PF: A PF applicant can document their teaching activities through official records. However, academic contracts in their country do not normally specify a fixed percentage of working time allocated to teaching and research. How should they quantify the teaching component in this case?

For the purpose of calculating the 8 years of research experience under MSCA PF, only periods during which the researcher was not carrying out research and research-related activities may be deducted. Any deduction must be supported by appropriate documentation and be quantifiable.

There is no predefined MSCA methodology for converting teaching activities into a percentage of working time based on the number of courses, semesters, or annual averages. The researcher should therefore use the most reliable and well-documented method available to estimate the proportion of time devoted to teaching, considering the specific circumstances of the employment and any supporting evidence (e.g. teaching assignments, workload records, institutional regulations, job descriptions, or other official documentation). The beneficiary should retain the supporting documentation in its records in case of an audit.

Teaching experience should also be described in the CV section of Part B2.

Applicants should note that the eligibility assessment is carried out by the REA only after the call deadline. Consequently, applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that all eligibility criteria are met and that any deductions claimed in the calculation of their research experience are properly justified, documented, and supported by appropriate evidence.

SE: Does a seconded person need to physically be at the secondment organisation for a full month for it to be eligible? Can they go to a conference in another country during this time?

Secondments are aimed at ensuring transfer of knowledge between two organisations through the implementation of the research and innovation activities established in the Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement.

Therefore, the participation in a conference is eligible for funding only if it is ancillary to an ongoing eligible secondment and only if it forms an integral part of the training and transfer of knowledge activities planned for this secondment.

As the duration for participation in a conference is limited to 1-2 days, it can be accepted as part of the ongoing secondment if it is in the country of the institution hosting the secondment or in another country.

SE: Can the categories of seconded personnel be changed during the implementation of the project without an amendment?

It is difficult to change the categories of seconded personnel during implementation. The Project Officer should be consulted.

PF: What documentation is required to justify/ prove a career break, i.e. caring for a parent?

The applicant should use any official documents that would be accepted by an official organisation (city council, tax office, employer, etc). A letter from a doctor or any letter stating that the applicant received relevant allowances such as carer benefits, etc. can also be presented.

PF: Can a researcher apply for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship with a host institution in country A if they have not been living there for more than 12 months in the past 3 years but were enrolled in a PhD programme at a university in this country (even though they did not receive any funding during that period)?

Both the country of residence and the country of the main activity (even without salary) shoud be taken into account. Therefore, if the researcher was registered as a PhD student at a University in country A for more than 12 months over the eligibility period and this was their main activity (no employment or other contract), they are not eligible for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in this country even if they resided there for less than 12 months over the eligibility period.

PF: Can a third-country national be considered as a long-term resident in EU Member States or Associated countries if they have resided in the UK before the date of its association to Horizon Europe and then moved to their home country for 5 months?

Once a country is associated to Horizon Europe, any period spent in that country (independently of the date of association to Horizon Europe) may be counted towards the calculation of the ‘long-term residence’. Therefore, the time spent in the UK when it was not associated counts towards the five-year requirement.

Applicants can check this FAQ. 

PF: If an applicant was employed by an organisation based in the country of application, how should the time of maternity leave spent outside the country be considered for the mobility rule?

If the researcher had a contract with an organisation in the country of application covering the period of the maternity leave, this time will be taken into account for the mobility rule, even if the researcher was not physically present in the country of application during the maternity leave.

PF: Can the 5 years of legal and continuous residence within EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries be spent at two (or more) EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries?

The rule says “within EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries” which means they can stay in more than one country as long as they stayed more than 5 years with no breaks more than 3 months at once and 10 months in total. Moreover, the applicant does not have to possess the official long-term residency status.

PF: Is a researcher with a contract in a third country of exactly 12 months in the last 3 years eligible to apply for a Global Fellowship with an organisation in the same third country?

Yes, they are eligible to apply with an organisation in the same third country. However, if the candidate arrived in the country before the start date of the employment contract (e.g. to look for an apartment) or left after the end date of the employment contract, the period of residence starts from the day they arrived in the country and ends the day they left (e.g. dates of flight/ train tickets, visa, etc.).

PF/ DN/ COFUND: How should the refugee status be considered towards the mobility rule? Should the time spent in the country with the refugee status already accorded count for the mobility rule?

This wording is interpreted more broadly in practice to also exclude the period during which the refugee status is held, in alignment with the approach to the eligibility rule related to long-term residence and the mobility limitations of refugee researchers. Neither the time spent during the procedure for obtaining refugee status nor the period during which the status is held are taken into account when assessing compliance with the mobility rule.

