Your MSCACompass@ILL 2026 starts here: apply for MSCA postdoctoral fellowship

The 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call is a unique opportunity to:

• Conduct your research activities, acquire new skills, and develop your career as a researcher.

• Gain experience at a large-scale facility in different countries, regardless of your discipline

• Prepare your research proposal with expert guidance

Our European Office will provide a training and support package for talented researchers applying to the 2026 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call.
This applies to projects where the Institut Laue-Langevin serves as the host institution (European Fellowships) or the return host institution (Global Fellowships).

If awarded, you will have access to many benefits, including:

• High-level training at MSCACompass focused on writing an MSCA-PF proposal. This includes both online training sessions that combine lectures with practical workshops, along with supervision and coaching from experts, available for personalised meetings.

• Direct meetings with your scientific supervisor.

• Mentorship and coaching on your proposal development, leading up to submission.

Who can apply?

Researchers who:

• Have completed a PhD or will complete it by the EU call deadline (9 September 2026).

• Have a maximum of 8 years of full-time equivalent research experience by the EU call deadline.

• Have not resided or conducted their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years leading up to the EU call deadline (or for more than 12 months in the country of the host institute, if applying for a Global Fellowship in a third country).

Which topics can be funded?

ILL is one of the large research infrastructures in Europe, combining over 40 state-of-the-art neutron instruments with unmatched supporting laboratories and scientific and technical services. This enables detailed investigations across a wide range of scientific disciplines, providing researchers with advanced tools to study material structures, molecular dynamics, and magnetic properties.

Approximately 60% of research at ILL is dedicated to fundamental science in fields such as soft matter physics, chemistry, biology, nuclear physics, and materials science. The remaining 40% is focused on addressing contemporary societal challenges, particularly in health, energy, environment, and information technology.

Resources

Visit the Horizon Europe MSCA postdoctoral fellowships

Deadlines and timelines

• April 30th 2026 - Deadline for applying to this call

• May 2026 - The applicants receive an e-mail with the results of their applications

• From May 2026 - MSCA training sessions for selected applicants

• June 2026 – one-to-one work with the supervisor (optional event, but to be agreed before the MSCACompass)

• June-September 2026 - The participants of the MSCACompass, supported by their Supervisors and the EU Office, prepare the project proposals.

• July 5th, 2026 – Deadline for the submission of a draft project proposal to ILL.

• September 9th, 2026 - Deadline for submission of Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals to the European Commission (call ID HORIZON-MSCA-2026-PF-01-01).

Contacts at ILL

Responsible persons for procedures related to MSCA Application:

• Anne-Mathilde Thierry – EU Projects Manager amthierry@ill.fr

• Serena Mancini – EU Support Officer  mancini@ill.fr

For information on questions related to this call, you can contact the European Office (part of the Partneship And Communication Service) at europe@ill.fr