Horizon Europe is the European Union’s main research and innovation funding programme for the period 2021–2027. It supports research collaboration, mobility, innovation, and academic careers across disciplines and countries. Funding opportunities and application procedures are published through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Its work programmes define thematic priorities and funding opportunities across disciplines.

Within Horizon Europe, several programmes are particularly relevant for postdoctoral researchers and early-career academics, including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC).

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) provide funding for research mobility, training, and career development. MSCA fellowships are particularly suitable for researchers looking to move between countries, gain new skills and experience as well as develop long-term career prospects within or beyond academia. The main scheme for postdoctoral researchers is:

• Postdoctoral Fellowships , which support international mobility and interdisciplinary research

The European Research Council (ERC) offers some of the most prestigious and competitive grants in Europe. ERC funding supports investigator-driven research across all disciplines, including the social sciences and humanities. Postdoctoral researchers may be particularly interested in:

• Starting Grants (early-career researchers establishing independence)
• Consolidator Grants (researchers strengthening their research teams and profile)

ERC grants fund ambitious, high-risk/high-gain projects and are open to researchers of any nationality, hosted at European institutions.

The European Commission Research, Innovation and Technology portal offers access to information on funding opportunities, research initiatives, and policy developments. Practical information on open calls and application procedures is available through the Funding Opportunities, which serves as the main entry point for EU research funding.

In addition to major EU programmes, international postdoctoral funding comes from a mix of national research councils, European cooperation schemes, and private foundations.

See the Euraxess list of National and Regional Initiatives across Europe, including fellowships, visiting researcher programs, and recruitment opportunities (e.g. tenure-track roles, professorships, and junior leadership positions).

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports highly qualified international researchers at all career stages through fellowships and research awards to conduct long-term research stays in Germany. The programme emphasises academic excellence, international mobility, and collaboration with German host institutions across all disciplines.

British Academy supports research in the humanities and social sciences through fellowships, small grants, international mobility schemes and postdoctoral funding opportunities. Many schemes are open to international collaboration with UK-based institutions.

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – Walter Benjamin Programme offers postdoctoral researchers funding to carry out an independent research project with flexible mobility between German and international host institutions. The programme supports career development after the PhD and is open across disciplines, with a focus on strengthening research autonomy and international experience.

Dutch Research Council (NWO) offers three forms of Talent Programme, depending on career stage. NWO funds research across disciplines and offers grants, mobility schemes and career-development opportunities for early-career and established researchers, including international applicants hosted at Dutch institutions.

Max Planck Society offers Postdoctoral Programme opportunities, support early-career researchers through a wide range of positions and fellowship schemes hosted by Max Planck Institutes across Germany. Opportunities span the humanities, social sciences, law, economics, and interdisciplinary fields, and are generally open to international applicants. Many positions are advertised centrally through the Max Planck Society, while individual institutes also recruit directly for project-based and independent postdoctoral appointments.

Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) supports research across disciplines, including economics, law, history as well as social and political sciences. It offers fellowships for postdoctoral researchers, project funding, and international mobility schemes. Many opportunities are open to international researchers affiliated with universities or research institutions in Flanders, and the organisation also supports international research collaboration and scientific networking.

The Research Council of Finland has two major calls for applications each year: in spring and in winter, plus a number of other calls throughout the year. Proposals must benefit Finnish research and society and international collaboration, and the Coordinator shall be based in a Finnish institution.

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is Switzerland’s main public research funding organisation, which supports research across all disciplines. It offers a wide range of funding schemes for doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers and established scholars, including mobility fellowships, project grants and career-development programmes. SNSF places strong emphasis on international collaboration and supports researchers hosted at Swiss institutions as well as collaborative projects with international partners. Applicants need to hold Swiss citizenship, permanent settlement permit or a diploma of higher education obtained in Switzerland.

European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is a funding organisation for the creation of research networks, called COST Actions. Researchers can create a network – based on their own research interests and ideas – by submitting a proposal to the COST Open Call, in many science fields, including political and social sciences, humanities, law, history, economics and interdisciplinary research areas. COST Actions are highly interdisciplinary and open, often involving the private sector, policymakers as well as civil society. It is possible to join ongoing Actions, which therefore keep expanding over the funding period of four years.

Council for European Studies (CES) offers a variety of fellowships, grants, and awards supporting cutting-edge research on Europe and European affairs. In particular, CES is a major funder of dissertation research and early career development for academics and policy specialists working on Europe.

New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Cooperation in Europe (NORFACE) is a partnership of national research funding agencies in Europe dedicated to leading and developing opportunities for scientists in the area of social and behavioural sciences.

University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) is the global membership organisation for academics, students and practitioners who are interested in all aspects of Europe and the EU. It provides a variety of funding opportunities ranging from microgrants for early-career members to scholarships for post-graduate students.

The Ford Foundation supports organizations that address the underlying drivers of inequality. It awards research grants to institutions as well as a limited number of research grants to individuals.

The Open Society Foundations are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

The Volkswagen Foundation funds research projects in path-breaking areas and provides assistance to academic institutions for the improvement of the structural conditions for their work.

The Fritz Thyssen-Foundation supports research in the fields of history, language and culture, state, economics and society as well as medicine, devoting special attention to support for junior researchers.

The Gerda Henkel Foundation provides financial support for the historical humanities.

Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) supports independent-minded researchers to explore and present original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems. ISFR lunched Flexible Grants for Small Groups addressed to applicants who hold a PhD.

The Fondazione Cariplo offers grants to Third Sector organizations, supporting projects in the cultural, social, environmental, and research fields.

The Toyota Foundation identifies issues in a wide range of areas in line with the needs of the times, including human and natural environments, social welfare, and education and culture, and provides grants for research and projects that address these issues. The grant application is open to researchers of any nationality, but proposal coordinator must be based in Japan.