MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships · Seal of Excellence
Seal of Excellence funding, country by country.
A Seal of Excellence says your proposal deserved funding, not that it will get it. A few countries, regions and universities do fund Seal holders. GrantLever has mapped them, with the official source of each one.
Checked against official sources on 30 October 2026. We update this page when the schemes for the 2026 Seals open.
The 2025 call in numbers
9,847
proposals received a Seal of Excellence, more than half of the 16,836 evaluated
1,610
fellowships were funded
85 out of 100
is the score that earns a Seal when there is no budget left
The 2026 call received 21,627 proposals, with results expected in February 2027. Source: European Commission.
Before you look for your country
What decides whether a scheme is open to you.
The threshold is not always 85
Some schemes set their own: 70 in Czechia and Estonia, 80 in Bulgaria, 90 in the last Brittany call, and no more than 2 points below your panel's cut-off in Trento.
The host has to be there
Almost every scheme funds the project at a host in that country or region, and many only at the host named in your proposal.
Often only the latest call
Several 2026 schemes only took Seals from the 2025 call. A Seal from an older call may not count.
Global Fellowships are often out
Tuscany, Slovakia, Cyprus and ERA Fellowships took European Fellowships only. Padova and Bolzano include Global Fellowships.
Who applies, and when
In Flanders and Sweden the funder contacts the best-ranked reserve candidates. Elsewhere the host or the researcher applies, often within weeks of the results.
Check before you plan
Schemes change every year. Confirm the conditions on the official page before you count on one, and tell us if you spot a change.
Countries with a scheme
Where a Seal can turn into funding.
Alphabetical. Each entry shows the latest call we could confirm at its official source.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Estonia
- France
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Widening countries
- No scheme
Austria
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Seal of Excellence Post-Doctoral Fellowship@OeAW
Last deadline 31 March 2026 · next edition not announced
- Who
- 2025 European Fellowship proposals with the Academy as host and a Seal (85 or more).
- Funding
- Up to 110,000 EUR a year for up to 24 months: salary up to 95,000 EUR plus 15,000 EUR for research, training and networking.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Austria
University of Graz
Offer for unfunded MSCA PF proposals with a Seal
Offered for the 2025 call · 2026 not confirmed
- Who
- Proposals with Graz as host that received a Seal (85 or more).
- Funding
- Up to three postdoctoral positions of up to one year.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Belgium (Flanders)
Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
MSCA Seal of Excellence FWO
By invitation, usually from March
- Who
- The eight best-ranked candidates on the European Fellowship reserve list, with a Flemish host. FWO follows the MSCA ranking and does not evaluate again.
- Funding
- A two-year postdoctoral fellowship on FWO salary scales, plus a 4,000 EUR bench fee.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Bulgaria
Bulgarian National Science Fund
Petar Beron: Research and Innovation with Europe
Recurring call · confirm the current edition
- Threshold
- 80 or more.
- Who
- Unfunded proposals with a Bulgarian host, from one of the last three calls. The researcher must move to Bulgaria.
- Funding
- The 2021 call paid up to 5,000 BGN a month for up to 24 months.
Official page · partly checked: the fund's site does not allow automated reading
Croatia
Ministry of Science, Education and Youth (DIGIT project)
Seal of Excellence under the Synergies programme
Closed on 3 July 2026, once funds were used up
- Who
- The Croatian host organisation of an MSCA PF project with a Seal applies. ERC Proof of Concept Seals were also eligible.
- Funding
- 6.39 million EUR for the whole call.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Cyprus
Research and Innovation Foundation
Horizon Europe 2nd Opportunity: MSCA
Last deadline 9 May 2025 · no newer call yet
- Who
- European Fellowship proposals with a Seal (85 or more), carried out in Cyprus: with a Cypriot host, or with a Cypriot organisation replacing the original EU host. The researcher applies.
- Funding
- Up to 170,000 EUR per project.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Czechia
Operational Programme Jan Amos Komenský
MSCA Fellowships CZ
Submissions closed on 31 August 2026 · new edition not announced
- Threshold
- 70 or more.
- Who
- MSCA fellowship proposals that scored 70 or more and were not funded for lack of budget, with a Czech host.
