In mid-February, thousands of European early-stage researchers received their applications for EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship funding.
Konstantin Nestmann, currently researching the thermodynamics of quantum physics at Lund University, received the highest possible score in the 2022 call. He is now doing a two-year postdoc here.
To distinguish applicants with the same score, a ranking is made. However, even those who plan to apply for several years and see the first year as a bit of a practice run should endeavour to submit the best possible application, as low scores mean restrictions on how to reapply.
The EU flagship for postdoctoral funding
Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships, or Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions – Postdoctoral Fellowships as its official name is, is described as the EU flagship postdoctoral funding programme. The idea is to promote research, mobility and career opportunities. Applications are made together with a prospective host institution in another country.
Konstantin Nestmann spent three months writing his application:
“I defended my PhD in Aachen, Germany, at the end of May 2022 and could start writing the application afterwards. It was due in mid-September. Only afterwards did I realise how tight the timeframe was,” he says.
It went well, but he certainly wouldn't recommend others to do so if they don’t have to.
“It was very intense. The centrepiece is only ten pages, but every word matters because the space is limited. You need to think through everything very carefully. Do I need this image or rather use the space for text?” he says.
The centrepiece is only ten pages, but every word matters precisely because the space is so limited. The tight timeframe also meant he could not take advantage of much of the help available.
“Many universities have departments that support researchers with applications in various ways. They organise seminars and you can also book an appointment and get their feedback on your draft. But I was too late to benefit from that, they were already fully booked.”
Use old applications as support
Instead, Konstantin Nestmann took help from elsewhere. His former supervisor read and commented and also provided him with several successful applications from other contexts to study.
“It was a good way to learn the language and structure of an application. I also received an old Marie Curie postdoc application from an acquaintance. It had not been granted, and it was very instructive to read the reviewers’ comments,” says Konstantin Nestmann.
He already knew that it would probably suit him to head for Lund.
“Here they do a lot of experiments with something called quantum dots, while I work theoretically with quantum dots, so it felt like a perfect match. Convincing my current supervisor was not difficult. Considering research, we quickly agreed on what I should do, and financially it is easy for universities to say yes because a Marie Curie postdoc comes in with their own money.”
The criteria for scoring are public – read them carefully.
But Konstantin Nestmann also needed to address the collaboration with experimentalists in the application’s vulnerability analysis.
“It is a balancing act to describe in the application what can go wrong and how you intend to tackle it. The challenge for a theorist in collaboration with experimentalists is always if the data from the experiments fail for some reason. In my application, I addressed this and showed that my research also has important parts that do not depend on experimental data.
Margins can be small for young researchers after their PhD. Konstantin Nestmann, ranked second best in Europe among all applicants for Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships in physics, was unemployed for a period before being informed that his application had been successful.
“As a doctoral student, it is difficult to plan for life after your thesis, even if you try. When I had a year or so left, there were quite a few interesting postdoctoral positions to apply for, but when it was my time there were far fewer, and the few that existed went to others,” he says.
The introduction is super important, it should be crystal clear what the point is and why it is interesting.
Staying in the academy is a challenge, he says. A fraction of all postdocs will eventually get a permanent position.
“If you want to stay, you need to stand out from the crowd. You do this primarily through your research, and by writing good applications. When an institution asks if they want to employ you, it matters that you have shown that you can attract funding. I think a Marie Curie postdoctoral position in my CV can be a great advantage for me in the future.
What additional advice would you give to anyone planning to apply?
“The scoring criteria are public – read them carefully. For each possible point, there should be a section in your application clearly showing that you are entitled to that point. The introduction is super important, it should be crystal clear what the deal is and why it is interesting. Then, when you have gained interest, you present everything that gives points.”
This year’s Marie Curie call opens in April
The Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions – Postdoctoral Fellowship is worth around EUR 270 million (approximately SEK 3 billion) in 2024 and is part of the EU’s framework programme for research, Horizon Europe. The support can be applied for up to eight years after the doctorate and is thus aimed at a broader group than what is usually meant by postdocs. There were more than 8,000 applicants for Marie Curie postdoctoral positions in 2023.
The year before, the number of applicants was around 7,000, and the success rate was just over 17 per cent. Of 134 who applied with Swedish host institutions, 36 were granted directly, while 32 were put on a reserve list. Of these, several have subsequently been granted Marie Curie funding and additionally, five have instead had their applications funded by the Swedish Research Council.
Contact persons in Sweden for Marie Skłodowska Curie actions are Isabel Dellacasa Lindberg at the Swedish Research Council and Erik Litborn at Vinnova.