MSCA has opened a call for staff exchanges with €97.9 million in funding
On December 16, 2025, the European Commission opened a new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges 2026 call, which is intended to promote international, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary collaboration in research and innovation. The deadline for submitting project proposals is April 16, 2026.
Objective of the call
MSCA Staff Exchanges enables partnerships from different countries, sectors, and disciplines to:
carry out staff exchanges (secondments), where not only researchers but also administrative, technical, and managerial staff can participate;
promote knowledge transfer and build lasting international connections;
organize workshops, mini-conferences, and other networking activities for the exchange of knowledge and innovative approaches.
What does the call bring?
Skupni proračun: 97,9 mio €
Datum objave: 16. 12. 2025
Rok za prijavo: 16. 4. 2026
Namen: spodbujanje sodelovanja preko izmenjav osebja med raziskovalnimi in inovacijskimi organizacijami po svetu.
Staff exchanges (secondments)
The key mechanism of the call is time-limited exchanges, within which:
staff spend up to 12 months abroad,
acquire new skills, expand their professional circle, and gain practical experience,
remain at their home institution after completing the secondment for the best possible transfer of knowledge and the establishment of lasting cooperation.
They can include:
- researchers at all career stages
- administrative and managerial staff
- technical experts who support R&I activities
News in the 2026 call
The 2026 call brings some important simplifications and improvements:
poenostavljeni pogoji prijave ter večja fleksibilnost;
exchanges within the same sector (e.g., academic → academic or industrial → industrial) are enabled, and the limitation regarding interdisciplinarity has been removed;
goals for the skills development of employees through exchanges are clearly defined.
International consortia
To apply for the call, the consortium must meet the minimum requirements:
- at least 3 independent legal entities from three different countries
- at least 2 partners from different EU Member States or countries associated with the Horizon Europe program
- the consortium must include academic and non-academic partners
Organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe program are eligible for funding. Organizations from other countries can participate as partners, but there are specific conditions regarding the funding of their activities.
Expected timeline
16. 12. 2025: Objavljen razpis
16. 4. 2026: Rok za oddajo predlogov
September 2026: Obveščanje o rezultatih (predvidoma)
November 2026: Podpis pogodb z izbranimi projekti (predvidoma)
Januar 2027: Začetek izvajanja projektov (predvidoma)
