The European Commission has announced the results of the 2025 MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call, which received a record 17,066 proposals — a 64.6% increase compared to the previous year. A total of 1,610 projects (9.6%) were selected for funding, with an overall budget exceeding €400 million.
In this context of intense competition, the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) has obtained 8 fellowships, positioning itself among the leading Spanish universities in this call. Five of these projects will be developed at CiQUS, while three will be hosted at CRETUS.
The five MSCA-PF projects awarded to CiQUS will be carried out over the next two years under the supervision of CiQUS principal investigators:
BiPhoMag – Bioorthogonal photocatalytic magnetic nanorobots for targeted therapy
Fellow: Darío Javier Puchán Sánchez
Supervisor: José Luis Mascareñas
BiPhoMag aims to develop visible-light-driven bioorthogonal catalytic reactions using hybrid magnetic nanorobots, enabling precise bond-forming processes under physiological conditions for future therapeutic applications.
Link-IT – Linker-based design connecting antimicrobial peptides and glycans against infection and tumours
Fellow: Tania Gerpe Amor
Supervisor: Rebeca García Fandiño
Link-IT will design molecular strategies that connect antimicrobial peptides to specific glycans through tunable linkers, enhancing selectivity and reducing toxicity in therapies targeting infections and cancer.
MX-ESERS – Novel MXene synthesis and functionalization for high-performance E-SERS applications
Fellow: Surabhi Kamal
Supervisor: Massimo Lazzari
MX-ESERS will develop electrically modulated Raman sensors based on MXene materials for sensitive, low-cost, real-time detection of hazardous substances such as PFAS and PCBs, advancing environmental monitoring technologies.
PINCLUS – Chaotropic transmembrane delivery of proteins
Fellow: María Rodríguez Ríos
Supervisor: Javier Montenegro
PINCLUS proposes a new strategy for delivering biomolecules into cells using superchaotropic boron clusters, enabling controlled intracellular release while preserving protein function.
PRIME-PCa – Proximity-Driven Polyvalent RIPTAC Innovation for Molecular Eradication of Prostate Cancer
Fellow: Fabio Francavilla
Supervisor: Eddy Sotelo
PRIME-PCa aims to develop next-generation RIPTAC molecules designed to induce selective death of resistant prostate cancer cells by enforcing proximity between key disease-related and essential proteins.
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships programme supports outstanding researchers through international mobility, advanced training and high-level supervision, and is widely regarded as a benchmark of research excellence in Europe.
CiQUS holds the CIGUS accreditation awarded by the Xunta de Galicia, recognising the quality and impact of its research, and receives financial support from the European Union through the Galicia FEDER 2021–2027 Programme.
The centre will host five of the eight projects awarded to the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela under the 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF), one of Europe’s most prestigious and competitive research programmes | Image template: freepik