PF: In case a period of sick leave does not qualify as “long-term leave”, i.e. less than 30 days, does the beneficiary in a Postdoctoral Fellowship have to bear the costs? How is it to be dealt with and calculated?

In Postdoctoral Fellowships, a sick leave of less than 30 consecutive days does not trigger the long-term leave allowance, hence whether the host institution must bear the cost depends on what the employer normally does under national law.

It is possible, although not mandatory, to suspend the project for a period of less than 30 days, but  that time period will not be covered by the long-term leave allowance.

As long as the long-term leave allowance and suspension are not triggered, the standard living allowance + mobility allowance (and other standard unit costs) remain eligible under the project.

MSCA PF uses unit costs, and the living and mobility allowances must indeed be used for the benefit of the researcher. However, this does not mean that the full unit-cost amount must be paid as salary in every circumstance and fully top up the sick leave allowance.

National employment legislation and employment contracts always apply. The MSCA rules do not override these legal entitlements, and the beneficiary must not bypass the sick-leave process.