the Czech Republic
• GAČR Postdoctoral individual fellowship incoming/outcoming – eligible are PhD holders with max. 4 years in research. Success rate at MU in 2021: 42,8% for incoming and 25% for outcoming. Deadline for submission on 7th April 2022.

Important dates

• Call opens: ​​May 2022

• Call closes: September 2022

• Evaluation results published: February 2023

• Project starts: May 2023

Where I get more informations?

• You can use our practical guide “Towards winning MSCA PF step-by-step” that aims to help applicants (1) to get comprehensive understanding of the MSCA PF call conditions and rules and (2) to write the MSCA PF proposal exactly in line with the evaluator´s expectations.
• Official Guide for Applicants – so far available only for previous call 2021. Once the new call will open we will present the updated document.

Which support you can get during project preparation?

• Veronika Mikitová (mikitova@sci.muni.cz) – individual proposal consultations, assistance with proposal preparation and submission, Project Support Office, PřF MU
• Lucie Bodová (bodova@sci.muni.cz) - assistance with proposal preparation (part A) and submission, Project Support Office, PřF MUNI
• Mirjana Stanojevic (mirjana.stanojevic@recetox.muni.cz) - assistance with proposal preparation and submission, RECETOX
• Jakub Zeman (zeman@rect.muni.cz) - individual proposal consultations, assistance with proposal preparation and submission, Rector´s Office MU