Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships: 2026 Inria Training Programme & Hosting Offers

MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships are funding the career development of researchers, diversifying their core and transversal skills. The MSCA-PF grants provide a competitive salary plus mobility and family allowances if applicable; as well as research, training and networking costs. The Inria training programme concerns both the European Postdoctoral Fellowships (12 to 24 months in Europe + optional placement in private sector in Europe of 6 months) and the Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (12 to 24 months outside of Europe + compulsory 12 months return period in Europe + optional placement in private sector in Europe of 6 months; nationality restrictions apply to this type). 

• Candidates must hold a PhD at the call deadline (9 September 2026) and have 8 years maximum of full-time research experience after the PhD.
• “Mobility rule”: candidates must NOT have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the main host institution for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline (exceptions exist for European nationals).
• Candidates can be from any nationality, except for the Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (see above) which is restricted to European nationals or long-term residents (>5 continuous years of residency prior to deadline).
• Although not an eligibility criterion, a good track record is recommended.
• An additional layer is at Inria institutional level regarding security procedures in recruitment, which must be approved by our Defence Security Officer.

The MSCA PF grants require candidates to write their own research project, in synergy with a supervisor at a European host institution. The proposal is a ten pages document describing the scientific idea, its expected impacts and implementation pathway, with an additional 5 pages for the candidate’s CV. The nominal success rate is around 15%: this is a very competitive call. At Inria, we provide a training programme and extensive support to good quality candidates in the form of preliminary meetings, group training to better understand MSCA PF grant proposal requirements, and one-to-one review sessions by specialised staff in the late stage, allowing us to significantly increase your chances of success. 

Selected candidates will have access to privileged grant writing training sessions and one-to-one proposal review sessions in the last phase with our experienced European Officers that will considerably improve your chances of getting funded, if you submit a project at Inria. The sessions will take place on the following dates (all times CET): 

• Online info session: online event that presents the Inria’s training programme schedule and hosting offers. Register here for the info session (31 March 13:00 - 14:00)
• First session: Introduction to MSCA-PF grants, general considerations & invitation to discuss projects with supervisors -- Tue 21 April 10:00-12:30, online
• Second session: Grant proposal writing guide -- Tue 19 May 09:00-16:30, online
• Third session: Grant writing: fine-tune your proposal & joint writing sessions – 22-26 June: 5 full days, in-person (Paris, France) // online possible for candidates outside of France || day 1: crash-course on proposal writing || day 2: full review of template || day 3: supervised proposal writing day || day 4: workshops on four difficult sections of the proposal || day 5: proposal writing and feedback [registration for 3^rd session will be opened after the end of the 2^nd session]
• In-person support: full proposal review with your local contact, from ~June 

An MSCA PF project must reflect a synergy between a postdoc (you) and an Inria supervisor. You may contact Inria researchers on your own to propose your own topic; and alternatively choose among the 86 offers which fall within Inria’s main expertise categories (random-ordered): algorithms and quantum computing, high performance computing, digital education, artificial intelligence, internet of things, software, modelling and simulation, environment, robotics, digital health, data science, cybersecurity.

1. Check our list of hosting offers, when a domain fits your profile or seems complimentary to your expertise, go to the research team webpage and look for more info. You may also directly check the domains of our 230 Inria research teams if you do not find a research topic within our pre-selected offers.
2. As soon as possible, write down your research idea in 4-5 lines and contact your potential supervisors. Add your CV or a link to your profile for completeness.
3. Register for the training programme.

The earliest the better! If we had to give an indication, early March.

Algorithms and quantum computing

Keywords: lattice-based cryptography, threshold fully homomorphic encryption, post-quantum cryptography; error correcting codes, rank metric, number theory, algebraic geometry, number theory, combinatorics;  cryptography, wireless communications, physical later, signal processing, error correction coding; message-passing, symbolic and algebraic computation, computer algebra, functional equations, experimental mathematics; quantum models of computation, quantum programming languages,  quantum simulation.

Artificial intelligence

Keywords: constrained optimization, first-order methods, optimization algorithms, mixed-integer programming; embedded system, CPS, formal methods, causality, accountability, explanation, certification, relational deep learning, graphs, graph neural networks, databases, neuro-symbolic AI, reinforcement learning, multi-armed bandits, adaptive decision making, recommender systems, physics-informed machine learning, machine learning, learning theory, neural operators, PDE; machine learning for Physics; transfer learning, incomplete knowledge, deep learning; generative models, generalization, diffusion, flow matching; multimodal interaction, speech-gesture generation, social robots, virtual agents; statistical inference, validation, benchmarking, uncertainty, dependence; haptics, human-machine interaction; proof theory, deep inference, first-order logic, epsilon calculus, cut elimination, logic programming; frugal AI, neural architecture growth; computational neuroscience, randomized data structures, neural projections; remote sensing, self-supervised learning, parameter-efficient fine tuning; set-valued classification, conformal prediction, citizen science, plant ID, SSL, open-set recognition.

