The CoCirculation3 project, submitted under the Horizon Europe MSCA-COFUND call, has been awarded the highest possible budget by the European Commission

 

Objectives of the Project

According to the Grant Agreement signed between the European Commission and TÜBİTAK, the CoCirculation3 Project will start on 1 June 2025. The project will launch 3 calls to attract 100 highly qualified postdoctoral researchers from abroad to Türkiye.

There will be no restrictions on research fields, allowing researchers from all disciplines to apply. However, proposals must align with the themes of the ‘Green Deal’.

Under CoCirculation3, researchers with doctoral degrees are expected to conduct their research projects at an academic or non-academic (industry etc.) institution in Türkiye for 24 months under the guidance of a supervisor. Applicants, regardless of nationality, must prove that they have not resided in Türkiye for more than 12 months within the last three years as of the relevant call deadline.

Call Schedule

The opening and closing dates of the calls have been determined and can now be shared with the eligible postdoctoral researchers from abroad:

Call 1: Opens on 1 September 2025, and closes in December 2025 (33 researchers to be funded).

Call 2: Opens on 3 August 2026, and closes in November 2026 (33 researchers to be funded).

Call 3: Opens on 1 July 2027, and closes in October 2027 (34 researchers to be funded).

(Exact closing dates will be announced on our website.)

Academic and non-academic institutions in Türkiye will have the opportunity to host one or more researchers, providing them with a research environment. During the three call periods under the TÜBİTAK BİDEB 2236 Program, 33 researchers will be supported in the first year (2025), another 33 researchers in the second year (2026), and another 34 researchers in the third year (2027). Researchers are expected to find a suitable host institution and submit their applications in line with the proposal format shared by TÜBİTAK when the calls are announced.

Host institutions may also start searching for suitable researchers, for example, by posting vacancies on international networking platforms like EURAXESS.

Unique Features of the Project

The distinguished features of the CoCirculation3 project compared to its predecessors, CoCirculation and CoCirculation2, are as follows:

• All funded researchers will be supported for 24 months.

• CoCirc3 is open to applications from all scientific areas (adding a 'Green Deal' aspect to the projects will be expected). 

• Researchers can apply under either the “Standard” or the “Society & Enterprise” panel, with the latter offering a dedicated evaluation process for those proposing to work in non-academic organizations (like in industry sector). 

• Enhanced participation of non-academic sector is foreseen with the brand new allowance defined as ‘Entrepreneurship Allowance’ to enhance the entrepreneurial initiatives of the PostDoc Fellows and creating an eco-system for Industry-Academia Partnerships.

• Outstanding approach is foreseen by enhancing the career development of PostDoc fellows through CoCirc3 Mentor-Mentee Mechanism and creating a community in Turkish Research Area through Alumni Network. 

• Short-term secondments at different institutions, including those providing letters of support, will be encouraged to enhance academia-industry collaboration.

• Researchers will be able to extend their stay in non-academic institutions (Non-Academic Placements) for up to one year after completing their 24-month projects, with additional funding provided by TÜBİTAK BİDEB.

All project details will soon be available on the official project website, which will be announced on both the Horizon Europe and TÜBİTAK websites.

Please access Horizon Europe website from here.