Direct comparison
Erc Vs Msca: Key Differences & Comparison | CASRAI
The European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are the two flagship researcher-facing funding instruments within Horizon Europe's "Excellent Science" pillar. They differ fundamentally in purpose: the ERC funds frontier research led by outstanding investigators; the MSCA supports researcher mobility, skills development, and cross-sectoral training.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | ERC | MSCA |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | European Research Council | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions |
| Primary purpose | Fund frontier, investigator-driven research on the basis of scientific excellence, with no thematic or application requirement | Support researcher career development, cross-border and inter-sectoral mobility, and structured training programmes |
| Who can apply | Researchers of any nationality who will conduct the project at a legal entity established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe-associated country (UK associated from January 2024) | Postdoctoral Fellowships: individual researchers holding a PhD with up to 8 years' post-PhD experience, subject to transnational mobility rules. Doctoral Networks: host organisations forming consortia |
| Career stage | Starting Grant: 2–7 years post-PhD. Consolidator Grant: 7–12 years post-PhD. Advanced Grant: established research leaders. Synergy Grant: 2–4 principal investigators of any career stage | Postdoctoral Fellowships: PhD holders (up to 8 years post-PhD). Doctoral Networks: doctoral candidates (before PhD). Staff Exchanges and COFUND: all career stages |
| Funding size (indicative) | Starting Grant: up to €1.5 million (5 years). Consolidator Grant: up to €2 million. Advanced Grant: up to €2.5 million. Synergy Grant: up to €10 million (6 years) | Postdoctoral Fellowships: approximately €165,000–185,000 per year (salary + mobility + research allowance). Doctoral Networks: up to approximately €4,000 per researcher-month |
| Mobility requirement | No mobility requirement; researcher can propose to conduct the project at their current institution | Postdoctoral Fellowships: applicant must not have resided or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the deadline (transnational mobility rule) |
| Selection criterion | Scientific excellence of the research proposal and track record of the principal investigator — the sole evaluation criterion | Excellence of the researcher and project, quality of the host and supervision, and potential impact on the researcher's career and European research landscape |
| PI vs fellow model | PI-led model: the principal investigator conceives and leads the project, with the grant held at the host institution | Fellow-led (Postdoctoral Fellowships) or consortium-managed (Doctoral Networks, Staff Exchanges): the fellow or the network proposes the training and research programme |
| Administered by | ERC Scientific Council (independent governing body) and ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) | Research Executive Agency (REA) under the European Commission |
Common questions
FAQ
Can a researcher hold an ERC grant and an MSCA fellowship at the same time?+
A researcher cannot hold two ERC grants simultaneously, and an MSCA fellow cannot concurrently hold another EU salary-based grant. However, an ERC grant-holder can host an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow within their research group — the fellow would be funded by the MSCA award, with their work contributing to the ERC project. Dual funding of the same activity is prohibited; complementarity is permitted.
Which scheme is better for early-career researchers?+
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is specifically designed for researchers with a PhD and up to 8 years' post-PhD experience who want to move to a new institution and country. It funds the fellow's salary, mobility allowance, and a research budget for up to 2 years (European Fellowship) or 3 years (Global Fellowship with an outgoing phase to a non-EU country). The ERC Starting Grant is available to researchers 2–7 years post-PhD but requires demonstrating independent research leadership — a higher bar.
Do ERC and MSCA grants require open access to publications and data?+
Yes. Both ERC and MSCA grants are funded under Horizon Europe and are therefore subject to the Horizon Europe open access mandate: beneficiaries must ensure that peer-reviewed publications are made immediately open access. The ERC additionally requires data to be made FAIR and open by default, with justified exceptions for sensitive or commercially sensitive data.
Going deeper
