MSCA Staff Exchanges 2025

Masters students can be seconded only if they are considered staff members of the sending organisation and fulfil all other eligibility criteria mentioned under Article 6.2.A of the Grant Agreement.

The secondments of master students are often ineligible because facing one or more of the following ineligibility conditions:

• They are not considered staff members under national law and internal practices since the sending organisation does not have the legal means in terms of control, supervision and instructions to impose to the master student's compliance with the grant agreement obligations.
• They are still in training and lack the expertise necessary to perform the research and innovation activities which are expected in a MSCA-SE project and therefore not complying with the specific rules for the action.
• They have not yet obtained a master's degree and therefore are ineligible (except in some countries where a bachelor's degree is sufficient to embark on a doctorate) since they cannot be considered as a doctoral candidate according to Article 6.2.A.(b).(ii) of the Grant Agreement.

Staff members of any nationality can participate in MSCA-SE provided they comply with all the eligibility criteria defined in article 6.2.A of the Grant Agreement.

SMEs can second staff to an academic research organisation established in a Member State (MS) or Associated Country (AC) and/or to any other organisation established in an Associated Partner to gain complementary expertise. Also, they can host staff from an academic research organisation established in a MS/AC or from any other organisation established in a Third Country and benefit from their transfer of knowledge. They can therefore create new cross-sectorial and international networks for the mutual benefit of both the SME and its staff members.

In MSCA-SE, staff members must be seconded on a full-time basis for minimum one month and up to 12 months.

Part-time secondments are NOT allowed.

Staff working part-time may participate in the action, if there is a change in their contractual relationship, such as a conclusion of an additional contract or a supplementary agreement, to allow the secondment to be implemented on a full-time basis.

In MSCA-SE, staff members must be seconded on a full-time basis for minimum one month and up to 12 months.

Part-time secondments are NOT allowed.

Staff working part-time may participate in the action, if there is a change in their contractual relationship, such as a conclusion of an additional contract or a supplementary agreement, to allow the secondment to be implemented on a full-time basis.

Staff members of any nationality can participate in SE provided they comply with all the eligibility criteria defined in article 6.2.A of the Grant Agreement.

Master students can be seconded only if they are considered staff members of the sending organisation and fulfil all other eligibility criteria mentioned under Article 6.2.A of Grant Agreement.

The secondments of master students are often ineligible because facing one or more of the following ineligibility conditions:

• They are not considered staff members under national law and internal practices since the sending organisation has not the legal means in terms of control, supervision and instructions to impose to the master students compliance with the grant agreement obligations.
• They are still in training and lack the expertise necessary to perform the research and innovation activities which are expected in a SE project. Therefore not complying with the Specific rules for MSCA-SE action.
• They have not yet obtained a master degree and therefore are ineligible (except in some countries where a bachelor degree is sufficient to embark on a doctorate) since they cannot be considered as doctoral candidate according to Article 6.2.A.(b).(ii) of the Grant Agreement.

They have not been linked/actively engaged in the R&I activities of the sending organisation for at least 1 months (full-time equivalent) prior to the first secondment. Therefore not complying with Article 6.2.A.(b).(iii) of the Grant Agreement.

1. After the signature of the UK association to HORIZON EUROPE, is the UK considered as beneficiary?

There is a transitional arrangement with the UK, and UK entities may apply as potential beneficiaries in this call and shall be evaluated as prospectively eligible to become such. However, at the Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) stage, UK entities that applied as beneficiaries will be moved to Associated Partners (APs) and will not receive funding from the EU. Therefore, we advise that UK entities apply as beneficiaries so that later on, if awarded, they can apply for UKRI funding.

2. Can UK entities apply as coordinator?

UK entities will be moved to Associated Partners (APs) if awarded. APs cannot be coordinators. Then, we advise that no UK entity applies as coordinator for this call.

3. Can a consortium with the following composition be funded: UK + Member State/Associated Country + Third Country (TC)?

Since the UK entities will be moved to Associated Partner (AP) status at Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) stage, the consortium will become non-eligible for funding. We advise that the consortium ensures its eligibility from the outset and make sure they have 2 MS/ACs on top of the UK.

4. Do we need to provide a Letter of Commitment (LoC) for the UK entities?

Following the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie ActionsPDF, the APs need to provide a LoC. Since the UK entities will be moved to Associated Partner (AP) status at Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP) stage, it is advisable to provide the LoCs at the application stage to avoid delaying the GAP process at a later stage.

Yes, however, during the secondment, the staff members need to be dedicated full time to the action (see respective Q&APDF), and the participants should not incur in double funding between the different actions simultaneously managed.

