Aimed at: Late-stage PhD students and post-docs interested in applying to the MSCA-PF scheme. It can also be useful to early-stage PhD students who wants to learn about the application procedure and how to develop a research programme.

Description and objectives: The Postdoctoral Fellowship programme within the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA-PF) is the most prestigious post-doctoral funding opportunity within the European Union. However, writing a competitive project can be challenging and requires practice. This course, presented by two former MSCA fellows, aims to provide a hands-on workshop to get you started in the process of writing a competitive MSCA-PF application.

The course is directed to late-stage PhD candidates and early career researchers interested on applying to the MSCA-PF scheme, and to consolidated researchers that may be interested in participating as hosts for incoming European Post-docs.

Specific learning objectives:

• To review the general features of the MSCA-PF application.
• To assimilate and rehearse writing the different parts of a MSCA-PF proposal.
• To clearly and concisely state your aims & goals.
• To acquire hands-on experience writing a funding proposal.
• To learn the different aspects that make a proposal successful.

• Unit 1: Introduction to the MSCA-PF program. Parts of a MSCA-PF proposal.
• Unit 2: Excellence I: Define your aims & goals. Framing the state-of-the-art.
• Unit 3: Excellence II: Methodology; how much is enough. Open science and multidisciplinary aspects. Selecting the optimal host and building synergies.
• Unit 4: Impact: Framing your dissemination strategy. Keys to delivering impact.
• Unit 5: Implementation: Tips for scheduling your proposed activities. Defining appropriate risks and contingency strategies.
• Unit 6: Overview: What makes a proposal successful? Brainstorming session

By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:

• understand the MSCA-PF funding scheme’s purpose and goals.
• submit an application in the Tenders and Funders portal of the European Commission.
• identify and think through the key points to address before start writing an application.
• write a competitive MSCA-PF application.
• shape the proposal narrative to make the most of their specific strengths.  
• learn to assess and provide feedback to others on funding applications.

To pass the course, students must complete and upload 100% of the tasks requested throughout.