Meet IRIS, a MSCA Postdoctoral Programme for Interdisciplinary Research Addressing Regional Challenges – and UNICA is a partner!

04 July 2025 | From UNICA - Funding

UNICA is proud to announce a new opportunity for postdoctoral researchers!

IRIS, the ‘Interdisciplinary Research In Societal challenges’ is an MSCA postdoctoral programme co-funded by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon Europe). Running from 2025 to 2030, IRIS will recruit 36 international postdoctoral researchers – 24 at ULB and 12 at VUB – through two open calls, each for a period of 30 months.

IRIS has a bottom-up approach, welcoming applications from all research fields with a focus on interdisciplinarity and regional priorities, aligned with the Brussels-Capital Region’s six societal challenges.

Urban research for urban improvement

During the fellowship, IRIS postdocs will benefit from an environment that fosters academic growth and well-being. Fellows will engage in optional secondments and short visits, take part in the IRIS management committee, and have 30 months to fully carry out their interdisciplinary research projects.

IRIS’s research programme hinges on two themes: interdisciplinarity and the six societal challenges of the Brussels-Capital Region (BCR). IRIS fellows’ research projects will exemplify solutions in the applied context of the BCR but are intrinsically linked to ubiquitous European needs, thereby preparing the participating researchers European-wide career options.

First call launched!

The first call is already running! The project is currently looking for 18 researchers (12 at ULB and 6 at VUB). The call is eligible for researchers with a PhD for maximum 8 years who have not resided or carried out their main activity in Belgium for more than 12 months over the last years, before the call deadline (31/10/2025).

UNICA’s role in the project

As a network of universities in capitals cities, the relation between universities and cities is a priority for UNICA. Our members face similar issues but have also the opportunity – and responsibility – to collaborate with capital-based civic institutions to serve the needs of our societies and of the coming generations. By taking part in this project as an associate partner, we aim to support researchers engaged in interdisciplinary work that connects academic knowledge with urban issues. In doing so, we remain true to our mission: to serve society and tackle global challenges.

Involvement in the project:

• Promoting networking for (virtual) mobility/secondments in other capital cities 
• Providing access to training and events within relevant working groups (UNICA Research, UNICA & the City, UNICA Green and SDGs) 
• Providing channels for the dissemination of project results and acquisition of transversal skills to IRIS fellows who will be invited to become speakers/organisers of UNICA events, focusing on specifics of urban challenges and opportunities in capital cities to increase their sustainability