We actively support proposals and welcome postdoctoral researchers under the prestigeous Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF), previously known as Individual Fellowships (MSCA IF). The grants are provided by the European Commission in the framework of the research programme Horizon Europe for 2021-2027.
Deadline for applications in the 2024 MSCA PF call is 11 September 2024.
- ! Information on this page will be updated following the call opening on 23 April 2024.
Why MSCA PF at UCT Prague?
It is an outstanding opportunity for you to:
- advance your career in research, under the guidance of an internationally recognised UCT-based supervisor (check the list of UCT Prague departments and research groups to find the right match for you and do not hesitate to contact us)
- get qualified support with the preparation and implementation of your project, underpinned by our rich experience with EU-funded projects, including MSCA
- substantially increase your chances to implement the MSCA proposal thanks to national funding schemes for proposals with high evaluation scores (usually as from 70%)
Success rates
|
|
MSCA IF (Horizon 2020) |
National OP |
|
min. score for funding |
93 % |
70 % |
|
% of proposals |
15 % |
80 % |
Out of 22 proposals submitted by UCT Prague in 2022, 14 qualify for funding (MSCA or national) and may be implemented.
What is it about?
The MSCA PF is an individual research project, in any area of research, prepared by the postdoctoral researcher in cooperation with the supervisor based at the host institution.
The aim is to support creativity, innovativeness and new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility.
Watch video about MSCA PF.
Two types of fellowships and key features
|
European PF |
in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country |
|
|
postdocs of any nationality |
|
|
12 – 24 months |
|
Global PF |
from EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country to other (third) countries |
|
|
only EU nationals or long-term residents |
|
|
24 – 36 months followed by 12-month return phase in Europe |
Applicants wishing to apply with UCT Prague as host institution prepare a European PF.
Key features
- individual research projet
- free choice of research topic
- creativity and innovativeness
- training through research, incl. transferable skills
- guidance of experienced supervisor and a two-way exchange of knowledge
- international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility
- focus on career perspectives, in or outside academia
- optional secondment in another institution and/or a non-academic placement
- employment contract with the host institution
- fixed budget per month (unit cost) covering salary (living, mobility and family allowance), research, training and networking cost and management cost for the host institution
Who can apply?
Researchers of any nationality meeting the below eligibility conditions may apply for the fellowship at UCT Prague:
|
PhD degree |
obtained by the call deadline (or PhD thesis successfully defended) |
|
Max. 8 years after PhD award |
extended by periods of maternity leave, other career breaks or work outside research, details in Guidelines and tool |
|
Mobility rule |
not resided in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the call deadline, i.e. 13 September 2023 |
|
Resubmisson rule |
proposals involving the same host organisation and individual researcher submitted for the MSCA PF 2022 call and having received a score of less than 70% must not be resubmitted |
For detailed definition of the eligibility criteria, please see Work Programme (page 24) and Guide for Applicants (point 2).
Documents proving the eligibility of candidates applying for the fellowship with UCT Prague must be provided prior to proposal preparation.
Supporting documents
| Eligibility criterion |
Supporting documents |
|
PhD degree
|
PhD diploma (scan). Replaced by an official certificate by the Faculty/University of the successful PhD thesis defence in case of a pending diploma award. |
|
Maximum 8 years after PhD |
in case your PhD degree was awarded more than 8 years ago (as on 13 September 2023), scans of evidence justifying the extension (with translation in English, if possible), incl. exact dates (of eg. maternity leave, compulsory national service, long-term sickness etc.). Postdoctoral Fellowships Self-assessment tool for the calculation of the 8-years research experience |
|
Mobility rule |
Please provide a list of exact dates of the periods + countries in which you have legally resided and/or had your main activity (work, studies, etc) during the last 5 years up until the deadline for the submission of the proposal. Short stays (as defined in the Guide for Applicants) shall not be included. |
|
Family allowance |
Scans of documents such as marriage or birth certificate, with translation in English if possible |
The supporting documents proving your eligibility need to be sent by email to anna.konecka@vscht.cz by 20 June 2023.
When to apply?
The deadline for applications is 13 September 2023.
Full support will be provided only to applicants complying with the below timetable (relevant for incoming fellowships, outgoing candidates need to follow instructions of their future host institution):
|
Date |
Step |
Comment |
|
20 June |
Eligibility check
Supervisor CV (postdoc) |
Provide (by email) supporting documents linked to all eligibility criteria, as specified above; Agreement of Supervisor to host you Provide your CV complying with the template requirements (Part B2) |
|
28 June 9:30 - 11:30 CET |
Online seminar for UCT Prague applicants (1):
|
All you need to know to prepare a quality proposal with focus on Part B1: decoding template instruction, examples and tips |
|
19 July 9:30 - 11:00 CET |
Online seminar for UCT Prague applicants (2):
|
Align your CV with MSCA PF requirements and get detailed guidance on the remaining parts of the project proposal |
|
1 August |
Part B drafted |
Full draft of Part B provided for check and review by the Supervisor/Project Center, tips on improvement, proof-reading (first come – first served) |
|
28 August |
Part A completed |
Project proposal created on the Funding Portal, Part A completed, check by the Project Center |
|
11 September |
Proposal submission |
Submission via portal (ahead for technical reasons; updates possible up until 13 September 17:00 CET) |
|
13 September 17:00 CET |
CALL DEADLINE |
|
Indicative timeline for successful proposals
|
February 2024 |
Notification of call results to applicants |
|
March – May 2024 |
Grant agreement preparation for successful projects |
|
Summer / Autumn 2024 |
Projects selected for funding by MSCA PF start |
|
May 2024 |
Projects not selected for MSCA PF funding, but reaching required evaluation score (70 percent tbc) apply for national funding scheme (OP JAK) |
|
end 2024 / early 2025 |
Projects funded by national scheme (OP JAK) start |
Useful links
- InfoDay presentation by Technology Centre Prague (26 April 2022) - complete information, still valid
- Funding Portal of European Commission – 2023 call details
- MSCA website, video
- CORDIS – database of previously supported projects
Key documents
- MSCA PF application form (20 March 2023) – proposal template with instructions = KEY DOCUMENT, get familiar with its entire text is a MUST!
- CV template
- MSCA Work Programme 2023-2024 – p. 24-27, p. 94 (Award criteria)
- MSCA PF Guide for Applicants (11 April 2023) - eligibility, definitions
- Guidelines on the calculation of 8-years research experience
- Self-assessment tool for the calculation of the 8-years research experience
- MSCA Guidelines on Supervision
- MSCA PF Green Charter
Support to your application
The UCT Prague Project Centre will assit you with:
- eligibility check
- guidance on call rules and proposal drafting
- proposal creation and submission via the Funding Portal
- administrative check of the proposal (Part A)
- proof-reading and feedback to draft proposal
The sooner you contact us, the more we can do for you!
Contact
Project Centre
Ms Anna Konecká
b Anna.Konecka@vscht.cz
e(00420) 220 444 403
Ms Karolína Friessová
e(00420) 220 443 210
PIC code
999867853