Additionally, the organisation should substantiate in their proposals their operational and financial capacity to carry out the activities planned in the project while implementing other actions.

Organisations located in High-Income Third Countries (TC) can participate in MSCA Staff Exchange projects hosting staff seconded from EU MS/AC. They will not receive EU funding. However, there are complementary funding mechanisms in third countriesPDF, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Japan, etc., that can be combined with MSCA Staff Exchanges funding. For further details, you may find the information in the Guide for Applicants for MSCA Staff Exchanges.

There is also the possibility to request Exceptional funding for entities located in High-Income TC if the consortium justifies the exceptional funding request in the proposal Part B1 - section 3.2 (Quality, capacity, and role of each participant, including hosting arrangements and extent to which the consortium as a whole brings together the necessary expertise). For further details, you may check the Guide for Applicants, Section 4.2.

Please find below the following two Co-funding examples for India and Brazil:

Indian-EU research partnerships under the co-funding scheme within MSCA Staff Exchanges

Co-fund Brazilian-EU research partnerships within MSCA Staff Exchanges

Participants can search for partners in the Funding & Tenders Portal directly.

They can search among the participants in past EU-funded projects through the "Partner Search" option in the "How to Participate" menu; a filter can be applied by keyword, topic or country.

Interested organisations can also post a partner search announcement directly on the topic page.

For more information on the Partner Search, please read the IT HowTo.​

No, it cannot. All the participating organisations must send and/or host staff. Entities not sending nor hosting staff cannot participate in MSCA-SE. Please be reminded that entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries only hosting staff are not allowed to participate as "beneficiaries" under Horizon Europe rules. However, they may participate as "associated partners".

Secondments from 'Associated partners' (no matter from where they come, EU Member State (MS), Horizon Europe Associated Country (AC) or Third Countries) are not eligible for funding.

However, an exception is valid for low to middle-income Third Countries listedPDF in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide; these are eligible to receive funding for seconding a staff member to an EU Member State and Horizon Europe Associated Country institution. The EU funds will be managed by the receiving EU MS/AC beneficiary.

In any case, please note that secondments from an Associated partner located in a Third Country to another Associate partner located in a Third Country will not be eligible for funding.

In MSCA Staff Exchanges, secondments should be mainly international (i.e. between EU Member States/Associated Countries (MS/AC) and non-associated third countries) and/or intersectoral (i.e. secondments between different Member States/Associated Countries and between different sectors). Up to 1/3 of the total secondments funded by the EU can be secondments between different Member States/Associated Countries within the same sector (academic or non-academic) if those secondments are interdisciplinary. Please note that interdisciplinarity is not required for same-sector exchanges between a MS/AC and non-associated third countries “Associated Partners”.

Participants can search for partners in the Funding & Tenders Portal directly.

They can search among the participants in past EU-funded projects through the "Partner Search" option in the "How to Participate" menu; a filter can be applied by keyword, topic or country.

Interested organisations can also post a partner search announcement directly on the topic page.

For more information on the Partner Search, please read the IT HowTo.​

In MSCA-SE, management and indirect costs refer to a unit cost of €1.000 per implemented person-month that is to be used for the management of the action. The eligibility of these costs is linked to the eligibility of the seconded researchers declared by each beneficiary. This amount may be re-distributed among the consortium. For example, the consortium may agree in the Consortium Agreement that all beneficiaries will contribute to the costs that the coordinator incurs for the management of the whole action and consequently allocate a higher percentage to the coordinator. It is highly advisable that the proposed beneficiaries address the distribution of these costs before submitting their proposal and subsequently address this issue in the Consortium Agreement.

The MSCA-SE proposals are ranked under eight scientific panels (areas of research), [Chemistry (CHE); Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC); Economic Sciences (ECO); Information Science and Engineering (ENG); Environment and Geo-Sciences (ENV); Life Sciences (LIF); Mathematics (MAT) and Physics (PHY)]. The budget is allocated to each of these panels in proportion to the number of eligible proposals submitted to the panel.

EU MS/AC associated partners linked to a beneficiary are organizations with a pre-existing legal or capital link to the beneficiary, which is not limited to the action nor specifically created for its implementation. These entities contribute to the implementation of the project by hosting or seconding researchers but cannot claim funding directly.

In Part A, add associated partners linked to a beneficiary as "associated partners" using the "Add Partner" feature.

EU MS/AC associated partners linked to a beneficiary cannot claim unit contributions directly. Their budget must instead be included under the linked beneficiary's budget.

