The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), with campuses in the cities of Trondheim, Ålesund and Gjøvik, is the primary Norwegian University in engineering and technology. In addition, we have, for a long time, actively supported a wide range of teaching programmes and research activities in humanities, social sciences, economics, medicine, health sciences, educational science, architecture and aesthetic disciplines. 

NTNU is a large, ambitious, multi-disciplinary and inclusive University with an international focus. Approximately 400 PhD degrees are awarded every year and we are Norway’s largest University, with approximately 44,700 students. 

Participation in EU funding programmes, including Horizon Europe, is a high priority for NTNU. Over the years, we have therefore developed a professional administrative support team to ensure the submission of high quality proposals and the smooth implementation of our EU projects. 

NTNU offers attractive working conditions for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows, including:

• Support from the International Researcher Support Office (NIRS) to assist with the practicalities of moving to Norway (e.g. finding accommodation, advice on immigration and taxes, language training, social events and support for the Fellow’s family members too)
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and a stimulating research-driven environment
• Excellent training and development opportunities for Early Career Researchers.

NTNU is highly committed to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers (C&C). NTNU’s HR strategy also aligns with the principles in the Commission Recommendation.
 

In the morning of Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th May, NTNU  hosted two half-day webinars for applicants to the 2024 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and their supervisors:

The webinars will provide detailed information about the scheme, sharing of best practices from ongoing MSCA Fellows, as well as hands-on proposal advice, including top tips and common pitfalls. Registration: link to registration form is available above.

Before signing up for the webinar, participants are asked to read the MSCA PF call documents, and self-check their eligibility to apply in September 2024.

The goal of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD, wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are 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.  

Through the implementation of an original and personalised research project, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships aim to foster excellence through training and mobility and to equip researchers with new skills and competences in order to identify solutions to current and future challenges. Postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to reach out to society at large to make the results of their research visible to citizens. 

All domains of research and technological development are eligible for funding.

For more information, please consult the MSCA website.

Our experience shows that successful proposals in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (MSCA-PF) programme are the results of a joint effort between the candidates and their supervisors. As such, proposals should be developed by the candidates in close collaboration with their NTNU supervisors, who should be actively involved from the start of the application process and throughout the project.

There are two types of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (European and Global). Regardless of the scheme you apply for, all candidates must be in a possession of a doctoral degree by the date of the call deadline. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered as postdoctoral researchers and will be considered eligible to apply.

In addition, for both schemes, applicants must have a maximum of 8 years full time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date of award of the doctoral degree at the date of the call deadline. Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave), will not count towards the amount of research experience. For nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to pursue their research career in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, years of experience in research in third countries will not be considered in the above maximum. 

Finally, all applicants must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline. 

To summarise:

a. The European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to excellent researchers of any nationality. They last for up to 24 months or 30 months if a 6-month extension is requested to pursue a secondment in a non-academic organisation located in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. To be eligible to apply with NTNU as their host institution, the applicant:

• Must have successfully defended their doctoral degree or possess a PhD by the call deadline,
• Must have less than 8 years of full-time research experience, post-PhD and 
• Cannot have been living in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding the call deadline.

b. The Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (i.e. a period of legal and continuous residence of at least five consecutive years). These Fellowships last for up to 36 months and consist of an outgoing phase of up to 24 months in a non-associated Third Country (e.g. New Zealand, US), followed by a mandatory 12-month return phase to NTNU. These Fellowships can also be extended by an additional 6-month secondment in a non-academic sector organization. To be eligible to apply with NTNU as their host institution, the applicant:

• Must have successfully defended their doctoral thesis or possess a PhD by the call deadline,
• Must have less than 8 years of full-time research experience, post-PhD and
• Cannot have been living in the Third Country where they will spend their outgoing for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding the call deadline.

For the complete specifics and details of eligibility criteria, please check MSCA work programme 2023-2024 and call documents.