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: According to the MSCA 2023-2024 Work programme, the time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention is not taken into account (p. 85). So, if a Ukrainian researcher obtained the refugee status very quickly, they may not comply with the mobility rule for the PF 2023 call with a host in the country where the status has been obtained. Is that correct?

There are no exceptions for Ukrainian nationals. If the concerned researcher does not comply with the mobility rule, the researcher is not eligible.