Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship

These prestigious 2-year fellowships (European) and 3-year fellowships (Global) enable external early-career researchers to come to UoB and work under the Supervision of a CAL PI on a 2 to 3 years research and training project.

The objective of the MSCA PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships:

1. European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (the UK is an AC) and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
2. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

To build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Ranked 72nd in the QS Rankings for Arts and Humanities, the College of Arts and Law is home to a thriving research culture across five Schools: Birmingham Law School; English, Drama and Creative Studies; History and Cultures; Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music; and Philosophy, Theology and Religion. Research facilities include our outstanding collections and libraries, the Barber Institute of Fine Art, and eye tracking, motion capture, digital media, VR, AR, data processing, and corpus linguistics laboratories dedicated to arts and humanities researchers.

• Further information about the College

Applications are welcomed from colleagues with strong research proposals who are eligible for the MSCA PF Fellowship because they:

• Have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis, but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply
• Have a maximum of eight years’ experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe
• Comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline
• Work on one of the following topics: creative industries; linguistics and AI.

The College of Arts and Law will select prospective applicants for the MSCA PF Fellowship based on the quality of the proposal and fit within the College. To enable this selection process, candidates must send the following information by email to Richard Brunt, EU Research Development Officer for the College of Arts and Law r.brunt@bham.ac.uk) by 1600 on Friday 29 May 2026:

• A description of their proposed project (max. 2 A4 pages)
• A copy of their CV (max. 2 A4 pages)
• A summary of why the University of Birmingham and the relevant School are a good fit for the project (max. 300 words)
• The name of their proposed mentor and confirmation they have agreed to act as mentor for the application and fellowship
• The name of their three proposed referees

Incomplete expressions of interest will not be considered.

Selected candidates will be supported by their mentors and the University’s Research Strategy and Services Division to develop their full proposal, which must be submitted to European Commission by 1600 on 9 September 2026.

Appointments at the University of Birmingham are dependent on the award of the Fellowship.

We know that diversity strengthens our research community and actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and all backgrounds.

For more information on the scheme’s aims and eligibility criteria, please visit:

Postdoctoral Fellowships - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

For general enquiries about the scheme or working at the University of Birmingham, please contact Richard Brunt at r.brunt@bham.ac.uk.