Call for expressions of interest for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships

The 2025 MSCA-PF call opens on 6 April and the deadline for submission is 9 September. The deadline for expressing interest to DNIR is 15 April 2026. 

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates whose projects engage with DNIR’s research profile and who are motivated to make full use of our unique location and research environment.

About the Norwegian Institute in Rome

The Norwegian Institute in Rome is Norway’s principal humanities centre abroad, fostering collaboration between the University of Oslo, Norwegian partner institutions, and leading Italian research centres. It supports research and teaching on the history of Rome, Italy, and the wider Mediterranean – from antiquity to the present – with a particular focus on the material dimensions of the region’s cultural heritage.

We welcome proposals from a wide range of disciplines within the historical humanities. Areas of special interest include, but are not limited to (in no particular order):

• Greek and other non-Roman cultures in premodern Rome and Italy
• Digital humanities projects with a historical – especially archival – focus
• The history of Nordic scholars, collectors, artists and writers in Rome and Italy
• Classical archaeology, with emphasis on archaeological theory and funerary culture
• Difficult heritage in a broad sense (monuments, artefacts, documents)
• The visual and material culture of Rome, with special focus on ritual and liturgy
• Greek and Latin epigraphy in Rome, from antiquity to the modern period
• The history of libraries, archives and collections in Rome

More information about ongoing research at the Norwegian Institute in Rome can be found here. 

More information about Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions can be found here.

Why apply with DNIR as your host?

Being based at the Norwegian Institute in Rome offers a number of distinctive advantages for MSCA fellows:

• Rome as a research base – Work in a historically rich city with direct access to key sites, monuments, and institutions.
• Top collections and infrastructure – Use leading libraries, archives, and specialised collections in Rome and elsewhere in Italy.
• Strong international networks – Connect with researchers in Italy, Norway, and across Europe through DNIR’s established collaborations.
• Tailored academic events – Organise workshops, seminars, and conferences in a setting that attracts both local and international scholars.
• A focused, supportive environment – Join a small, dynamic research community with excellent administrative and practical support.

Tailored support for selected MSCA applicants

Selected candidates will receive support from DNIR and the Faculty of Humanities (HF), University of Oslo, in developing their MSCA-PF application. This includes the opportunity to participate in:

• Digital Master Class for MSCA applicants on 12–13 May: An intensive workshop focused on writing competitive MSCA proposals.
• Digital Q&A for all MSCA applicants at the Faculty of Humanities 26 August, 10:00–11:00: An opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback close to the final stage of proposal preparation.

Eligibility (please read carefully)

MSCA PF is open to excellent researchers of any nationality. Researchers must be in possession of a doctoral degree. At the call deadline, researchers must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date that the researcher was in a possession of a doctoral degree.

Mobility rule: the researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline 9 September 2026.

How to express your interest?

Potential applicants are invited to send the following documents before 16 April 2026:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Brief project outline (max. 1 page), including:
  • Provisional project title
  • Main research question(s) and objectives
  • Methodology and sources
• A short statement on why DNIR is an appropriate host institution for your project

Please send your expression of interest directly to:

Director Prof. Han Lamers

Email: han.lamers@roma.uio.no

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online conversation to discuss project fit, supervision, and the further development of the application.

Timeline 2026