The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships: They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply. This fellowship is an excellent instrument for attracting and recruiting international talent to AAU.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships: They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents (5+years) of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply. This is an excellent instrument for AAU young researchers who want to work abroad and come back to AAU.

For more information, please visit the call website. 

The registration, done by the potential MSCA PF fellows, has a deadline in spring 2027. After the registration is closed, F&P conducts a CV screening in collaboration with the Heads of Department to select the final pool of participants in the MSCA Talent course.  Due to limited capacity, only 24 applicants are selected for the MSCA PF Talent Course. Applicants who are not selected can still receive support from F&P and gain access to relevant tools.

• Your local funding advisor is your first point of contact for support. 
• Find more information on which instruments and what type of support F&P offers here 
• Find our annual wheel of funding here

AAU Seed Money can be used to support the preparation of an application, including activities such as proposal writing, meetings with potential consortium partners, and involvement of an external consultant.

AAU Seed Money is available both at faculty level and through AAU’s missions. For details on available funding amounts, application deadlines, and specific faculty requirements, please contact your local funding advisor.

Applicants must hold a PhD by the application deadline and not have more than 8 years of research experience after the PhD excluding career and maternity/paternity leave. Applicants must not have lived or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the deadline. 

An online information meeting for supervisors and potential fellows is organised at the start of every year.  The meeting introduces supervisors to the MSCA PF scheme, clarify eligibility and presents F&P’s support.

F&P organises yearly support through the MSCA PF Talent Course and Writing Sessions. Our support targets young researchers who wish to apply to the Marie Sklodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) with AAU as their host institution for the 2026 call.  The MSCA PF Talent Course is facilitated out by an external consultant through two online webinars, while the Writing Sessions are facilitated by F&P and focus on the impact and implementation sections. 

Fundraising & Project Management offers support throughout the entire application process. 

Meetings

F&P kick-starts the support process with the “Set Sail” information meeting. The meeting is for supervisors and fellows registered for the MSCA PF Talent Course. The aim is to align expectations among participants and provide a detailed overview of the support timeline up to the deadline. In the meeting, we also introduce the different sections of an application, present the external consultant delivering the two webinars, and clarified who will support each application from F&P.

Tools

• Teams channel
• Annotated template for parts A and B
• Tools for the MSCA Postdoctoral fellowship are available in the Funding Toolbox. Horizon Europe - Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) - Aalborg University

Review of application 

Fundraising & Project Management offers structured proposal feedback at least twice during the application process, supplemented by continuous advice throughout the writing phase. This includes:

• Two in‑depth reviews of the application, each providing concrete suggestions for changes, additions, clarifications, or strategic considerations.
• Feedback aimed at strengthening coherence, alignment with call expectations, clarity of narrative, and overall competitiveness.

These reviews support the applicant in refining the proposal and ensuring a high quality final submission.

The applicants are offered the opportunity to participate in the AAU MSCA PF Talent Course and Writing sessions. Individual support is provided to the applicants up to the deadline. Applicants receive access to relevant successful applicants, an annotated template, practical tools and access to a TEAMS channel. In additions F&P provides administrative support, including creating the proposal in the Funding and Tenders Portal and guidance and suggested text for Part A.

Submission

Fundraising & Project Management offers administrative support regarding questions about submission in the Funding and Tenders Portal.

Budget

An elaborated budget is not a requirement under the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships because these are funded through monthly contributions (fixed monthly unit costs) paid to the host institution for each month of the fellowship.  The budget is calculated automatically. 

The budget is managed at the department level, with Fundraising & Project Management providing guidance, recommendations, and alignment support as needed. For further information, please contact your local funding advisor.

The application support process is evaluated after the deadline by means of an online survey to the applicants.

No project management is offered from F&P