The European Commission has launched the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges 2026 call, opening on 16 December 2025 with a submission deadline of 16 April 2026
With a total budget of €97.9 million, the call aims to strengthen international research and innovation collaboration by supporting staff exchanges across countries, sectors and disciplines.
MSCA Staff Exchanges offer organisations a structured framework for sharing knowledge, developing skills, and building long-term partnerships across the entire research and innovation (R&I) chain. By enabling staff mobility, the action helps accelerate innovation and reinforce Europe’s position as a global research hub.
Promoting collaboration through staff secondments
Secondments are the core element of MSCA Staff Exchanges. Through these temporary placements, staff members work in another organisation abroad for periods of up to 12 months.
The scheme is open not only to researchers at any career stage, but also to administrative, technical and managerial staff who play a vital role in supporting research and innovation activities.
During secondments, staff gain new skills, gain exposure to different working cultures, expand their professional networks and share expertise with host organisations. This exchange of know-how directly advances cutting-edge research and innovation. After completing their secondment, staff are required to return to their sending organisation to ensure effective knowledge transfer and support sustainable collaboration beyond the project’s lifetime.
In addition to secondments, projects are expected to include networking activities such as workshops, training events and conferences. These activities help facilitate the exchange of ideas, test innovative approaches and strengthen cooperation within the consortium.
Novelties in the 2026 call
The 2026–27 MSCA Work Programme introduces several simplifications designed to make the action more flexible and accessible. While the programme continues to emphasise international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility, same-sector secondments are now allowed, and the previous one-third limit linked to interdisciplinarity has been removed.
The rules now place a bigger emphasis on skills development. Proposals must clearly explain how planned secondments will expose staff to new skills, career paths or working environments. Another important simplification is the removal of the former “one-month rule” before the first secondment, although all secondments must still be carried out on a full-time basis.
Building strong international consortia
MSCA Staff Exchanges are designed to support highly international and intersectoral consortia. Projects typically bring together organisations from EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries and, in many cases, additional partners from non-associated third countries.
The minimum consortium requirement is three independent legal entities established in three different countries. At least two of these must be located in different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and the consortium must include both academic and non-academic organisations. In addition to these minimum conditions, consortia are encouraged to involve additional partners to enhance global collaboration and impact.
Who can participate and receive funding?
Organisations based in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries can participate as beneficiaries and are eligible for funding. They can send, host and train staff members within the project.
Organisations from non-EU countries can join as associated partners. Those based in low- and middle-income third countries may be eligible for funding under specific conditions outlined in the MSCA Work Programme. Organisations from high-income third countries are generally not eligible for EU funding and must participate at their own cost, although some countries have established complementary national funding schemes.
Secondments between two non-associated third countries are not eligible, and applicants are advised to check the Horizon Europe list of participating countries to confirm eligibility.
With its substantial budget, simplified rules and strong focus on skills development, the MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 call provides a significant opportunity for organisations worldwide to deepen collaboration, enhance research capacity and drive innovation through mobility.
