If you are a motivated researcher looking to develop your career and enhance your skills in a vibrant and supportive environment, the University of Bath is an ideal host institution for your Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship.

About

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships provide significant financial support to a Research Fellow for a period of 1-2 or 3 years (dependent upon the type of Fellowship you choose). All research areas are eligible for funding, with the grant providing an allowance to cover living, travel, and family costs in addition to training, networking, research, project management, and indirect costs.

The University of Bath is providing a proposal support service for this year’s MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) scheme. Our Research and Innovation Services (RIS) can provide assistance to Bath hosts and fellowship applicants to help develop proposals and assist with queries.

The 2025 MSCA PF opportunity opens 8 May 2025 and closes 10 September 2025.

Eligibility

If you are interested in applying for a Postdoctoral Fellowship:

• You should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded a doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply.
• You must not have more than eight years of experience in research, from the date of the award of your PhD degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe.
• You should comply with mobility rules: You must not have resided or carried out your 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.

Please bear in mind that resubmission restrictions will apply for applications that received a score below 70% the previous year.

The United Kingdom is an associated country to Horizon Europe, so UK organisations can participate in MSC Actions on the same terms as those based in the European Union and other countries already associated to Horizon Europe.

Fellowships we support

The University of Bath provides support for both types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships

• 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.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships

• These Fellowships 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 of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Bath as your host institution

The University of Bath received its Royal Charter in 1966 and is established as a top 10 UK university with a reputation for research and teaching excellence. With its main Claverton Down Campus overlooking the Georgian spa town of Bath, the University offers a leading research and teaching environment, award-winning researcher training and development, and world-class multi-sport training amenities in the heart of the English countryside near one of the United Kingdom’s most famous and popular cities.

In the last Research Excellence Framework assessment (2021), more than 90% of Bath research was defined as world-leading or internationally excellent. The University was also awarded triple Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023 for assessments of student outcomes and student experience, exemplifying Bath’s commitment to research and teaching excellence.

The University has carefully developed its Vision for Research Staff to create a productive, supportive and enjoyable work environment for everyone undertaking research here. New staff receive a comprehensive package of support and induction to their role, making Bath an excellent venue for developing your research career and skills under the supervision of an experienced and dedicated supervisor.

The application process

Eligibility self-checks

Make sure you are eligible to apply for this scheme by reviewing MSCA guidance. You must have no more than 8 years research experience following your PhD when you apply for this scheme. Check the MSCA guidance on this requirement and use the self-assessment tool in case you are eligible to extend this period due to parental leave or other mitigating factors.

Finding a supervisor

You can check hosting offers from the University of Bath for potential project areas and supervisors on EURAXESS. If you have identified a specific supervisor at Bath and you would like to contact them directly, please include an up-to-date CV and brief project proposal as an attachment in your email. Once you have received written agreement from your intended supervisor that they are willing to support your application, you can begin the application process.

Essential reading

Understanding the requirements for this scheme is essential before you begin drafting your proposal. Scheme guidance will be updated soon, so please check the MSCA website when the call opens in April for the latest official guidance. The MSCA-NET platform also links to very useful resources published by the MSCA National Contact Points.

Preparing your proposal

Get familiar with MSCA guidance and be sure to read the 2025 call guide, which will be published when the call opens in April 2025.

You will need to register for an account on the Funding & Tenders Portal in order to submit your application. From this site you can also download the application form (a standard version of which can be viewed currently- but note that you should use the latest version for the 2025 call).

Your intended supervisor can provide feedback on your proposal and may coordinate some peer-review for your draft. Our Research and Innovation Services (RIS) Team can also provide lay feedback on your draft and provide help with queries. See below for further information.

Your host supervisor will need to oversee your project costs and liaise with the University to ensure these are approved before your proposal is signed-off for submission.

Submission

The University of Bath Pre-Award Team will ensure that your project costs and ethics are in line with scheme and University policy, however, you as the applicant will be responsible for submitting your proposal via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Support

Support available to you at Bath

If you would like to apply for the MSCA PF scheme with Bath as your host institution and need help with finding a potential supervisor here, we can help. Please contact Dr Ceri-Wyn Thomas in this instance.

It does help if you can identify a potential host PI at Bath in advance. To view open expressions of interest to host MSCA PFs from Bath researchers, please visit the EURAXESS portal to check our latest hosting offers.

Support for developing your research proposal

In addition to feedback from your potential host supervisor at Bath, our Research Development Manager for Horizon Europe can also offer a single round of in-depth lay feedback on the research elements of your proposal.

This is intended to provide an extra layer of advice, ensuring adherence of your proposal to the MSCA scheme guidance, and suggesting possible improvements in line with MSCA recommendations to ensure that your proposal is compelling and competitive.

Please send your working application draft to Dr Ceri-Wyn Thomas at any time before Wednesday 20 August for a single round of in-depth advice on your application.

Regretfully, due to the high volume of proposals in development during August 2025, we cannot provide more than one round of lay feedback on MSCA applications in development.

Proposals sent for feedback after 20 August may receive light touch comments and proofreading only.

Internal timescales

The University of Bath’s Research and Innovation Services (RIS) are providing assistance for applicants to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 according to the following deadlines:

Preparing your application for submission

Your intended supervisor at Bath will adhere to the following timelines:

• 6 August 2025 (latest): Bath academic (supervisor) to get in touch with their Pre-Award Development Officer (or pre-award@bath.ac.uk
• 27 August 2025 (latest): Bath academic to have:
  • registered proposal on Ethics@Bath
  • submitted PAM costing to approval workflow
  • pre-award@bath.ac.uk added as a participant contact to the application on the portal

Timeline summary for 2025

• Wednesday 6 August: Deadline for Supervisor to notify Pre-Award contacts of your submission
• Wednesday 20 August: Deadline for sending your proposal for additional lay feedback
• Wednesday 27 August: Deadline for Supervisor to submit ethics self-assessment and costs for approval
• Wednesday 10 September: Call deadline