Europe is offering 101 national and regional funding and support schemes to attract and keep researchers, up from 65 last May.
The schemes span all 27 EU member states and include competitive grants, fellowships, tenure-track and long-term posts, as well as mobility and “reintegration” support for researchers returning after working abroad, the European Commission said on Friday.
Together, the national and regional initiatives represent at least €1 billion in funding opportunities, with the programmes open to researchers worldwide as well as those already based in the EU, it added.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said the EU was working “as ‘Team Europe’ to attract research talent from around the world”, citing funding opportunities, “respect for freedom of scientific research” and “a high quality of life”.
Some countries have published early results from their schemes. Germany’s Global Minds Initiative programmes selected 166 researchers in the second half of 2025, while Austria’s APART-USA awarded 25 fellowships.
France’s Safe Place for Science initiative at Aix-Marseille University selected around 60 international researchers, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium recruited 12 international researchers.
EU-level grants draw more applicants from outside Europe
At EU level, interest has also risen in major grant programmes that fund research projects and careers, including the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the Commission said.
The ERC awards grants to researchers, while MSCA supports training and mobility, including postdoctoral fellowships.
Applications from researchers based outside Europe or countries associated with the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme nearly quadrupled for ERC Advanced Grants to 168 from 45.
Applications from the same group rose to 246 from 159 for ERC Starting Grants, while the 2026 call for ERC Consolidator Grants recorded 115 applications compared with 50.
Applications for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships increased by 65% over the past year.
The Commission said it is listing the national and regional schemes through the EURAXESS jobs platform — an EU-run site for research vacancies and funding — to make it easier for researchers to find opportunities across Europe.
