Slovenian University of Maribor Postdoc Fellowship 2027 Announcement

Europe’s most competitive postdoctoral funding programme just got a new host worth your attention. The University of Maribor in Slovenia is actively inviting postdoctoral researchers from around the world to apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF) 2026, under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research framework. This is not a passive call — the University is offering dedicated mentorship, proposal development support, and access to six specialized faculties to researchers who are ready to bring bold, publishable science to one of Central Europe’s most internationally connected universities. If you are a postdoctoral researcher with a strong publication record and a research agenda that needs the right institutional home, Maribor may be exactly that.

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious individual research grants in Europe, and the University of Maribor’s active hosting commitment adds a layer of institutional backing that makes this opportunity particularly compelling for candidates navigating the competitive application process for the first time.

What Europe’s Flagship Research Programme Pays: The Full Financial Breakdown

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are funded directly through Horizon Europe, and the financial package is designed to make research careers genuinely viable — not just symbolically supported. Here is what successful fellows at the University of Maribor can expect:

• A competitive full-time salary for the duration of the fellowship contract, aligned with MSCA living allowance rates set by the European Commission
• A mobility allowance to support researchers relocating to Slovenia for the fellowship
• A family allowance for fellows with dependents, provided eligibility conditions under MSCA rules are met
• A dedicated research, training, and networking budget to cover costs directly related to the project and the fellow’s professional development
• Full-time contract status, meaning fellows are employed researchers — not students — with associated rights and protections
• Access to an online professional support programme offered by the University of Maribor, including intensive proposal development workshops, individual consultations, and additional support activities, available to candidates who express interest by the pre-proposal deadline

The number of fellowships awarded through this call is determined by the European Commission’s MSCA evaluation process, not by the University of Maribor alone, and is competitive and merit-based across all host institutions in Europe.

Not Every Researcher Qualifies — Here Is Who This Is Built For

The University of Maribor has set clear expectations about the calibre of researchers it wishes to collaborate with, and MSCA eligibility rules add an additional layer of criteria that all candidates must satisfy before applying. To be considered, you must meet the following:

• You hold a doctoral degree (PhD) at the time of the application submission deadline of 9 September 2026, or you will have successfully defended your doctoral thesis by that date
• You have a maximum of eight years of full-time research experience after obtaining your doctoral degree — this is the MSCA mobility and experience cap
• You have not resided or carried out your main activity in Slovenia for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the submission deadline — the MSCA mobility rule is strictly enforced
• You have a demonstrably strong publication record relevant to your proposed research area
• Your research agenda is complementary to the work of a supervisor at one of the six eligible faculties: Faculty of Tourism, Faculty of Civil Engineering Transportation Engineering and Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, or Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
• You are prepared to submit a completed pre-proposal form to a University of Maribor supervisor before the internal deadline.

Your Step-by-Step Path from Idea to Fellowship: How to Apply at University of Maribor?

The application process for this fellowship runs on two parallel tracks — one internal to the University of Maribor and one through the official European Commission MSCA submission system — and understanding the sequence is critical. Begin by reviewing the University of Maribor’s published list of available MSCA research keywords and supervisors, then identify the faculty and supervisor whose work aligns with your own research agenda. Once you have a match, complete the 2026-UM MSCA PF Project Pre-Proposal Form, a structured document designed to introduce you as a researcher and outline your project idea.

Submit this form https://www.euraxess.si/jobs/hosting/advance-your-research-career-msca-postdoctoral-fellowship-2026-university-maribor, along with all required enclosures, as a single PDF file by email directly to your chosen supervisor, with a copy sent to [email protected] — all of this must reach the University no later than 17 April 2026 at 12:00 noon (GMT+1).

Researchers who successfully complete this internal pre-proposal stage will then be invited into the University’s online professional support programme, which provides workshops and individual consultations to sharpen the full proposal before the official European Commission submission deadline of 9 September 2026. The official MSCA call itself is expected to be published on 9 April 2026, and your full application will ultimately be submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders portal by that September deadline.