The European Union is stepping up its efforts to become the world’s leading destination for researchers. According to the latest update published by the Commission today, Europe now offers 101 national and regional funding and support schemes designed to attract, retain and develop research talent. The increase in the number of initiatives, from 65 last May to over 100, shows EU countries are committed to making Europe a top choice for researchers worldwide.
These initiatives complement opportunities at EU level, launched under the Choose Europe initiative by President Ursula von der Leyen in May 2025 and currently supported by nearly €900 million in EU funding – €400 million more than announced in May 2025.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, said:
“We are working as ‘Team Europe’ to attract research talent from around the world and to support researchers already working here. Thanks to the growing number of funding opportunities at both EU and national level, respect for freedom of scientific research and a high quality of life, we are seeing a record interest in research opportunities in Europe.”
The national and regional initiatives include competitive grants, mobility and reintegration schemes, tenure-track and long-term positions, fellowships for researchers at risk and career development support across all 27 Member States. Together, they represent at least €1 billion in funding opportunities, offering opportunities for researchers at all career stages and confirming the EU’s leading position in a highly competitive global research landscape. The schemes are open to researchers worldwide as well as to those already based in the EU.
Where figures have been made public, these initiatives are already delivering concrete results. In second half of 2025 alone, Germany’s Global Minds Initiative programmes selected 166 researchers, while Austrian APART-USA awarded 25 fellowships to top researchers.
France’s Safe Place for Science initiative at Aix-Marseille University has selected around 60 international researchers, and Belgium’s Vrije Universiteit Brussel has recruited 12 international researchers.
The initiatives were first presented last year by Commissioner Zaharieva as the Choose Europe for Science package. To facilitate access, the Commission is providing a single gateway to these actions through the EURAXESS platform, making it easier for global talent to identify opportunities across Europe.
European level actions
Since the launch of Choose Europe, interest in EU research opportunities has increased sharply. Applications from outside Europe or associated countries researchers for ERC Advanced Grants have nearly quadrupled (168 compared to 45). For ERC Starting Grants they increased by more than 50% (246 compared with 159). The ERC Consolidator Grant 2026 call recorded a 130% increase in the number of applications from researchers currently based outside the EU and countries associated to Horizon Europe (115 compared to 50). Applications for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) postdoctoral fellowships also rose by 65% over the past year .
The Commission published the updated overview on the day of the adoption of the new Visa Policy Strategy, which simplifies processes, boosts access and strengthens capacities to help ensure that the brightest minds contribute to Europe’s research and innovation.” To “The Commission published the updated overview yesterda of the adoption of the new Visa Policy Strategy, which simplifies processes, boosts access and strengthens capacities to help ensure that the brightest minds contribute to Europe’s research and innovation.
These national and regional funding schemes also contribute to building a single market for research, innovation and technology. In parallel, the EU supports research careers through the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda 2025–27, which aims to improve working conditions, career development, mobility and skills recognition across the bloc. This will be one of the key components of the upcoming legislative initiative based on the ERA objectives – the ERA Act – that will help maximising the attractiveness of EU.
Background
The Choose Europe initiative was launched in May 2025 to promote Europe’s values-driven research environment, freedom of scientific research and high living standards. The original package of €500 million in EU funding for 2025–27 was significantly expanded in the months that followed and now totals almost €900 million. New measures include a €240 million call for European Research Area Chairs under Horizon Europe 2026–27 and €51 million for MSCA Choose Europe for Science call 2027.
More information
EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion
Press contact:
