Support cross-border research excellence, attract global talent, and boost innovation impact with expert guidance on MSCA grants from FI Group.
MSCA grants, or Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, are part of Horizon Europe’s Pillar I and provide funding to support researcher mobility, doctoral training, and international academic–industry collaboration. These grants fund structured research projects that build technical and transferable skills, promote cross-sector knowledge exchange, and strengthen Europe’s R&D ecosystem.
Unlike commercialisation-focused schemes such as the EIC Accelerator, MSCA grants target early-stage and postdoctoral researchers, with a strong focus on training, supervision, and long-term research career development.
Funding is available for doctoral networks, fellowships, staff exchanges, and co-funded programmes, each requiring international partnerships and robust management.
| Feature | MSCA Grants | Clusters | EIC Accelerator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Researcher mobility | Societal challenge impact | Deep tech commercialisation |
| TRL Range | 1–4 | 3–7 | 5–9 |
| Solo or Consortium | Both | Consortium only | Solo SME |
| UK Organisation Eligible? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Funding Size | €200k–€4m+ | €5m–€10m+ | €2.5m grant + equity |
When planning your Horizon Europe strategy, it’s important to understand how MSCA compares to other programmes in terms of funding scale, TRL expectations, and accessibility. The chart below shows where MSCA sits alongside Clusters and the EIC Accelerator.
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UK organisations are fully eligible to apply, including:
Universities and Research Institutes hosting researchers or coordinating consortia
Innovative SMEs and companies participating as non-academic partners
Public bodies and NGOs involved in societal impact or policy-related projects
Individual postdoctoral researchers applying through eligible UK host institutions
Applicants must follow MSCA’s mobility rule: researchers must not have lived or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the past 3 years at the time of application.
FI Group helps UK organisations build competitive MSCA applications, ensuring alignment with both EU objectives and national strategies.
UK organisations are fully eligible to apply, including:
Universities and Research Institutes hosting researchers or coordinating consortia
Innovative SMEs and companies participating as non-academic partners
Public bodies and NGOs involved in societal impact or policy-related projects
Individual postdoctoral researchers applying through eligible UK host institutions
Applicants must follow MSCA’s mobility rule: researchers must not have lived or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the past 3 years at the time of application.
FI Group helps UK organisations build competitive MSCA applications, ensuring alignment with both EU objectives and national strategies.
There are four core MSCA grant types, each with distinct scopes and structures:
| MSCA Action | Purpose | Who Can Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Networks | Fund structured PhD programmes across borders and sectors | UK institutions with EU/UK partners |
| Postdoctoral Fellowships | Support for experienced researchers to work abroad | Individual researchers + UK host |
| Staff Exchanges | Enable short-term staff mobility between academia and industry | SMEs, universities, RTOs, NGOs |
| COFUND | Co-funding national or regional doctoral and fellowship schemes | UK funders or institutions running schemes |
These actions support TRLs typically in the 2–4 range, but impact is evaluated more on training quality, supervision, and transferability than market readiness.
| TRL Range | Research Stage | MSCA Action Type | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Basic research | Doctoral Networks | €3–4m for multi-partner programmes |
| 2–4 | Applied / early-stage | Postdoctoral Fellowships, COFUND | ~€200k–€300k per researcher |
| N/A | Training & exchange | Staff Exchanges | Based on mobility units and days |
MSCA projects typically fund personnel, travel, training, supervision costs, networking, secondments, and coordination. Overheads are included at flat rates.
Application Process
FI Group is trusted by leading research institutions, scale-ups, and international networks to deliver MSCA success:
PhD-level Experts: Our consultants have direct experience managing MSCA projects and supervising researchers
Consortium Reach: With offices in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and more, we help UK clients form well-structured, eligible consortia
Proposal Strategy: We offer deep insight into the MSCA evaluation process, including impact scoring, training quality, and interdisciplinary integration
Full Lifecycle Support: From Work Package planning to audit preparation, we help manage success from bid to delivery
“MSCA grants are about shaping the next generation of research leaders. We help organisations design programmes that deliver scientific excellence, meaningful mobility, and long-term impact, with the structure, partnerships, and positioning to win.” – Dr. Fawzi Abou-Chahine, Funding Director
FI Group is trusted by leading research institutions, scale-ups, and international networks to deliver MSCA success:
PhD-level Experts: Our consultants have direct experience managing MSCA projects and supervising researchers
Consortium Reach: With offices in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and more, we help UK clients form well-structured, eligible consortia
Proposal Strategy: We offer deep insight into the MSCA evaluation process, including impact scoring, training quality, and interdisciplinary integration
Full Lifecycle Support: From Work Package planning to audit preparation, we help manage success from bid to delivery
“MSCA grants are about shaping the next generation of research leaders. We help organisations design programmes that deliver scientific excellence, meaningful mobility, and long-term impact, with the structure, partnerships, and positioning to win.” – Dr. Fawzi Abou-Chahine, Funding Director
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In early 2025, Stablepharma Ltd was awarded €2.5 million in grant funding through the EIC Accelerator to advance its StablevaX™ technology, an innovation set to transform vaccine distribution by removing the need for cold‑chain logistics.
FI Group UK played a pivotal role in reviewing and strengthening the company’s final submission. Working closely with Stablepharma’s executive team, FI Group helped refine the technical narrative, align financials with key clinical milestones, and enhance the overall credibility and clarity of the application. The award made Stablepharma one of just five UK companies selected in a highly competitive round of over 1,200 applicants.
This success highlights how expert grant consultancy can significantly improve outcomes for high-potential applicants seeking funding under Horizon Europe’s most competitive instruments.
In early 2025, Stablepharma Ltd was awarded €2.5 million in grant funding through the EIC Accelerator to advance its StablevaX™ technology, an innovation set to transform vaccine distribution by removing the need for cold‑chain logistics.
FI Group UK played a pivotal role in reviewing and strengthening the company’s final submission. Working closely with Stablepharma’s executive team, FI Group helped refine the technical narrative, align financials with key clinical milestones, and enhance the overall credibility and clarity of the application. The award made Stablepharma one of just five UK companies selected in a highly competitive round of over 1,200 applicants.
This success highlights how expert grant consultancy can significantly improve outcomes for high-potential applicants seeking funding under Horizon Europe’s most competitive instruments.
We've had an excellent experience collaborating with FI Group. Their team of consultants demonstrated proficiency in evaluating and comprehending our innovative wave energy technology, leading to a comprehensive technical report that played a significant role in securing our R&D tax credit repayment.
The smoothest way to work on R&D Tax Credit – not only are they experts of the subject but also sectors specialists; FI Group could get all the technical elements of our business by themselves leading to a successful and remarkable result.
Giuseppe Amoroso from FI group did our R&D tax claim and successfully submitted on our behalf of OxDevice. Excellent team work in Submitting the claim.
Whether you’re building your first doctoral network or hosting a postdoctoral fellow, FI Group is your strategic partner in securing and delivering MSCA funding.
