European Commission Increased Research Grant Funding
The European Commission added 240 million euros to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant scheme to support researchers.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Scholarships
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The European Commission has injected 240 million euros into the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant scheme. This funding increase comes as the 2026 call for Postdoctoral Fellowships attracted a record 21,627 applications.
Why it matters
The investment is part of the Choose Europe initiative, which aims to improve the attractiveness of Europe as a destination for building a research career. Officials hope this financial boost will help manage the surging interest in the fellowship program.
The 2026 fellowship call initially targeted 1,600 projects with a 7.4% success rate. The new 240 million euro allocation will be split between Postdoctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Networks.
The players
European Commission
This is the executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the EU budget.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
This is a European Union flagship funding program designed to support researchers at all stages of their careers across all research disciplines.
The details
The dramatic spike in interest represents a significant challenge for the program, with the current application volume more than doubling since 2024. Despite the injection of 240 million euros, authorities anticipate that the funding increase will have only a limited effect on overall success rates for candidates.
Timeline
2024 served as the baseline for the current application volume comparisons.
2025 acted as the previous year for measuring the 26.7% growth in interest.
2026 is the year of the record-breaking fellowship call.
Culture Shift
The funding increase follows the goals set out by the Choose Europe initiative, which seeks to boost the competitiveness of the continent's research sector. This move reflects a broader trend of prioritizing international talent retention as competition for research funding intensifies globally.
Researchers currently applying for these fellowships may see their potential funding pool expand due to the additional resources allocated. However, given the massive surge in total applications, the barrier to entry for securing a grant remains statistically significant.
The takeaway
The significant rise in fellowship applications suggests that global demand for European research opportunities is currently outpacing available support. Prospective researchers should account for these highly competitive success rates when planning their career paths.
Further reading
For more information on global academic funding, visit the Scholarships section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Science Business.
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