In Part B, Section 3.2, the type of link and involvement of such entities must be clearly described as it will be assessed as part of the evaluation. Please refer to the Guide for Applicants for information on sector of activity (the sector of the associated partner linked to a beneficiary (ACA / NON-ACA) is the same as that of the beneficiary).

The MSCA pay particular attention to the physical accessibility and inclusion of all researchers.

The MSCA foresee financial support for the additional costs entailed by seconded researchers/staff members with disabilities whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are such that their participation in MSCA would not be possible without extra financial support.

Please, find below the link to a complete guide that provides clarity on the procedures and criteria for applying for special needs allowances:

Management of the MSCA Special Needs in H2020 Legacy Grants and Horizon Europe Grants

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) pay particular attention to physical accessibility and inclusion of researchers.

The MSCA foresee financial support for the additional costs entailed by seconded researchers/staff members with disabilities whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are such that their participation in MSCA would not be possible without extra financial support.

Please, find below the link to a complete guide that provides clarity on the procedures and criteria for applying for special needs allowances:

Management of Special needs requests during HE - guidelines for beneficiaries - v122023

In Part A, applicants will be asked for certain administrative details that will be used in the evaluation and further processing of their proposal. Part A constitutes an integral part of the proposal.

The Electronic Submission Service provides guidance on how to complete the Part A, which includes the following steps:

Step 1: Login using the coordinator's EU Login account

Step 2: Selection of the funding scheme

Step 3: Creation of a draft proposal (selection of the Coordinator's PIC, insertion of the Acronym, the Abstract and selection of the scientific panel)

Step 4: Parties: creation of the consortium; Addition of the participants' PICs and contact persons. All participating organisations should be added at this stage, either as “beneficiary” or “associated partners” (including both the associated partners and the associated partners linked to a beneficiary). To do so, click on the blue button "Add Partner".

Step 5: Upload of Part B1 and B2, and Editing of the forms (part A), including the following sections:

• Section 1: General information about the proposal;
• Section 2: Data on participating organisations (list of beneficiaries and associated partners, researchers involved, role of participating organisation in the project, Gender equality plan);

Please note that associated partners do not need to list the researchers involved nor the role of the participating organisation in the project.

Please also note that neither the beneficiaries, nor the associated partners, need to fill in the list of up to five publications, relevant previous projects, or significant infrastructure. This information will need to be stated in the relevant section of part B2.

• Section 3: Budget (request for funding in terms of person-months);

Please note that partner organisations from low to middle income countries, listed in the 'Horizon Europe Programme GuidePDF', are automatically eligible for funding and should encode their request for funding in terms of person-months.

Please also note that partner organisations from other third countries not listed in the above mentioned 'Horizon Europe Programme GuidePDF' should encode no budget in terms of person-months in the Budget table, otherwise the encoded budget will be considered a request for exceptional funding. However, if the granting authority does not consider their participation as essential for implementing the project, then the corresponding person-months encoded will be deducted from the total amount and will not be redistributed among the other participants.

• Section 4: Ethics and Security.

Applicants must validate the form in order to check if there is no missing information or blocking issue. Applicants save and close the form.

The proposal is at the "Edit proposal" stage.

Applicants validate the proposal for a final check before submission.

When considering the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for the preparation of the proposal, it is imperative to exercise caution and careful consideration. The AI-generated content should be thoroughly reviewed and validated by the applicants to ensure its appropriateness and accuracy, as well as its compliance with intellectual property regulations. Applicants are fully responsible for the content of the proposal (even those parts produced by the AI tool) and must be transparent in disclosing which AI tools were used and how they were utilized (see LIVING GUIDELINES ON THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF GENERATIVE AI IN RESEARCH PUBLISHED | European Research Area Platform).

Specifically, applicants are required to:

- Verify the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of the content and any citations generated by the AI tool and correct any errors or inconsistencies.

- Provide a list of sources used to generate content and citations, including those generated by the AI tool. Double-check citations to ensure they are accurate and properly referenced.

- Be conscious of the potential for plagiarism where the AI tool may have reproduced substantial text from other sources. Check the original sources to be sure you are not plagiarizing someone else’s work.

- Acknowledge the limitations of the AI tool in the proposal preparation, including the potential for bias, errors, and gaps in knowledge.

An explanation on the use of generative AI in the preparation of the proposal should be included in part B2, section 5 of the proposal.

In MSCA Staff Exchanges and in the Horizon Europe Programme overall, Open Science is an integral part of the proposals and is evaluated under ‘Excellence’ and under ‘Quality and efficiency of implementation’ criteria.

