Does McDonald Fellowship 2027 Really offer €55,000/Year to MS Researchers?

If you are an early-career multiple sclerosis researcher from a low- or middle-income country, the McDonald Fellowship is one opportunity I would prepare for well before the application portal opens.

The next round is expected to open in September 2026, and the fellowship offers a two-year research placement outside your home country, with funding of €55,000 per year plus one return flight to the host country.

But this is not a fellowship you can apply for first and find a host later. You need to identify your host institution, supervisor and project before submitting the application.

McDonald Fellowship 2027: Quick Facts

Who Should Seriously Consider Applying?

You need at least a Master’s-level postgraduate qualification in an area relevant to multiple sclerosis, although applicants with a PhD or MD may be more typical.

You must also have fewer than five years of postdoctoral research experience. Career breaks and circumstances that delayed your research career can be considered.

Nationality is important.

You must be a citizen of a country classified by the World Bank as low, lower-middle or upper-middle income.

Normally, you should also be working or studying in a low- or middle-income country when you apply. There is an exception if you recently moved elsewhere for a project that began within six months before the application.

What Kind of Research Can You Propose?

Your project must have a clear connection to multiple sclerosis.

Research involving related conditions such as NMOSD or MOGAD can be considered, but you must explain why that work contributes to understanding MS.

I would pay particular attention to one sentence in the criteria: MSIF gives priority to projects with a clear potential benefit for people living with MS in low- and middle-income countries.

That means your proposal should not stop at an interesting laboratory question. Explain who could eventually benefit from the knowledge and why the research matters in settings where MS resources may already be limited.

Do You Need a Host Before Applying?

Yes. This should be your first preparation step.

The fellowship requires a joint application involving you and a host institution outside your country.

Before opening the form, identify a suitable researcher or laboratory, discuss the project with them and secure their willingness to host you.

Your host supervisor must later submit a supporting statement. If that statement does not arrive by the deadline, the application can be rejected.

One fellowship is offered with ECTRIMS for projects hosted specifically in Europe, while another is offered in partnership with FranceSEP.

How Much Funding Do You Actually Receive?

The fellowship provides €55,000 per year for two years, meaning up to €110,000 across the full fellowship period, plus one return flight.

However, the money is paid to the host institution, which then uses it to support the fellow. Applicants should therefore discuss salary, living costs and institutional arrangements with the proposed host rather than assume the entire €55,000 is transferred directly as personal income.

The fellowship can also help part-fund a PhD if you have recently been accepted into a recognised PhD programme but do not have enough funding to cover the full cost.

What Should You Prepare Before September?

My recommendation is to work on three things now: host, project and references.

You will need two referees who are different from your host supervisor. Their letters must reach MSIF before the deadline.

You also need a strong 500-word lay summary. Do not treat this as a simplified abstract. The selection panel includes researchers, clinicians and people affected by MS, so your summary should explain the research in language a non-specialist can understand.

A useful test: give it to someone outside your research field. If they cannot explain your project back to you, rewrite it.

McDonald Fellowship 2027 Deadline

The complete application deadline for New Mcdonald fellowship is scheduled to close on 1 December 2026.

That same deadline applies to your online application, host supporting statement and two reference letters.

MSIF advises giving the host at least two weeks to complete their section. I would go further: aim to submit your own part by mid-November.

If you wait until November to start looking for a host, you are already making this fellowship unnecessarily difficult. The applicants who should be preparing now are the ones who can already answer three questions: where do I want to train, who should supervise me, and how will this research ultimately improve MS knowledge or care back home?