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Estonian historian Dr. Maarja Merivoo-Parro started her MSCA-PF project in January 2024. Maarja works at the Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies (Mutku). Assistant Professor Tuuli Lähdesmäki supervises her.

"I chose JYU because I had been here a few times for shorter stays, and it had always impressed me with its vibrant scholarship and beautiful campus," Maarja says about her decision to apply to JYU. 

"Working at Mutku has been great. My supervisor and colleagues are very welcoming, and even though I have only been here a few months, I already feel right at home."

What is MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship?

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the European Union’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training. The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship funding aims to improve career perspectives and researchers' international mobility. The time to start preparation of the proposals is now. 

The main principles of the programme are excellence and mobility:

• Excellence in research and innovation collaborations, knowledge transfer, methodologies and content, as well as in training, supervision and career guidance.
• Mobility of researchers between countries, sectors and disciplines to acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies.

"Give it your best shot"

The MSCA-PF funding is appreciated worldwide as a merit, and it also gives an excellent chance to work with people committed to supporting your project. Every applicant has a supervisor who participates in the project and supports the career development and training of the applicant's research skills. Thus, this is a unique opportunity for a young researcher.

Research and Innovation Services is ready to help all researchers applying to JYU. Taking part in the Master Class is worth it.

"Writing an extensive research proposal is quite a genre in and of itself. You need to say a lot concisely, and the training provided good insight into how the applications will be read and the best way to structure the information you want to get across."

As with all competitive funding, MSCA-PF does not necessarily open on the first try. “Give it your best shot, and if that doesn’t work, try again next year. It is worth it,” encourages Maarja Merivoo-Parro.

The funding is bottom-up-type, so it is open to all researchers from all fields. You are eligible if:

• You have a PhD.
• You have a senior researcher at JYU committed to acting as your supervisor during your project.
• You have stayed less than 12 months (within three years) in Finland before the call deadline on September 11th, 2024.

The call for MSCA-PF is open now! Read more from .

The Master Class for MSCA-PF applicants for 2024 is organised together with the FORTHEM University Alliance. Please register via the no later than April 26th.