PF: How should the status of honorary researcher be considered towards the mobility rule if it is a mere association to a lab, with no working contract and no salary, but an agreement ensuring necessary social coverage to officially exercise a research activity in this lab?

If, besides the activity of honorary researcher, the applicant also has a working contract with another lab, the activity of honorary researcher shall not be taken into account for the mobility rule, as it is not a 'main activity'. According to the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2025 ‘Recruited researchers must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline’. When taking into consideration the country of the activity (work, studies, etc.), what counts is the country where the main activity (main activity understood as an activity above 50%) is taking place.

PF: Can periods of inactivity due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and prolonged strikes at a university be considered and deducted as career breaks?

This has to be properly documented, just a statement is not sufficient. There needs to be proof that the organisation was shut down and the employees were suspended during the pandemic and strikes. In particular, the exemption for the period of university closures due to COVID can only be applied if the fellow was not under contract with the university during that time. If the fellow continued to be paid, that period must be counted as research time. Ultimately, it is up to the hosting organisation to verify the eligibility of the fellow.

PF: Is a researcher with a contract of more than 12 months in country A eligible to apply with an organisation in the same country, even if they have been physically present in the country for less than 12 months?

Both the contract and physical presence are considered for the mobility rule, so they would be ineligible.

Footnote 145 in the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2025 (p. 121) says that the country of the main activity is “the country where the researcher is physically based when carrying out the main activity and the country of the institution for which the main activity is performed (e.g., employer).”

PF: Are applicants with an LLD (Doctor of Laws) considered eligible to apply for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships?

Generally, LLD can be considered as equivalent to a PhD.

PF: A researcher has 60 days off per year as part of their employment contract. Can this time be deducted from the research experience as the researcher cannot be working on their research during this time?

If the ‘summer break’ is considered part of the annual leave under a full employment contract for research activities, and the researcher remains employed under this contract during that period, it should not be deducted as time spent outside of research.

In the Guide for Applicants, only two types of leaves are specified as a valid reason for potentially extending the 8-year limit: the long-term sick leave, if the duration exceeds 30 days, and maternity/ paternity leave.

PF: Is a researcher who did a joint PhD with institutions in country A and country B eligible to apply for country B?

In cases of joint degrees, where the main place of residence and activity was in country A and the institution in country B was merely visited for short periods of time, the main activity would be in country A. Therefore, the researcher would be ineligible for institutions located in country A if the period in question exceeds 12 months during the last 3 years, but would be eligible to apply with an institution in country B.

It is crucial to emphasize that the clearance of proposal eligibility will be conducted by the European Research Executive Agency after the call deadline, considering the numerous potential scenarios. Consequently, eligibility for individual applicants (both researchers and institutions) prior to the call deadline cannot be assessed or confirmed. It is the sole responsibility of the applicants to diligently review all eligibility criteria and ensure the provision of accurate information in the submission forms.

PF: How do researchers who were in the UK during the non-association period (1st February 2020-1st January 2024) calculate their eligibility regarding the research experience?

The limit of maximum 8 years of research experience (full time equivalent) from the date of award of the (first) doctoral degree can be extended (in days) for research in a non-associated third country (only for nationals or long-term residents of MS or AC wishing to reintegrate in Europe).

According to the reintegration rule, to deduct the time spent in the third country from the calculus of the research experience, one of the two conditions must be met:

- The researcher is based in the third country at the call deadline, or

- Has moved directly from the third country to a EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country within the last 12 months before the call deadline.

As of 1 January 2024 the United Kingdom became an Associated Country, and is no longer a third country.

So, if a researcher lives in the UK since January 2022 until the call deadline, both conditions will not be respected:

- The researcher will not be based in a third country at the 2024 call deadline on 11/09/2024;

- There is no move to a EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country within the period 12/09/2023-11/09/2024. 

If the researcher does not fall into the ‘reintegration’ category, the period of research in the UK could not be deducted.

PF: In case a researcher has two PhDs will the time spent doing the second PhD be counted as ‘research experience’?

Indeed, the researcher’s experience is counted from the moment the researcher obtained their first PhD, meaning that, for the purpose of the eligibility in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships proposals, the time spent doing the second PhD is counted as part of the research experience.

PF: Can research experience in a private company be deducted when calculating the research experience of a Postdoctoral Fellowships applicant?

Experience in the private sector can also be a research activity. The job description of the applicant has to be checked to see if their job included research activities.