- So far
- 76 of 126 applications funded. The budget was raised in October 2026.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Estonia
Estonian Research Council (ETAg)
Postdoctoral researcher grant, MSCA PF strand
Yearly call in spring · the 2026 round closed on 30 April
- Threshold
- 70 or more.
- Who
- Researchers who applied to the MSCA PF the year before and were not funded, with a host in Estonia and working full time in Estonia.
- Funding
- 12 to 24 months. About 25 grants in 2025.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026 (2026 dates from the European Commission)
France
Hauts-de-France Region (ERDF)
Projects recognised for European excellence
Open, rolling, until 31 December 2027 or until funds run out
- Who
- Universities, research organisations and technical centres in the region apply, for projects carried out mainly in Hauts-de-France. Projects with an MSCA Seal are listed as eligible.
- Funding
- 50% ERDF, for projects of at least 200,000 EUR.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
France
Université Paris Cité
Seal of Excellence, test phase 2025 to 2030
One Seal a year, for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 calls
- Who
- Proposals scoring 85 or more with a supervisor in a Université Paris Cité or IPGP research unit.
- Funding
- 24 months of salary, 4,000 EUR for mobility and 44,000 EUR for research costs.
- Contact
- europe.drive@u-paris.fr
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
France
Brittany Region (ERDF)
Bienvenüe Seal of Excellence
Last deadline 30 June 2025, for Seals from the 2024 call
- Threshold
- 90 or more in the last call.
- Who
- The Breton host institution applies for the fellow. A non-Breton applicant can qualify if a Breton institution agrees to co-finance.
- Funding
- Up to 75% of costs, capped at 115,000 EUR, for up to 24 months.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
France
Sorbonne Université
Seal of Excellence programme
Ended: ran from 2023 to 2025
- Who
- Proposals scoring 85 or more with Sorbonne as host. The last round covered the 2024 call.
- Funding
- A 24-month contract, with the commitment to apply to the ERC from Sorbonne within three years. 16 fellows funded.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Italy
More schemes than any other country, most of them run by universities for proposals that named them as host.
Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation
Paving the way to research excellence, Line 2
Next deadline 3 June 2027
- Who
- European Fellowship Seal holders hosted in Piedmont or Liguria. The host can differ from the one in the proposal, and the host institution applies.
- Funding
- Up to 24 months with the budget of the EU proposal, plus a six-month innovation programme. 1.5 million EUR per deadline.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026. One section of the call says 30 May 2027: confirm the date with the foundation.
Autonomous Province of Bolzano
Grants for projects with the Seal of Excellence
Yearly window from 1 March to 30 April
- Who
- A research body in South Tyrol applies as host, for European or Global Fellowship proposals with a Seal.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
University of Padova
MSCA Seal of Excellence @Unipd
2026 call closed on 31 March · usually yearly
- Who
- Proposals with Padova as host and a Seal. Global Fellowships are included.
- Funding
- A contract for the project duration plus a fund for research, training and networking.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
University of Trento
MSCA-PF Seal of Excellence internal call
2026 call, for 2025 Seals, closed in May · usually yearly
- Threshold
- No more than 2 points below the cut-off of your panel.
- Who
- Proposals with UniTrento as host and a Seal.
- Funding
- A two-year research contract at UniTrento.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026 (deadline from the European Commission)
University of Pisa
MSCA Seal of Excellence @UNIPI
2026 call, for 2025 Seals, closed in May · usually yearly
- Who
- Proposals that named Pisa as beneficiary and received a Seal (85 or more).
- Funding
- Up to five two-year fellowships at 40,000 EUR a year, plus 10,000 EUR for the host structure.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026 (deadline from the European Commission)
Sapienza University of Rome
Seal of SAPIExcellence
2026 call closed in May · usually yearly
- Who
- Proposals with Sapienza as host and a Seal.
- Funding
- 50,000 EUR per fellowship.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026 (deadline from the European Commission)
Tuscany Region (ESF+)
Seal of Excellence call 2026
Closed on 16 July 2026 · next edition not announced
- Who
- Only 2025 European Fellowship Seals. The Tuscan host named in the proposal applies.
- Funding
- 50,000 to 60,000 EUR gross a year for 12 to 24 months. 3.5 million EUR in total.
