Who is the programme for?
The programme is designed for prospective MSCA PF applicants who already have a confirmed host institution and an advanced proposal draft, and who would benefit from targeted external feedback to strengthen the competitiveness, coherence, and MSCA-specific framing of their application.
The mentoring programme aims to complement – and not replace – the support provided by the host supervisor, host institution, or National Contact Points. Its main purpose is to provide the applicants additional external help from researchers with experience in successful fellowship applications, MSCA supervision, MSCA proposal evaluation, or EU (postdoctoral) funding schemes.
Application criteria
The programme is open to prospective MSCA PF applicants who:
The programme is not intended to help applicants find a host institution or develop a proposal from an initial idea. Priority will be given to applicants whose proposal is already sufficiently mature for targeted feedback.
What does the mentoring include?
Selected applicants will be matched up with a mentor, depending on mentor availability and disciplinary fit.
The mentoring will normally consist of one individual consultation session (online) following the mentor has received and read the proposal draft. This session will focus on the applicant’s proposal draft and specific questions. If needed, a second session can be organized.
The mentoring will focus primarily on proposal quality, MSCA-specific framing, and overall competitiveness. It is not a formal eligibility check, administrative review, or guarantee of success.
Documents to be submitted in order to apply
Applicants should submit the following documents:
Applications should be sent to fkamentorprogram@gmail.com by 10 July 2026, indicating “MSCA Mentoring Programme” and applicant’s name in the subject.
Selection
Applicants will be selected based on proposal maturity, expected benefit from mentoring, availability of a suitable mentor, and feasibility of providing meaningful feedback within the programme. The number of mentees will depend on the availability of suitable (i.e., disciplinary fit) mentors.
Indicative timeline
Application deadline for mentoring: 10 July 2026
Selection and mentor matching: continuous with a final deadline of 19 July 2026
Mentoring consultations: July–August 2026
MSCA PF 2026 submission deadline: 9 September 2026, 17:00 CEST
Disclaimer
The mentoring programme is voluntary and independent of the European Commission, the Research Executive Agency, and the formal MSCA evaluation process. Participation does not guarantee eligibility, submission, or funding. The final proposal and its submission remain the responsibility of the applicant, host supervisor, and host institution.
Applicants who later receive an MSCA PF or another similar postdoctoral fellowship (e.g. ERA fellowship) will be encouraged to contribute as mentors in future calls of the programme.