To address Open Science at proposal preparation, applicants must refer to the Horizon Europe Program GuidePDF (page 42 onwards) and to published Call documents (proposal Application Form Part BPDF).

In ‘Excellence’ (methodology), applicants must provide concrete information on how they plan to comply with mandatory open science practices. If insufficiently addressed, a score will be lower. The recommended practices, if addressed, may result in a better score.

In ‘Implementation’ (capacity of participants and consortium as a whole), applicants should describe their experiences in open science practices and provide a list of publications/datasets/products etc. - as relevant to proposed work and to partners’ profiles and roles.

The TRL of your proposal is not a constraint for applying to MSCA Staff Exchanges. Proposals at any TRL will be considered for funding in MSCA-SE.

All eligible proposals will be evaluated under one of the eight major areas of research (known as scientific evaluation "panels"): Chemistry (CHE); Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC); Economic Sciences (ECO); Information Science and Engineering (ENG); Environment and Geo-Sciences (ENV); Life Sciences (LIF); Mathematics (MAT), and Physics (PHY).

Experts will evaluate all proposals under a given panel. Each panel will establish a ranked list of proposals for funding.

In the Electronic Submission Service, the applicant chooses the panel to which the proposal will be associated at the proposal stage (using the field "Scientific Panel" in section 1 of the proposal submission forms) and this should be considered as the core discipline. Additional keywords are used to define the other disciplines that may be involved (see below).

Proposals must be submitted to only one of eight 'main evaluation panels'.

Applicants should carefully choose the panel and keywords since this will guide the REA in the selection of experts for proposal evaluation.

As a general rule, the call budget will be distributed between the panels based on the proportion of eligible proposals received in each panel.

To help applicants select the most relevant panel for their proposal, a document providing a breakdown of each research area into a number of keywords is available on the REA websitePDF.

Regarding the keywords, applicants can select from three (3) to five (5) as explained below. The applicants must:

Select the scientific panel that best fits your proposal in the “General Information” section of Application Form Part A (e.g., CHE), which will be considered the core discipline.

Within the most relevant sub-area of research (e.g. C1-Inorganic Chemistry), select the first descriptor that best characterises the subject of the proposal (e.g. Catalytic materials).

The second descriptor that best characterises the subject of the proposal can be chosen from any of the eight (8) areas of research.

Third descriptor: it is mandatory to select at least one (1) additional descriptor which can be chosen from any of the eight (8) areas of research.

If needed, you may add further two (2) additional descriptors chosen freely from any of the eight (8) areas of research.

Please note that you should select the keywords in order of importance, the first being the most important. The selected keywords may also be used in the assessment of the interdisciplinarity of secondments and may influence the eligibility of same sector secondments between Member States/Associated Countries.

The descriptors will help the European Research Executive Agency (REA) to identify the most qualified and suitable experts to evaluate the proposal in question.

In the Electronic Submission System, the applicant chooses the panel with which the proposal will be associated at the proposal stage (using the field "Scientific Panel" in section 1 of the proposal submission forms) and this should be considered as the core discipline. Additional descriptors are used to define the other disciplines that may be involved. All descriptors and guidance are available in the Guide for Applicants section 5 on the REA website (see also FAQ “How to select keywords in a Horizon Europe MSCA Staff Exchange (SE) proposal”). Selected descriptors may also be used in the assessment of the interdisciplinarity of secondments and may influence eligibility of intra-European same-sector secondments (limited to 1/3).

We would like to clarify that although it is not mandatory, a secondment plan can be included.

If you include your secondment planning in the application form, note that adjustments to the visit plan are permissible within the total budget constraint.

The TRL of your proposal is not a constraint for applying to MSCA Staff Exchanges. Proposals at any TRL will be considered for funding in MSCA Staff Exchanges.

Yes, as mentioned in the "Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 - 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie ActionsPDF" in the section "3.3.3. Duration of the action", the secondment of a staff member may be split into several stays with one or several beneficiaries or associated partners.

However, secondments must last at least one month and cannot be longer than 12 months for the same staff member (independently of the number of organisations the staff is seconded to).

As an example, the secondee "X" of institution A can be seconded as follows:

• First stay: 2 weeks (indicative) to institution B;
• Second stay: 2 weeks (indicative) to institution C;
• In this way the secondee "X" achieves the minimum period of 1 month and does not exceed the maximum of 12 months.

No, virtual secondments are not possible in MSCA SE. The physical exchange must take place.

For the secondments to be considered interdisciplinary, all the necessary information should be provided in the proposal.

