The Ministry of Education is launching up to 500 postdoctoral scholarships for early-career researchers, with funding of 4,000 lei per month

The Ministry of Education and Research is launching a competition to award institutional grants for postdoctoral research fellowships under Programme 5.3 of the 2022–2027 National Research, Development and Innovation Plan. The announcement was made on September 30, 2026.

The new funding instrument is expected to provide up to 500 fellowships for holders of doctoral degrees in science who obtained their first PhD title starting in 2025 and wish to continue their work in the national research and innovation system.

A fellowship is worth 4,000 lei per month and may be awarded for a maximum of 24 months. The maximum value is 96,000 lei, in proportion to the funding period. The host institution may supplement the support, but must provide its own contribution of at least the same value as the fellowship awarded through the program.

The funding is intended for state universities and institutes of the Romanian Academy that organize advanced postdoctoral research programs. Each fellow will be supervised by a mentor who is a doctoral adviser at the host institution and has expertise in the chosen field. The competition covers 13 scientific fields and aims to strengthen young researchers’ careers and increase the performance of research institutions.