PF: Which page number should applicants enter in the Ethics explanation box in Part A to refer to Ethics in the proposal?

Page indication is to help the evaluators to navigate to the specific parts of the proposal where they can find relevant information, to speed up their assessment. In that sense it refers to any page of the proposal, where this information could be found. Information in Part B2 is easiest to find because it has a dedicated Section 6 Additional ethics information, so the page indication comes particularly handy while screening Part B1.

PF: A proposal is of potential Euratom-relevace. What should the applicant indicate in form A?

The process of assessing if a proposal is Euratom-relevant will be performed by suitable experts during the evaluation. In case the applicant considers the proposal being only of limited pertinence to Euratom, it is highly recommend selecting the option “No” in the “Other Questions” section of the application form.

PF: Is it possible to have any page in the Part B1 document in landscape format? Can the Gantt chart be inserted sideways into the document?

It is recommended that the layout should not be changed. Fellows should aim to fit the Gantt Chart in half a page.

PF: What is the appropriate title a prospective candidate should use when saving the Part B1 and Part B2 files for upload to the platform?

Applicants can name their part B1 and B2 as follows:

Proposal Number-Acronym-Part B1.pdf / Proposal Number-Acronym-Part B2.pdf. This does not affect the evaluation process.

PF: For a proposal in social sciences where the methodology includes conducting interviews, can incentives be paid to interviewees from the Research, Training and Networking contributions?

Any reasonable project-related costs are eligible. Moreover, incentives are a usual practice in social sciences.

PF: Do applicants have to submit a Letter of Commitment for the Non-Academic Placement?

A Letter of Commitment is only required for Global Fellowships.

A Letter of Commitment for the Non-Academic Placement was mandatory, but it is not mandatory anymore - see p. 14 of the Guide for Applicants for the 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowships call.

PF: For the host organisation of a non-academic placement (NAP) to be eligible, is it enough for them to have a PIC number or does it also depend on the type of work the researcher is to perform there?

A NAP is considered eligible only if the organisation hosting it is registered as a non-academic institution. If so, it needs to appear in the proposal as an Associated Partner in the Participants section of Part A of the application, together with its PIC number.

PF: Is there a ‘usual’ practice for transferring funds from the beneficiary to the outgoing host in Global Fellowships, especially from the management contributions?

Yes, it is possible indeed to transfer a part of institutional costs (Research, Training and Networking & Management contributions) to the outgoing phase host in Global Fellowships. The amounts to be transferred, as well as the modalities of such transfer must be formalised in the Partnership agreement that the beneficiary will sign with the associated partner.

PF: Are international Advisory Boards common in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships proposals?

Setting up international Advisory Boards might undermine the credibility of the supervisor, and it is also not a great message with regard to the professional experience/ independence of the postdoc. Usually, in a Postdoctoral Fellowship there is discourse with other colleagues at the host institution in lab meetings, etc. that can be seen as a good monitoring mechanism.

However, International Advisory Boards can be positively assessed by evaluators in cases involving high levels of interdisciplinarity or very risky research or when the supervisor has limited mentoring experience.

SE: Since Indian partners can be eligible for the Indian co-funding mechanism (by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)), does that mean the coordinator should insert zero for the Indian partner in the budget table? Should they describe the proposed contribution by the additional secondments to be funded directly by India in part B?

As the MSCA Staff Exchanges proposal is part of the application for the CSIR funding, the secondments from India to Europe need to be described in the proposal in Part B. The CSIR entities participate as ‘Associated Partners’. This detailed document can be consulted.