Cybersecurity

Keywords: cybersecurity, industrial systems, intrusion detection, artificial intelligence, alert correlation; microarchitectural attacks, binary analysis, vulnerability detection, decompilation; post-quantum cryptography, digital signature, isogenies, implementation; cryptography, cryptanalysis, algorithmic number theory; privacy, AI, LLM, audit and conformity; human-computer interaction, decision support, modelization.

Data science

Keywords: patterns in spatial data, point processes, MCMC bayesian inference, neural parameter estimation; deep learning theory, neural networks, attention, implicit bias, training dynamics, generalization; machine learning theory, statistical physics, high dimensions, typical-case. 

Digital & environment

Keywords: microbial ecology, soil microbiome, probabilistic modelling, metagenomics, spatial modelling; network science, social constraints, human agency, algorithmic governance, legal pluralism; nexus, economics, technology, agency, behavior, constraints, sustainability; futures studies, futurability, participative workshops, forecast; species distribution models, biodiversity monitoring, citizen science, invasion dynamics, statistical modelling.

Digital health

Keywords: computational neuroscience, hodgkin-huxley, alzheimer's disease, hippocampus, neural oscillations; machine learning, deep learning, temporal sequences; PDE discovery, machine learning, explainability, molecular simulation; sports performance, athlete well-being, learning, dynamic modeling, estimation, signal processing; self-supervised segmentation of multi-contrast 3t/7t brain MRI for lesion mapping in subacute stroke; digital twins, multiscale, liver microarchitecture, mechanistic & AI-modeling, biology & clinics; digital liver twin, transcriptome data integration, multiscale mechanistic modelling; neural engineering, direct electrical stimulation, electrophysiology, evoked potential, neurosurgery; causal inference, federated learning, transportability, treatment effect, policy learning.

High performance computing

Keywords: task parallelism, dynamic scheduling, dataflow, streaming; operating systems, key-value stores, networking, RDMA; computer graphics, GPU, real-time rendering, representations, high complexity, outdoor scenes; parallel algorithms, graphs, hypergraphs, sparse matrices, sparse tensors.

Internet of things

Keywords: direct-to-satellite, d2d/d2c, NTN, resource management, user-satellite assignment; data-driven validation, real-time constraint, time series, anomalies, digital twin; land-use inference, mobile network cells, CDR/XDR, fine-grained mobility, visitor profiling.

Modeling and simulation

Keywords: cavitation, multiphase compressible flow, phase change, shock wave, diffuse-interface method, bubble; cardiac arrhythmia, numerical continuation, partial differential equations, numerical analysis; computer graphics, optics, spectral rendering, iridescence, fluorescence, metamerism; non-linear systems and control, transportation networks, macroscopic modelling; proceduralism, texture synthesis, representations, texture design, 3d textures; social sciences and the humanities, computational epistemology, artificial cultural evolution; computational neuroscience, astrocytes, data-driven modeling, simulation, geometry, PDE; space cloud, satellite edge computing, task orchestration, resource-constrained constellations; physical simulation, computational fabrication, additive manufacturing, granular material; mathematical modeling, brain activity, stochastic dynamics, attention deficit; stochastic and statistical modeling, hawkes processes, environmental data; waves, model-order reduction, metamaterials, quantum, solvers, phononics, finite element method; brain–heart interaction, dynamical modeling, control theory, signal processing, estimation; shape optimization, high performance computing, wave propagation; non-destructive testing, inverse problem, elasto-plasticity, optimal control, differential inclusion; numerical optimization, multiobjective optimization, CMA-ES, derivative-free optimization; vascular networks, hemodynamics, transport, medical imaging; deep learning for numerical simulations, graph neural networks, transformers, fluid mechanics; mobility behavioral exposure, privacy-preserving mobility analytics, human mobility modelling; nanophotonics,  surrogate modeling, neural operators; computer-aided design, sustainable design, geometry processing, 3d modeling, digital manufacturing; neuroprosthetics, functional electrical stimulation (FES), nerve mapping, inverse modeling, EMG, biosignals.

Robotics

Keywords: machine learning, robotics, teleoperation, environmental awareness, adaptive behavior; AI, exoskeletons; optimal control, humanoid robotics; trust, ethics, human-robot interaction; legged robots; aerial robotics, manipulation, AI for physical interaction, multi-robot collaborative manipulation; haptics, shared control, shifting autonomy.

Software

Keywords: software evolution and maintenance, test, scalability, software abstraction; fast analysis of decades of large software histories; spatial audio, distributed computing, embedded systems, algorithm parallelisation, virtual acoustics; interplanetary networks, DTN, IP adaptation, QUIC, long-delay networks; urgent science, edge-cloud computing, resource management, programming models, data-driven apps; digital tissue twin software, multiscale modeling, software interfaces, parallelisation, GUI.