MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026
The European Commission has launched the MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 call to promote international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary collaboration in research and innovation. This action supports the exchange of staff (researchers, administrative, technical, and managerial staff) between academic and non-academic organisations (including SMEs) to facilitate knowledge transfer and boost innovation capacity.
📅 Call Timeline
- Call Opening Date: 16 December 2025
- Submission Deadline: 16 April 2026 (19.00)
- Notification of Results (Indicative): September 2026
- Grant Agreement Signature (Indicative): November 2026
- Project Start (Indicative): January 2027
✅ Eligibility
- Must include at least 3 different legal entities established in 3 different countries.
- At least 2 of these must be in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
- Participation of both academic and non-academic sectors is required.
- Researchers at any career stage (from PhD candidates to senior researchers) as well as administrative, technical, and managerial staff involved in R&I activities are eligible to apply.
- Secondments within the same sector (e.g., academic-to-academic) are now allowed without the strict requirement of interdisciplinarity (though interdisciplinarity is still encouraged for intra-European academic exchanges).
📂 Support Scope and Duration
- Projects can last up to 48 months (4 years).
- Exchanges must last between 1 month and 12 months per staff member.
- Staff must remain employed by their sending institution during the secondment and return afterwards to ensure knowledge transfer.
Scope:
- Top-up Allowance: For travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs of the seconded staff.
- Research, Training, and Networking Costs: Institutional support for project activities.
- Management and Indirect Costs: Support for administrative overheads.
💶 Funding Opportunities
- Total Call Budget: €97.9 Million.
📌 Useful Links
