TÜBİTAK launches new calls to bring global researchers to Türkiye

There are moments in every scientific career that feel like standing at a threshold. You’ve done the work, earned your PhD, and asked the necessary questions, standing at a crossroads between the knowledge you’ve solidified and the questions still demanding a new form, between the path well-trodden and the quiet invitation of a less-defined elsewhere. But what’s next? To what extent can the production of knowledge bend toward more meaning, movement, and place? What happens when knowledge dares to move? 

TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye) offers a new avenue to go down with the newly launched CoCirculation3 Program under the European Commission's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND scheme  that is to attract postdoctoral researchers from around the world to Türkiye. Türkiye is emerging as an academic magnet and a regional hub for green R&D, supporting researchers in advancing their careers through training, international collaboration, and intersectoral mobility. 

CoCirculation3 Program proposes a contribution to “brain circulation” by investing in the conditions that make return both possible and worthwhile for the highly skilled researchers who have previously migrated abroad.  

Fellows selected for CoCirculation3 will be supported for 12 to 24 months. The program provides the most essentials including living costs, family needs, training, research, networking, and even space for entrepreneurial exploration, recognizing that meaningful science requires conditions that sustain them. 

CoCirculation3 will launch three consecutive calls in 2025, 2026, and 2027. Eligible projects must align with national priorities, under the European Green Deal and Adaptation to Climate Change of Türkiye and Türkiye’s Green Growth Technology Roadmap.  

CoCirculation3 opens pathways for international researchers to spend meaningful time in Türkiye through flexible placements within the Turkish Research Area (TARAL) and a structure that values both movement and rootedness. In doing so, the program expands individual career trajectories while contributes to Türkiye’s wider green and sustainable transformation.  

Comprehensive Benefits for the Researchers 

Rather than simply funding research, CoCirculation3 creates the conditions for it to thrive. With a total budget of €15 million across three calls, the programme sets the tone for long-term, focused work. Selected fellows receive support through their host institutions, in line with Horizon Europe MSCA standards. The aim simply to offer researchers a working mobility environment that is stable, fair, and clear in its promise of having the ground beneath researcher feet to build something that long lasting.  

Fellows will receive monthly salaries of €3,980, along with allowances for family (€600), training and networking (€1,000), entrepreneurship (€250), and travel (up to €1,200). Optional secondments to non-academic institutions are also supported. 

The CoCirculation3 program will launch its first call for applications on September 1, 2025, with the deadline 1 December 2025. A total of 33 researchers will be selected for funding under this 2025 call. In line with its long-term planning, the program is designed to run over three consecutive years, with annual calls scheduled for 2025, 2026, and 2027 with the target to support 100 researchers. Because the program runs across three consecutive years, it allows both researchers and institutions to plan with a sense of continuity and a clearer horizon for exploitability.  

Application and Evaluation Pathways for CoCirculation3 Fellows 

Researchers interested in applying to the CoCirculation3 program must follow a structured application and evaluation process designed to ensure transparency, scientific quality, and alignment with national and European priorities. Below are the key steps and criteria that applicants should take into consideration before preparing their project proposals. 

How to Apply? 

All applications must be submitted via TÜBİTAK Management Information System: tybs.tubitak.gov.tr.  

Who Can Apply? 

The CoCirculation3 program offers flexible, competitive fellowships for postdoctoral researchers from all nationalities and age groups. 

• Researchers of any nationality 
• PhD holders by the deadline 
• Not residing in Türkiye for more than 12 of the past 36 months 

CoCirculation3 is open to researchers from all scientific disciplines; however, all proposals must include a clear and demonstrable Green Deal dimension. As an "individual-driven mobility" programme, CoCirculation3 gives researchers the flexibility to shape their own research direction - as long as the research focuses on the topics of the Green Deal, choose their host institution and work with a supervisor that best match their professional needs. TÜBİTAK guarantees this flexibility to support personalized research pathways within the Green Deal framework.  

Please note that; all disciplines are welcome, from natural sciences and engineering to social sciences and beyond. Applicants are expected to establish a meaningful link between their field of expertise and the objectives of the European Green Deal.  

Evaluation Criteria 

All eligible applications submitted to the CoCirculation3 program will be assessed through a transparent peer-review process by independent national and international experts. The evaluation will be based on three main criteria, each with an assigned weight: 

• Excellence (40%) Quality and pertinence of research objectives, methodology, supervision, and knowledge transfer with relevance to the Green Deal. 
• Impact (30%) Career perspectives, contribution to expected scientific, societal and economic impacts.  
• Implementation (30%) Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, risk management, and institutional capacity of the host institutions, mentoring and public awareness 

Joining the CoCirculation3 Program is a valuable opportunity for researchers to grow their careers and expand their international experience. Beyond generous financial support, the program provides a structured path to international collaboration, interdisciplinary expertise, and strategic alignment with global and national priorities. Their work feeds into their own development, and into Türkiye’s ongoing effort to build a more sustainable, climate-conscious future national priorities.  

Every application begins with a question. If you’re ready to ask yours, the full programme details are just a click away. TÜBİTAK stands ready to guide you through:  

Program Website: cocirculation3.tubitak.gov.tr 

Email: [email protected]