
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellows: Expression of Interest Now Closed
The current call for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellows: Expressions of Interest has now closed. The next call will open March 2024.
The Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, is one of the largest data analytics centres in Europe. It brings together over 450 researchers across areas such as the Fundamentals of Data Science, Sensing and Actuation, Scaling Algorithms, Model Building, Multi Modal Analysis, Data Engineering and Governance, Decision Making and Trustworthy AI. Insight’s researchers are based across our four host institutions: Dublin City University, University of Galway, University College Cork and University College Dublin as well as our partner sites Maynooth University, Tyndall, Trinity College Dublin and University of Limerick. During its decade of existence, the centre has attracted over €150 million in funding and has established over 220 industry collaborations.
More about Insight’s research ecosystem.
A full list of Insight’s world-class investigators with details on their areas of expertise.
The goal of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PFs) is to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD that wish to acquire new skills through advanced training and international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility.
MSCA-PFs are prestigious fellowships, open to excellent researchers of any nationality, including researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, researchers who are displaced by conflict as well as researchers with high potential aiming for a career restart in research.
The scheme encourages researchers to gain experience beyond academia by giving them the opportunity to request an additional six months at the end of their fellowship to undertake a placement in a non-academic organisation in Europe.
The call will close on 13 September 2023 and is expected to fund over 1,200 projects. Results are expected to be published in February 2024 and successful projects are estimated to start after May 2024.
Benefits of MSCA PFs
- Increased set of research and transferable skills, leading to improved employability and career prospects.
- New mindsets and approaches to research and innovation built through interdisciplinary and intersectoral experience.
- Enhanced networking and communication capacities that will increase the impact of research.
- Excellent benefits covering living and mobility allowances, training and networking, and visa-related costs. Where applicable, family, special needs and long-term leave allowances can also be granted.
Eligible candidates interested in submitting an application for the MSCA PF call 2023 with the Insight SFI Research Centre must first fill out and submit the Expression of Interest (EoI) form. The Call for expressions of interest has now closed.
All correctly submitted EoIs will be reviewed by members of the Insight pre-award team. Only those candidates that are deemed eligible and whose expertise and research proposals align with Insight’s scientific areas will be selected for an interview with a potential supervisor. The Insight team will assign candidates to a suitable supervisor based on research alignment and availability.
The decision to support a candidate will be ultimately made by the Investigator and an employment contract will only be issued if the proposal is successful in securing funding in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023 call.
- Academic qualification: By the MSCA-PF call deadline (13th September 2023), candidates must be in possession of a doctoral degree, defined as a successfully defended doctoral thesis, even if the doctoral degree has yet to be awarded.
- Research experience: Candidates must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date applicants were in possession of a doctoral degree. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g., due to parental leave) will not be taken into account.
- Mobility rule: Candidates can be of any nationality but must not have resided more than 12 months in the Republic of Ireland in the last three years by the call deadline (13th September 2023).
- Language skills: Candidates must have demonstrated proficiency in English (reading, writing, speaking).
Support offered by Insight and timeline
The Insight team will review all EoI applications (Expression of Interest (EoI) form) and will assist those candidates who have been selected by a supervisor to apply for the MSCA PF call with the application process. Candidates will be advised throughout the application process and will avail of proposal draft review and feedback to develop a competitive proposal that meets the European Commission’s standards. As a selected candidate, you will be responsible for developing and writing your own MSCA PF proposal, with the support of your supervisor.
Timeline
- EoI submission deadline: 20th June 2023
- EoI review by Insight: Immediately after submission. If EoI and candidate profile align with Insight’s research areas, the Insight team will put a potential supervisor in contact with the candidate to discuss the project idea.
- Feedback on internal selection process: 7 working days after the discussion with the potential supervisor
- Proposal development and review with Insight: 21st June to 21st August 2023
- Submission of final draft to Insight: 28th August 2023
- Call deadline (submission via the EC Funding & Tender Opportunities system): 13th September 2023, 17.00 Brussels time
- Publication of the MSCA PF results: February 2024
- Estimated project start (if funded): From May 2024
Funding and contract
Candidates will apply to the funding call with an Insight supervisor and, if successful, will be based at the supervisor’s host institution (see Insight host institutions above).
If the proposal is selected for funding by the European Commission, the successful candidate will be recruited by the host institution and offered a contract of employment for the duration of the fellowship (12 – 24 months). The project is expected to be fully funded by the European Commission through the MSCA PF scheme.
The candidate will receive a living allowance and a mobility allowance, and, if applicable only, family (€7920 per year), long-term leave and special needs allowances.
Additionally, the project will be provided with a research, training and networking contribution (€12000 per year).
For queries and more information on the Insight host application process, please email: msca@insight-centre.org