MSCA4Ukraine Scholarship Scheme: Who Can Apply, and What It Means for Indian Students

Search results often describe MSCA4Ukraine as a "scholarship scheme", which leads some Indian students to apply or to pay agents for help with it. Before you spend time or money, it is worth knowing exactly what it is. This guide is based on the European Commission's own announcements and a host institution's description of the scheme.

What Is MSCA4Ukraine?

MSCA4Ukraine is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the European Union's research training and mobility programme under Horizon Europe. It was created to let displaced researchers from Ukraine continue their work in safe and supportive environments, at universities, research centres, companies and other institutions in the EU and associated countries. According to the European Commission, the scheme has so far provided 173 displaced researchers with fellowships worth a total of €35 million, and the Commission added a further €10 million in 2025.

Who Is Eligible?

• Ukrainian nationals, stateless persons, or nationals of other countries whose main residence was in Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
• Researchers who were displaced from Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022.
• Postdoctoral researchers who hold a doctorate (some calls also accept those who have defended their thesis but not yet been formally awarded the degree), or doctoral candidates who were enrolled at a higher education institution in Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022.
• Candidates must also have the language skills needed to work at the host institution.

In practice, a student from India who was studying in Ukraine as a doctoral candidate on or after that date, and who was resident there, may fall within the category of third-country nationals. A student who was never resident in Ukraine does not. If you were studying in Ukraine, read the official eligibility rules of the current call carefully, because career-stage requirements are strict.

How Long Is a Fellowship and What Does It Cover?

• Duration: a research stay of 6 to 24 months.
• Funding: follows the rates used for MSCA Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships, with country-adjusted living allowances plus contributions towards research, training and networking costs.
• Support: supervision, training and career development, and family and special-needs allowances.
• Host: an organisation of the researcher's choice in an EU member state or a country associated with Horizon Europe.

Is a Call Open Now?

We cannot confirm this, so check the official source. The European Commission announced in May 2025 that a call to select the organisation or consortium that would manage the next phase of the scheme was open until 16 September 2025, and that the call for researchers was expected to open in the first half of 2026. A host institution's page we found says, in older wording, that no further call was planned at the time it was written. The two do not conflict, because they describe different phases, but the safe course is to check the MSCA website for the current call and its deadline before you rely on any date here.

Funded Routes That Indian Students Can Apply For

If you are a student or researcher from India, MSCA4Ukraine is not your scheme, but other funded European routes are open to Indian applicants:

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's scholarships, open to students of any nationality, at the master's level.
• National scholarships such as DAAD for Germany, Chevening for the UK, MEXT for Japan and GKS for South Korea, each with its own eligibility.
• Other MSCA actions, such as Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships, which are open to researchers of any nationality but are for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and carry mobility rules. Check the current call text for the rules.

IMA does not manage MSCA4Ukraine, and we cannot apply for it on anyone's behalf. If you are looking for funding to study in Europe, our counsellors can help you work out which scholarships fit your profile and which do not, before you spend money on an application.