EC Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship

Summary

Internal departmental EOI deadline: 16 June 2026

Next Funder deadline:  9 September 2026

• Supports two-year fellowships for postdoctoral researchers joining an established Oxford Physics research group.
• Open to researchers of any nationality, provided they have not resided or worked in the UK for more than 12 of the 36 months prior to the deadline.
• Applicants must hold a PhD and have up to 8 years of postdoctoral experience.
• Oxford Physics only supports European Postdoctoral Fellowships (not Global Fellowships).
• Funding covers living, travel, and family costs.
• Approved applications must be submitted via the EU’s Funding & Tenders portal.
• All questions should be directed to: fellowships@physics.ox.ac.uk

Overview

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme is designed to support talented researchers in developing their careers through international mobility and interdisciplinary collaboration. Fellows join established research groups and benefit from a structured, supportive environment for advancing their research. The scheme is open to applicants from any country, subject to mobility rules, and aims to strengthen European research excellence through training and knowledge transfer.  May also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship

More information is available on the MSCA website.

Eligibility

• Applicants must have a PhD degree by the application deadline (09/09/26). Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply
• No more than 8 years of full-time research experience after PhD (career breaks and time outside research can be excluded).
• Applicants must not have resided or worked in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the deadline.
• Sponsor may only support one applicant per round.
• As from 2026, resubmission restrictions apply for applications that received a score below 80% the previous year.
• Please check the full eligibility criteria on the funder website.

Only European Postdoctoral Fellowship applications are supported by Oxford Physics. We do not support applications under the Global Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme.

Key dates and deadlines (2026 round)

• 16 June  – Internal EOI deadline
• 1 July – Successful EOI candidates notified
• 7 July (2pm) / 9 July (10am) - Online training (only attend 1 session!)
• 21 July – Completion and approval of budget
• 25 August – University Research Services deadline
• 9 September  – Final submission to EU Funding & Tenders portal

Your EOI submission must include:

• Completed Oxford Physics MSCA-PF EOI form (Word template, see below).
• One additional document (max 2 pages, PDF) containing your academic CV and a list of research outputs/publications.
• Sponsor copied into your submission email. Applications without a sponsor Cc’d will not be considered.

Additional information

Sponsor - Applicants must identify and work with a host academic in Oxford Physics to develop their proposal. This individual will act as your sponsor. A sponsor may only support one applicant in this round. Please contact them early to confirm their support before submitting your EOI. If you experience difficulties securing a sponsor, email: fellowships@physics.ox.ac.uk

Resubmission rule - From 2022, a resubmission rule applies. If you submitted an MSCA application with the University of Oxford as host in the previous round and received a score below 80%, you cannot reapply with Oxford in 2026.

Assessment criteria - EOIs will be reviewed for quality and alignment - this is not a competitive sift. EOIs will evaluated based on the quality, originality, and feasibility of the proposed research, and its potential contribution to the field. Sub-departmental sifts will consider the project’s importance, scientific merit, and clarity. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Oxford Physics supports flexible working and recognises that career paths are not linear. Applicants are encouraged to highlight contextual factors such as career breaks, caring responsibilities, or health-related circumstances when submitting an EOI,  confidentially if required, with the Research Facilitation Team at fellowships@physics.ox.ac.uk.

The department particularly welcomes EOIs from individuals from underrepresented groups in physics. If you have difficulty securing a sponsor or require specific support or accommodations during the process, please contact the Fellowships Facilitation Team (in confidence if required).

For more information, visit our ED&I webpage.