Pre-award Research Support Centre

The University of Rijeka (UNIRI), a modern European university in Croatia, is looking for motivated postdoctoral researchers (Postdocs) for the Marie-Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) applications in 2026.  With 17 academic units and 13 specialized research centres including 184 study programs, UNIRI represents a research, science, and education-oriented university that supports social and economic development in its community. UNIRI has around 15 000 students, more than 1 300 researchers, and has conducted over 300 EU-funded projects within the last 10 years.

MSCA is the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers. It provides funding for researchers to conduct their research project at a host institution in Europe or beyond. The fellowship promotes international mobility, interdisciplinary research, and the acquisition of new skills, offering a unique opportunity for researchers to advance their careers and contribute to scientific excellence. For official information about the MSCA PF (basic details, Guidelines, etc) please see the EU Funding&Tenders Portal.

UNIRI researchers (prospective supervisors) are looking for researchers who:

• are ready for a postdoctoral fellowship that will boost their international career,
• are prepared to enhance their knowledge and skills within young and vibrant environments,
• want to network with internationally recognized researchers,
• comply with the MSCA PF eligibility requirements (see below).

Prospective candidates should send a Motivation Letter and their Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the chosen supervisor directly, and include the Pre-Award Research Support Centre (cpp@uniri.hr) in copy of the e-mail, with the subject line ‘MSCA-PF-2026 candidate name’.

Candidate’s CV should include:

• contact details,
• current and past employment,
• title of the PhD thesis and the official date of obtaining the (first) PhD,
• a comprehensive list of publications, projects, and other relevant academic endeavours.

The Motivation Letter should include specific research and career interests, and an outline of the project idea, demonstrating alignment with potential supervisor’s research.

Expressions of interest by UNIRI researchers:

A list of potential mentors at UNIRI is available in the document here. The document contains the information on UNIRI researchers who have expressed an interest in hosting a postdoctoral fellow and applying to the MSCA PF Call in 2026. You may search the document for prospective mentors (scientific supervisors) by scientific panel.

Postdoctoral candidates can also identify potential supervisors by exploring University of Rijeka Faculties and Departments.

The UNIRI will also organise an intensive three-day workshop for prospective MSCA PF fellows and their mentors from 24^th to 26^th June 2026. Details are available under “Additional information” below.

Interested researchers must fulfil the MSCA PF eligibility requirements*

• They must have a PhD at the time of the application deadline (9 September 2026.).
• They can have a maximum of eight years of experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD.
• They should 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 more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Interested researchers apply jointly with a host organisation, i.e. a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector. In this case, researchers apply with a UNIRI organization. All disciplines are eligible for Postdoctoral Fellowships, including research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme.

*More information is available on the official MSCA website here.

MSCA PF – FINANCIAL SUPPORT*

Contribution for the recruited researcher per person – month (PM)

The beneficiary receiving EU funding needs to recruit a researcher for the total period of the fellowship.

The EU provides support for the recruited researcher in the form of:

• a living allowance: 6.350 EUR (for Croatia country correction coefficient is 82,2 %)
• a mobility allowance: 710 EUR
• if applicable, additional family, long-term leave, and special needs allowances

A country correction coefficient applies to the living allowance to ensure equal treatment and purchasing power parity for all researchers. For European Postdoctoral Fellowships, this coefficient is the one applicable to the country of the beneficiary.

Institutional unit contributions per person-month

• research, training and networking activities: 1.000 EUR
• management and indirect costs: 650 EUR

*Information on financial support for the MSCA PF Call is available in the HE Work Programme and in the MSCA Financial Guide published by the European Commission (2023).

INDICATIVE TIMELINE

• 9 April 2026: Launch of the call for proposals
• 9 September 2026: Deadline for submitting proposals
• February 2027: Notification of call results to applicants (TBC)
• April 2027: Grant agreement signature for successful projects (TBC)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• When applying for the MSCA PF with a Croatian institution, applicants may opt for applying for the ERA Fellowship simultaneously (Horizon Europe’s WIDERA program) thus increasing the chances of receiving funding for their project proposal.
• The UNIRI Pre-award Research Support Centre (CPP) will host an intensive three-day workshop for prospective MSCA PF fellows and their mentors from 24^th to 26^th June 2026. The programme will include: a focused, hands-on workshop with precise guidelines, including tips and tricks, for writing the proposal; presentations and Q&A sessions with researchers who have experience with the MSCA programme at UNIRI; individual consultations provided by CPP with candidates based on their application drafts. The workshop is planned to be conducted at the UNIRI campus. Detailed information is TBC. Information on the programme held in 2025 is available here.
• The UNIRI Pre-award Research Support Centre (CPP) will also offer pre-screening of project proposals and remote consultations (e-mail, virtual meetings) for all candidates from March to September 2026.

Project Reading Room is a CPP activity organized at the UNIRI Rectorate (Trg braće Mažuranića 10). All UNIRI researchers are welcome to read project proposals accepted for financing by the Croatian Science Foundation’s programmes Research Projects and Installation Research Projects, from all scientific fields. The CPP will ensure that there are project proposals from all scientific areas available so that all UNIRI researchers can use this opportunity, no matter which faculty or research area they come from.

The goal of the Project Reading Room is to help researchers prepare their own project proposals for future Croatian Science Foundation Calls. Furthermore, it aims at motivating researchers for submitting their own project proposals as well as at providing an insight into what potentially makes them successful.

The Project Reading Room Concept:

Project proposals will be made available in a specific time slot of researchers’ choosing, between 9:00 and 14:30 h. Researchers will have 90 min at their disposal for reading the project proposals available. One time slot may include up to 5 researchers. Support by the CPP team members will be provided to all users during the Project Reading Room open hours.

The Project Reading Room Rules:

1. Project proposals must not be photographed, copied or in any way and manner distributed outside the premises.
2. Available project proposals were written following the regulations proposed by the Call they were submitted to. Future calls may not follow the same regulations and may therefore be changed; hence the available project proposals should be treated as case studies.
3. The authors (PIs) of available project proposals have willingly given them for reading for the purposes described above. Please treat them respectfully.

Researchers who were awarded UNIRI Research Fellows as PIs of competitive scientific projects, and researchers with relevant experience in preparing and conducting projects, are available as advisors to all potential applicants to Horizon Europe and Croatian Science Foundation Calls.

The support in writing research project proposals offers a unique opportunity for potential applicants to connect with experienced PIs. It was established with the goal of strengthening the participation of UNIRI researchers in competitive research project calls.

This unique cooperation between a tutor and an applicant provides a framework of support with a potential to improve project proposal quality based on constructive commentary and helpful suggestions.

Participation in this specific activity is completely voluntary. We advise all applicants to prepare the proposal and contact the tutors in due course. Please find the list of researchers – tutors here .