Research funding in Europe: Horizon Europe, the ERC and the MSCA
Funding for a researcher in Europe can come from Horizon Europe or from a national funder. Horizon Europe includes the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. This guide names those programmes, gives national examples and explains how to read a work programme topic.
At a glance
- Open calls in Gondar
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- Programmes
- Horizon Europe, ERC, MSCA
- Research sources in Gondar
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- Facts read on
- 3 November 2026
The short answer
Horizon Europe is the EU's funding programme for research and innovation for 2021 to 2027. For a single researcher, the ERC funds frontier research led by one principal investigator, and the MSCA fund training, mobility and careers. National research councils run their own calls, separate from Horizon Europe.
| Programme | What it funds | Who applies | In Gondar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Europe topics | Research and innovation projects set by work programmes | Usually organisations, often in partnerships | Yes, from the EU Funding & Tenders Portal |
| ERC grants | Investigator-driven frontier research | A principal investigator with a host institution | Yes, as calls |
| MSCA | Training, mobility and careers of researchers | Researchers or organisations, by action | Yes, as calls |
| National councils | Their own national calls | Set by each council | NWO, FWF, Vinnova and Formas |
Horizon Europe
Horizon Europe has three pillars: Excellent Science, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, and Innovative Europe. The ERC and the MSCA sit in Excellent Science. A further part of the programme is Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area.
The European Commission adopts work programmes that set calls and topics. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal publishes them, and the topic page states the deadline, the budget and who may apply.
European Research Council grants
The ERC funds investigator-driven frontier research. You apply with a host institution, and the current call states which countries that institution may be in.
The Starting Grant is for a researcher starting an independent team, the Consolidator Grant for one consolidating it, and the Advanced Grant for an established research leader. The Synergy Grant brings two to four principal investigators together on one project. Proof of Concept grants are for ERC grant holders exploring the commercial or societal potential of their research. Where a scheme uses time since the doctorate, the current call states the window.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
The MSCA support the training, mobility and careers of researchers. Postdoctoral Fellowships are for researchers with a doctorate. Doctoral Networks are partnerships of organisations that train doctoral candidates; a candidate applies to a post in the network. Staff Exchanges let organisations exchange staff, and COFUND co-funds doctoral or postdoctoral programmes run by an organisation.
EURAXESS publishes research vacancies, including posts in MSCA networks. A vacancy is not the text of a call, so read the vacancy terms before you apply.
National funders
A national funder and Horizon Europe are separate, and eligibility for one says nothing about the other. NWO, the Dutch Research Council, funds research in the Netherlands. FWF, the Austrian Science Fund, funds basic research in Austria. Vinnova, Sweden's innovation agency, and Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, are separate Swedish bodies.
These are examples. Other countries have their own funders, and the funder's page states the topic, the deadline and who may apply.
How to read a work programme topic
On the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, open the topic and read it in this order. The work programme and the topic page are the texts that decide.
- Read the expected outcome and the scope, and decide whether the topic matches your work.
- Check the type of action: a Research and Innovation Action, an Innovation Action or a Coordination and Support Action. ERC and MSCA calls use their own types.
- Check whether you apply alone or with partners, and which countries the call allows.
- Read the General Annexes of the work programme: their rules apply unless the topic says otherwise.
- Note the deadline and the budget, and ask your National Contact Point about the rules. It explains them; it does not award the funding.
What Gondar lists
Gondar lists the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Horizon Europe topics including ERC and MSCA calls), keep.eu for Interreg calls, EURAXESS job ads, and national research funders NWO, FWF, Vinnova and Formas. It does not list every national council.
Gondar never applies for anyone. You submit through the funder's official process.
Frequently asked questions
Are the ERC and the MSCA outside Horizon Europe?
No. Both are part of Horizon Europe, under Excellent Science. Each has its own calls on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, and the current call sets the conditions.
Does NWO, the FWF or Vinnova decide a Horizon Europe proposal?
No. Those bodies decide their own calls. A Horizon Europe call is decided under its own rules, and being eligible for a national call says nothing about the European one.
Is this list of funders complete?
No. It names Horizon Europe, the ERC grants, the MSCA actions and a few national funders. Other programmes and other countries exist. Confirm the rules on the official page of the funder.
Keep reading
- GermanyHow a small business in Germany can look for fundingFunding in Germany comes from several layers: federal programmes, the development banks of the Länder and EU programmes. KfW offers loans, and the chambers of industry and commerce advise. This guide names the layers, explains the main forms of support and suggests an order for your search.
- GuideFit and eligibility are two different questionsFit asks whether a call is worth your time. Eligibility asks whether the funder can accept you at all. A strong score never answers the second question.
- GuideBefore you submit: a checklist for AI-assisted applicationsA draft that reads well can still be wrong. Funders hold you responsible for every line, so check it the way a reviewer would.
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