Career progression does not need to start after an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship is granted. It can start already at the application stage.

MSCA Sweden is designed as a capacity-building environment that supports researchers in strategic positioning. The MSCA research topic positions as excellent scientists, and here we can add to be visible and connected in the European research landscape.

1. Before and During Application

Even before applying for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, you can strengthen your research career. Be part of forums, workshops, etc. Active to invite. That builds your network early. We have ways for that even at early stage.

2. During MSCA research position and after

Scientific excellence is essential. But long-term career opportunities do not emerge from publications. Most invitations to consortia, ecosystems, advisory roles, expert groups, and strategic collaborations arise from activities such as:

• Professional networks
• Active participation in forums and workshops
• Cross-disciplinary dialogue
• Visibility in relevant communities

From that there will be opportunities in various ways. We have ways for how to build up that during your MSCA research position (postdoctoral, doctoral).

3. From MSCA Sweden to MSCA Europe

MSCA Sweden focuses on training and structured capacity building. As next step we have MSCA Europe that extends this into network and community activation. This is where individual researchers move from being applicants to becoming recognised contributors within a larger European context.

4. Growing Within Ecosystems – EuropeNoun

Career progression in Europe increasingly happens inside:

• Consortia
• Thematic ecosystems
• Strategic research platforms
• Public–private collaborations

We support researchers in becoming active participants in such environments. There we have formulated the EuropeNoun concept. The objective is to help researchers to have a transition from project-based participation to ecosystem-level positioning.