Example of interdisciplinary secondment across panels: Three specialists in parasites are seconded from a University in France to a University in Germany that studies mummies from ancient Egypt. The proposal indicates that the activities performed during the secondments will consist of studying the possible presence of parasites in the mummies available at the German participant. The activities therefore include parasitology (included under the first level MSCA Keyword: “Immunity and infection”) and Egyptology (included under first level MSCA Keyword: “Archaeology, history and memory”). The secondments between those two participants are Interdisciplinary.

Example of interdisciplinary secondment within the same scientific panel (i.e. ENG): Three specialists in electrical energy conversion are seconded from a University in Spain to a University in Sweden (same sector) that studies the temperature in the windings of the transformer when using biodegradable liquids, which by their nature are more viscous. The proposal indicates that the activities performed during the secondments will consist of numerical analyses of the temperature of the transformer and the ageing of the material when immersed in these liquids. The activities, therefore, include energy conversion (included under the first level MSCA Keyword: “G3-Products and Processes Engineering: Product design, process design and control, construction methods, civil engineering, energy processes, material engineering”) and Numerical Analysis (included under first-level MSCA Keyword: “G1-Computer science and informatics”). The secondments between those two participants are interdisciplinary.

Example that is not an interdisciplinary secondment: Several researchers in neurosciences are seconded from a University in Belgium to a University in Spain in a group specialised in the study of pain. The staff seconded will perform activities that fall under neuroimaging, study of sensory systems and molecular neurosciences to improve the knowledge on mechanisms of pain. The activities proposed for those secondments fall under the same first level MSCA Keyword (“Neurosciences and neural disorders”).

The maximum number of person-months that can be funded in a SE project is 360. There is no minimum number of secondments explicitly defined for the project. The number of secondments will be assessed during the evaluation in relation to the nature and objectives of the submitted proposal.

No, secondments between institutions established within the same EU Member State (MS) / Horizon Europe Associated Country (AC) or within the same non-associated Third Countries are not eligible.

No, there are no restrictions. The important aspect is that the secondments are relevant for the execution of the proposed R&I project. The quality of the interaction between the participating organisations will be an important element of the assessment of the award criteria, described in the Work Programme and Guide for Applicants related to your call.

Yes, as mentioned in the "Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 - 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie ActionsPDF" in the section "3.3.2. Seconded staff members", administrative, managerial and technical staff supporting R&I activities under the action can perform secondments.

Purely administrative activities (e.g., management, communication) are not eligible.

Please see some examples below:

• Managerial/technical staff who are sent to another institution to share/gain knowledge in Intellectual Property management or Exploitation of results obtained (introducing the product to the market) as described in the Description of Action in the grant agreement.
• A laboratory technician (Technical staff) who is sent to another organisation of the consortium to gain/share knowledge on the use of a specific equipment as described in the Description of Action in the grant agreement.

An MSCA-SE must be composed of at least three independent legal entities in three different countries, two of which are established in a different EU Member State (MS) or Horizon Europe Associated Country (AC). Above this minimum, the participation of other legal entities, including International European Research Organisations (IERO) and entities from Third Countries (TC) is possible under the conditions provided by the Horizon Europe Rules for Participation (see the Horizon Europe Programme GuidePDF for more details).

During the secondment, the sending organisation must ensure that the rights and obligations of the seconded staff remain unchanged during the secondment.

Beneficiaries and associated partners sending staff must:

• not penalise the staff members or reduce their rights due to the participation in the action, and
• in particular, since their normal remuneration is not covered by the grant (which is only a top-up allowance to cover the travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of the secondment), continue to pay them as before, according to their internal practices.

Secondments are open to researchers at any career stage (from doctoral candidates to postdoctoral researchers), as well as administrative, managerial and technical staff supporting R&I activities under the action.

Academic researchers at other career stages (e.g. lecturer, professor) are also eligible to participate in secondments.

Supported staff members must be actively engaged in or linked to R&I activities for at least one month (full-time equivalent) at the sending institution before the first period of secondment.

PhD candidates can be seconded if they are considered staff members of the sending organisation and fulfil all other eligibility criteria mentioned in the work programmePDF.

The maximum number of person-months that can be funded in a SE project is 360 (corresponding to a maximum co-funding amount of EUR 1.65 million). There is no minimum number of secondments explicitly defined for the project. The number of secondments will be assessed during the evaluation in relation to the nature and objectives of the submitted proposal.

No, virtual secondments are not possible in MSCA SE. The physical exchange must take place.

No, it is not an evaluation criterion.