MSCA COFUND

Overview

COFUND is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon Europe’s Pillar 1: Excellent Science. It helps organisations create, develop or expand doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes.

It promotes MSCA standards for high-quality training, excellent working conditions, international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and career development.

Programmes can be open to all research areas or focused on specific disciplines, sectors or regional priorities.

Who this is for

MSCA COFUND is for organisations that want to create, develop or expand doctoral or postdoctoral programmes. It is suitable for:

higher education institutions
research organisations and infrastructures
private sector organisations, including industry, businesses and SMEs
public sector organisations, including national, regional and local governments,
agencies and museums
other socio-economic organisations, including NGOs, charities and cultural organisations

Only one single legal entity in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country can apply. Additional implementing and/or associated partners can be included where they support the programme.

What this could help you do

An MSCA COFUND project could help you:

create or expand a doctoral training programme
create or expand a postdoctoral fellowship scheme
attract and recruit international research talent
improve training, supervision and working conditions
increase international, interdisciplinary or intersectoral mobility
build partnerships with academic and non-academic organisations

Types of COFUND

There are 2 types of MSCA COFUND.

Doctoral Programmes support research training for doctoral candidates. They help candidates develop research and transferable skills and lead to the award of a doctoral degree.
Postdoctoral Programmes support advanced research training and career development fellowships for postdoctoral researchers. They help researchers develop their independence, skills and career prospects.

What you can get

MSCA COFUND provides a fixed allowance for each researcher-month. A beneficiary can receive up to €10 million per call. Funding can support:

a COFUND allowance, which is a fixed amount equivalent to the researcher’s minimum salary. This allowance can be used to support any cost items of the programme
a long-term leave allowance and special needs allowance, if applicable

Applicants are responsible for topping up funding with their own or external complementary funds to implement the programme.

The exact funding rules and unit contributions are set out in the latest MSCA Work Programme document and call documents (PDF).

What proposals are eligible

COFUND proposals are submitted by a single legal entity based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated country.
Programmes must recruit at least three doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers through open, transparent and merit-based selection.
The programme should offer strong training, supervision, career development and mobility opportunities.
Additional organisations can take part as implementing and/or associated partners, including organisations from other countries, where this strengthens the programme.

Researchers supported through COFUND

Researchers do not apply directly for COFUND funding through the EU call. They apply for opportunities created by funded doctoral or postdoctoral programmes.

Doctoral candidates must:

not have a doctoral degree by the deadline of the programme’s call
be enrolled in a doctoral programme during their fellowship
be employed for a period of at least 3 months and for the length necessary to achieve a PhD

Postdoctoral fellows must:

have a PhD by the deadline of the programme’s call
be recruited for a minimum period of 3 months

In both cases, researchers:

can be of any nationality
must follow the mobility rule: they must not have lived or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary or implementing partner for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the deadline of the co-funded programme’s call
can carry out secondments at implementing or associated partners

Teams and partners

COFUND projects are led by one beneficiary organisation that may fund, recruit, supervise, host and train the researchers, either on its own or in conjunction with implementing and associated partners.

Implementing partners:

can recruit and employ researchers
should be based in EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries or low- and middle-income third countries included in the list of countries eligible for funding
receive funds from the beneficiary to recruit researchers

Associated partners:

train researchers or host them for short secondments
can be established anywhere in the world
do not employ researchers
do not receive any funds

See the list of countries eligible for funding on the European Commissions website.

Funding in practice

Supporting researchers working on sustainability challenges

The Sustain-FIT programme, coordinated by Enterprise Ireland, received €7.164 million in MSCA funding to support an international research fellowship programme. It enables 50 researchers to undertake industry-focused sustainability research while developing their skills and careers, demonstrating how organisations can use COFUND to establish or expand their own research training and fellowship programmes.

View the Sustain-FIT project on their website

Next steps and support

Read about Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions — policy, strategy, how to apply and work programmes on their website.
Find out if you are eligible to apply, read about the scheme and what the funding covers by visiting the COFUND — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website.
Read the COFUND application guidance for more information on how to plan and prepare your proposal in 6 steps on their website.
Find out more about the latest and previous calls on the MSCA COFUND call page.
For further guidance and support with your application contact your NCP for MSCA.

Find current MSCA COFUND call

The next call is expected to open on 8 December 2026. Check the latest call page for confirmed dates, budget and application documents.

Find and apply for MSCA COFUND calls on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal

To apply for funding through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, you need an EU Login account. If you do not already have one, register for an EU Login account on the EU Funding and Tenders portal.

Your organisation also needs a Participant Identification Code (PIC) to be included as a participant in a funding application and to manage the grant if the application is successful. If your organisation does not yet have one, find out how to register your organisation and get a PIC on the EU Funding and Tenders portal.

Last updated: 29 October 2026