Official call text · checked 30 October 2026
Ministry of University and Research
Young Researchers, Seal of Excellence line
Last call closed in January 2025 · no new call announced
- Who
- Seals from the previous two years. The proposal was resubmitted through an Italian public university or research body.
Official page · checked against the European Commission's list
Also listed by the European Commission, but not confirmed at source: support at Politecnico di Milano for its five best unfunded Seal holders. The Lombardy biomedical foundation FRRB has had no Seal call since 2021.
Latvia
Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA)
Measure 1.1.1.5: support for Horizon Europe participation
Open until 31 March 2027
- Who
- Latvian research institutions apply. The European Commission lists this measure as support for unfunded Seal holders who continue their research in Latvia; the measure page does not detail those conditions, so ask CFLA.
Official page · partly checked 30 October 2026
Lithuania
Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
Support for projects with a Seal or a positive MSCA evaluation
Deadline was 30 April 2026
- Who
- Seal holders and MSCA PF proposals that scored above 70, with a host in Lithuania.
- Funding
- Recovery and Resilience Facility and national budget.
Source: European Commission · not checked at the ministry's page
Poland
Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)
Ulam Programme, Seal of Excellence path
Yearly in spring · the 2026 call closed on 15 May
- Who
- European Fellowship Seal holders whose proposal was with a Polish institution. Formal check only, no new evaluation.
- Funding
- In 2025: 7,500 PLN a month plus 4,000 PLN a month for living costs, for 6 to 24 months.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Slovenia
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
National funding of MSCA Seals of Excellence
In 2026 it funded 24 Seals from the 2025 call · next call not announced
- Who
- Seal holders with a Slovenian host, without a new evaluation. Eight Seals from the 2024 call were also funded in 2026.
Official announcement · checked 30 October 2026
Sweden
Swedish Research Council (VR)
Funding for MSCA PF reserve candidates
By invitation · five reserves from the 2025 call funded in September 2026
- Who
- The highest-ranked reserves with a Seal who applied with a Swedish host. VR contacts the host, which applies.
- Funding
- 12 to 24 months, as in the original proposal, for activities in Sweden.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Switzerland
University of Bern
Seal of Excellence Fund (SELF)
Expressions of interest until 31 December 2026, for 2026 proposals
- Who
- Supervisors of 2026 proposals with Bern as host that receive a Seal (85 or more). Priority to the scores closest to the panel threshold.
- Funding
- A 60,000 CHF lump sum to co-fund a postdoc position of at least one year.
Official page · checked 30 October 2026
Host in a Widening country
ERA Fellowships are the real second chance.
If your host is in a Widening country, your MSCA PF proposal can also be funded by ERA Fellowships, with no new application. Only European Fellowships qualify, and your proposal is considered automatically unless you opt out when you submit to the MSCA PF.
Proposals that pass the MSCA threshold of 70 but are not funded are ranked by their MSCA score. In the 2025 call, 41 of the 1,419 eligible proposals were funded this way, just under 3%. Results for the 2026 call arrive in February 2027.
ERA Fellowships at REA · checked 30 October 2026
No current scheme
Where we found no Seal funding today.
- Finland, Germany and Norway report no Seal scheme to the European Commission.
- For Ireland and the United Kingdom, the European Commission only lists general postdoctoral schemes, open to everyone with or without a Seal.
- Spain had a one-off call for health research in 2022 (ISCIII-HEALTH). The European Commission lists no regional or institutional schemes.
- Slovakia closed its call for MSCA PF proposals scoring 70 or more on 31 May 2024, and Romania ran a one-off call in 2022.
Some universities fund their own Seal holders without a public call. Before you give up on a country, ask the grants office of your host.
No scheme in your country?
Your ESR decides what comes next.
More than half of the proposals now receive a Seal, so the Seal alone no longer sets a proposal apart. What decides your next step is the ESR: where the points went, whether the causes can be fixed, and whether resubmitting is worth it.
In the MSCA PF Resubmission Diagnostic, an expert with MSCA PF panel evaluation experience in your topic reads your ESR with your Part B1 and tells you what cost you points, what the ESR does not say and what to change for the next call.
Get notified
The 2027 schemes and the 2026 results.
One email when the results of the 2026 call are out, expected in February 2027, and one when the main schemes for the 2026 Seals open. Tell us your panel and the country of your host, so we only write about what applies to you.
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