Two type of positions may be offered, depending upon the level of experience of the researcher:

• To be eligible for an early-stage researcher position (= pre-doc), the candidate must be in the first 4 years of their research activity (full-time equivalent). The reference period is counted from the diploma giving access to doctoral studies in the country in which the diploma was obtained. Candidates who have already obtained a doctorate are not eligible for an early-stage researcher position, independently of the time taken to acquire the doctorate.
• To be eligible for an experienced researcher position (= post-doc), the candidate must either be already in possession of a doctoral degree, independently of the time taken to acquire it, or have at least 4 years of research activity (full-time equivalent) since gaining the diploma giving access to doctoral studies in the country in which the diploma was obtained.
• However, researchers with more than 10 years of research experience (full-time equivalent) since gaining this diploma are not eligible for an experienced researcher position.
• Once a researcher has obtained a diploma that gives access to doctoral studies in the country in which the diploma was obtained (without having to acquire any further qualifications) the clock starts ticking. In the event that a researcher has taken a break from his/her research career for whatever reason (e.g. working outside research, family reasons, etc.), then the clock is stopped and only starts once the researcher resumes his/her research career. Furthermore, the experience of a researcher is considered to be of the same value independent of the discipline in which it was obtained.

As a general rule, candidates must be able to contribute to one of the areas of activity of the network, as described in its scientific programme. In addition, certain nationality and mobility conditions must be satisfied:

• Researchers must be nationals of a state other than that of the host organisation. At the start of their fellowship, they must not have resided or carried out their activity in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the start date.
• An exception to the above rule can be granted for nationals of Member States of the European Union, or of Associated States, if they have been active in research in a Third Country (i.e. neither a Member nor an Associated State) for at least 4 of the 5 years immediately prior to the start of the fellowship.
• In the case of a national holding more than one nationality, he/she will be able to carry out a period of mobility in the country of his /her nationality in which he/she has not resided during the previous 5 years. Short stays such as holidays are not taken into account. (Work Programme section 2.5.3)
• Third Country researchers who have legally resided and have carried out their activity in Member or Associated States for at least 4 of the 5 years immediately prior to the start of the fellowship are treated as nationals of the Member/Associated State in which they have resided the longest.
• Third Country researchers based outside the Member States may be eligible for a position in the network, provided this position is not located in a Third Country. An upper bound of 30% of the total number of researcher-months funded by the network may limit the opportunities offered to Third Country researchers.

A more detailed presentation of these rules, as well as some examples, can be found in the Marie Curie RTN Handbook. See in particular pages 19 - 21.

Some definitions:

• Member States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
• Associated States: Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey; Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Croatia is expected to become one.
• Third States: all other countries.