PF: Can the secondment phase be divided into shorter mobility periods at two different entities?

Yes, it is possible to split the secondment, both in different periods and at different entities. It should always be planned so that it makes the most sense regarding the project and the researcher, e.g. they should consider if a very short secondment will give them the added value of a network.

PF: What can be included in the headers and footers of the project proposal?

About header and footer content, there are no strict specifications in the template or the guiding materials. Applicants can include the proposal acronym and action type in the header if they wish. In the same logic, REA would not reject a proposal for not having included the grey part “EU Grants: Application form (HE MSCA PF): V1.1 – 05.05.2022” in the header.

This is a possible option:

“Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01 – [MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 - EF]               ACRONYM” Or

“Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01 – [MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022 - GF]               ACRONYM”

PF: Can candidates list publications that are ‘published’, ‘accepted’ and ‘under review’?

Тhey can list ‘submitted’ and ‘under review’, but they should be ignored by the reviewers. Under review/ submitted always means that they can still be rejected, so they cannot be seen as an accomplishment.

PF: A researcher from Ukraine wants to apply for the 2022 call for a Postdoctoral Fellowship and their employment contract included part time research activities. Given the circumstances in Ukraine, it is missing on both sides - the employer and the researcher. What should be done in this case?

In cases where it is materially impossible to provide an employment contract due to exceptionally difficult circumstances (e.g. situations of war or armed conflict, natural disasters, etc.), an official letter from the employer, duly signed and stamped, stating the start and end dates, and describing the tasks performed by the employee could be accepted instead of the employment contract. In the particular case mentioned, it would be important to highlight that, in addition to the above, the letter should specify and quantify the time spent outside the main research activity so that the time spent not working in research could be deducted from the FTE experience in research.

PF: Is it possible to cut the length of the section titles (e.g. by removing the text in parentheses), for example to write "1.1. Quality and pertinence of the project’s research and innovations objectives" instead of "1.1. Quality and pertinence of the project’s research and innovations objectives (and the extent to which they are ambitious, and go beyond the state of the art)"?

In 2022 REA is keeping the same approach as for the 2021 call, meaning that the headings cannot be cut. The content in the template needs to be kept as such, without deleting the explanatory text in the parenthesis.

PF: An applicant spent six years in Europe but in 2021 they spent one year in a third country. Is the long-term residence counted from the deadline of the call?

If a person leaves the EU for 12 months or longer, they lose the status of the long-term resident and the count starts from scratch. So if the period spent in the third country was 12 months or more, they are no longer considered long-term residents.