PF: Is it possible to have a secondment at the beginning of the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship that is hosted not by the beneficiary but by another European organisation?

A secondment in the first months of the outgoing phase in another entity that is not the beneficiary is not advisable.

PF: What happens if a fellow cannot get a visa for the third country where their Global Fellowships host for the outgoing phase is located?

For visa or other administrative matters, the Global fellows can spend at the beginning of their outgoing phase up to 3 months at the beneficiary premises (this is considered as part of the secondment and counts towards the maximum period). If these 3 months are not enough to obtain the necessary visa or make proper arrangements, the beneficiary has to suspend the fellowship and pay the fellow from their own funds until the MSCA researcher is able to move to the host of the outgoing phase. Mobility to the outgoing phase is an eligibility matter, like the mandatory 12-month return phase.

COFUND: Are Country Correction Coefficients (CCCs) applied in MSCA COFUND projects with an outgoing global fellowship element?

CCCs are not applicable in the COFUND action.

However, when preparing their proposals, beneficiaries are allowed to put in place different levels of co-funding for salaries to adapt them to the living standards of the countries involved in the programme.

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: Is it possible that the beneficiary retains the Research, Training and Networking and Management and Indirect costs and not transfer the funding to the host of the outgoing phase in Global Fellowships?

There is no legal obligation to transfer the EU contribution related to Research, Training and Networking and Management and Indirect costs from the beneficiary to the partner organisation, as long as the recruited researcher has all the appropriate resources necessary to carry out the work as planned for the outgoing phase.

It as advisable to have all terms agreed between the beneficiary and the third country partner clearly stated in a partnership agreement.

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: Is Puerto Rico considered a part of the United States of America?

Puerto Rico is considered a territory of the USA. When applicants include an Associated Partner in their proposal from Puerto Rico, it is considered as the USA.

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: A Postdoctoral researcher would like to resubmit their Global Fellowship proposal with a Swiss partner organisation for the outgoing phase. Would that be possible?

The applicant cannot resubmit their 2024 GF proposal, as of 2025 Switzerland is an Associated Country in Horizon Europe, meaning that Swiss institutions are eligible to participate as host organisations in the European Fellowships. The candidate may apply for a European fellowship, instead of Global.

For complete information about the Swiss state, applicants can check this dedicated webpage.

PF: What happens if the researcher quits the project after the outgoing phase without completing the return phase of a Global Fellowship?

If the researcher leaves the project before the return phase because they found another job opportunity in a Member State/ Associated Country or at the beneficiary premises for a different position, it may be considered that the main objectives of the MSCA Work programme have been respected.

If the researcher leaves the project before the return phase for the reason that they found a job opportunity in a Third Country, then the objective of return and (re)integration of European researchers as indicated in the MSCA Work Programme is not met. In such cases, an assessment of the beneficiary’s due diligence would be performed.

The approach in case of early termination of the Global Fellowship before the return phase due to other reasons will be established on a case-by-case basis taken into consideration the explicit justifications given by the beneficiary and the ‘due diligence’ performed by the beneficiary in the implementation of its obligation to ensure the mandatory return phase. The term ‘due diligence’ is defined as the level of care that can reasonably be expected from the beneficiary, in order to ensure the fulfilment of its obligations under the grant agreement (as defined in the AGA).

To assess the compliance with the contractual obligations related to the return phase, the PO could ask for a copy of the researcher’s employment contract (it should include a clause mentioning the obligation of the researcher to carry out a mandatory return period at its premises) and any other relevant documentation showing that the beneficiary supported the fellow’s return at its premises (such as email exchanges between the beneficiary and the fellow).

PF: If a fellow chooses to do a 3-month secondment at the start of the outgoing phase at the beneficiary, are they then allowed to do another secondment during the outgoing phase to the same organisation (provided that the total secondment durations do not exceed 1/3 of the outgoing phase)?

The 3-month secondment at the start of the outgoing phase is introduced to allow fellows who are not already living in the country of the beneficiary, to sort out logistics and acquire social security number and coverage, visa, etc. and get acquainted with the host organisation in person.

Thus, the applicant is not allowed to do another secondment at the beneficiary, but it is possible to have another secondment during the outgoing phase at another institution, other than the beneficiary.

PF: How do applicants enter the supervisor’s name for the outgoing phase in Global Fellowships in the online system?

The supervisor for the outgoing phase is not encoded in Part A of the participants list but is mentioned in Part B.

PF: Given that the UK has associated to Horizon Europe, how will time spent in the UK during the non-association be treated for the purpose of establishing long-term residence for the 2024 MSCA Global Fellowship call?

According to the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2025 “Long-term residence means a period of legal and continuous residence within EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries of at least five consecutive years. Periods of absence from the territory of the EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country will be taken into account for the calculation of this period where they are shorter than six consecutive months and do not exceed in total ten months within this period.”

As long as these conditions are met, the researcher could be considered eligible, provided that all the other eligibility conditions are also met.

Due to the entry into force of the UK withdrawal agreement as of 1 February 2020, periods from this date until the effective Horizon Europe association of the UK as of 1 January 2024 cannot be considered as valid to acquire the long-term residence within the meaning of the MSCA Work Programme.

 

PF: If a third country national has been working/ living in a Member State/ Associated Country and applies for a Global Fellowship, would they be able to come back to the same Member State/ Associated Country for the return phase?

There is no problem about returning to the Host Institution considering that they are recruited from Europe during the outgoing phase. However, this third country national needs to meet the long-term residence requirement to submit a Global Fellowship proposal.

PF: Is the United Kingdom eligible to host the outgoing phase in Global Fellowships for the 2024 Postdoctoral Fellowships call?

The United Kingdom entered into an agreement with the European Union in 2023, resulting in its classification as an associated country eligible to apply as a full beneficiary in MSCA. Consequently, the UK is no longer categorised as a third country, and, as such, it is no longer eligible to host the outgoing phase in Global Fellowships for the 2024 Postdoctoral Fellowships call.

The specific eligibility conditions for Postdoctoral Fellowships in the research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025 do not provide any derogation regarding the outgoing phase of Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. Therefore, the United Kingdom cannot host the outgoing phase of a Euratom MSCA Global Fellowship.

Please note that, as the UK is not associated to EURATOM, organisations there cannot host EURATOM European Fellowships – you can find more information here.

PF: Is it possible to have a Global Fellowship with a 12-month outgoing phase, with a secondment in the EU (but not the beneficiary) in the first two months of the outgoing phase, making the time in the third country only 10 months?

Secondments to any country are allowed during the outgoing phase. Secondments can have a duration of up to 1/3 of the outgoing phase, and are considered a part of the outgoing phase. Thus in the above scenario the total duration of the outgoing phase would still be 12 months, which is in line with GF requirements. Whether or not it is reasonable to have a secondment at the very beginning of the fellowship rests with the evaluators, based on the justification in the proposal.

PF: Can a researcher employed in an organisation in one EU Member State/ Associated Country apply for a Global Fellowship with another organisation from the same country?

A researcher can apply for a Global Fellowship with any organisation in any EU Member State/ Associated Country, not necessarily their current employer.

PF: Can a researcher from country A (EU Member State/ Associated Country) apply for a Global Fellowship with a beneficiary in country B (any other EU Member State/ Associated Country)?

A researcher can apply for a Global Fellowship with any organisation in any EU Member State/ Associated Country.

PF: Is it possible that the beneficiary (European host insitution) is the organisation where the researcher is currently employed?

Yes, it is possible that the return host is the organisation where the researcher is already employed. This happens quite often but a clear training plan and transfer of knowledge has to be shown in the proposal