I applied last year for a MSCA individual fellowship and was waitlisted. Last week my proposal was moved from the waitlist into the grant preparation phase. Due to this delay I have committed myself to a different position and would defer the MSCA fellowship start date by 1 year. The grant preparation phase including the final signatures of all parties is not affected by this shift and ideally would proceed in the next weeks. This is well over a year before the start date of the fellowship.
This is all a great success, however, if possible, I would still want to apply to a select number of positions in the coming year. One reasons for this is mostly to secure a postdoc of length 3 years or more. The MSCA fellowship is capped at 2 years. I will not be able to complete these applications before the date set for finalization of the MSCA fellowship.
What are the consequences of accepting and fully finalizing an MSCA fellowship and then withdrawing in favor of a different academic position? Is it (legally) possible? Does it make a difference if this position is a postdoc or faculty position?