Skip to content
ESE logo
Your Funding Journey

Finding a call which is right for you

There is truly a plethora of European funding opportunities supporting wide range of activities from blue sky scientific research to bringing innovative solution for healthcare to the market. Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes such as EU4Health, LIFE, Erasmus and Digital Europe provide opportunities to receive support for networking, developing education and teaching programmes and public health policy development and many other activities. Each funding scheme is unique, and  successfully narrowing down the funding scheme that is relevant for you is your first important step of your EU funding journey.

Where to start? To narrow down your search you should align your goals, ambition and expertise with particular funding scheme requirements and with opportunities they offer. In other words what you want to achieve and what you can offer at your current career stage, with your expertise and in your current work environment. The other driver for your decision-making can be your level of knowledge of and experience in EU funding schemes, and your existing collaborative links with European partners.

Our European funding guide mostly covers European Commission funding for research and innovation. Nevertheless, we included for example EMBO as a relevant EU-wide funding body. We aim to include more funding opportunities of this type in the future.  

Early career researcher definition: 

By early career researcher, we consider somebody who is making first steps in establishing their research or returning to research after career break, and who has limited experience of applying independently for research funding

The table below summarises funding opportunities for various type of activities set against your stage of your career. 

Please note, the funding programmes listed may apply their own specific criteria for who can apply, and the definition of early versus advanced career may be different from one programme to another.

Your goal/Career stage

Early Career Researcher

Advanced Researcher

Funding your research

Horizon Europe Pillar II calls (in particular Cluster 1 Health; RIA, CSA), MSCA IFERC Starting GrantEMBO

Horizon Europe Pillar II calls (in particular Cluster 1 Health), ERCEMBO

Develop collaboration and networks

MSCA SEEMBOCOST

MSCA SEEMBOCOST

Training and career development

MSCA IFMSCA DT
ERC Starting GrantEMBO

ERC (Consolidator and Advanced Grants)EMBO

Development of new training and educational programmes in your field

 EMBO

MSCA DTErasmus Partnerships for CooperationEMBO

Developing new medical technology/ solution and bringing it to market

European Innovation Council (Pillar III Horizon Europe)

European Innovation Council (Pillar III Horizon Europe)

Contribution to public health policies and advocacy (for example supporting equal access to diagnosis and medical care, best practices in prevention)

Horizon Europe calls

Horizon Europe calls

EU4Health programme

Health and Environment research and policy

Horizon Europe calls (Pillar II), LIFE programmeEU4Health programme

Horizon Europe calls (Pillar II), LIFE programmeEU4Health programme

Digital Transformation of Healthcare

Horizon Europe callsEU4HealthDigital EuropeErasmus

EU4HealthDigital Europe