Doctoral Networks–DN

The objective of Doctoral Networks is to implement doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

Doctoral Networks implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

Besides standard Doctoral Networks, incentives have been introduced to promote two specific types of doctorates as well.

1. Industrial Doctorates: They train PhD candidates who wish develop their skills and step outside academia, in particular in industry and business. Individual participants must be enrolled in a doctoral programme and jointly supervised by the academic and non-academic partners.

2. Joint Doctorates: They provide a highly integrated type of international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration in doctoral training leading to a joint doctoral degree or multiple doctoral degrees awarded by the participating institutions. PhD candidates must be enrolled in a joint programme and be jointly supervised.

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported doctoral candidates

• New research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects within and outside academia;

• New knowledge allowing the conversion of ideas into products and services, where relevant;

• Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact. 

For participating organisations

• Improved quality, relevance and sustainability of doctoral training programmes and supervision arrangements;

• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines;

• Increased integration of training and research activities between participating organisations;

• Boosted R&I capacity;

• Increased internationalisation and attractiveness;

• Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations. 

Scope: MSCA Doctoral Networks will implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and research infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. MSCA Doctoral Networks are indeed open to the participation of organisations from third countries, in view of fostering strategic international partnerships for the training and exchange of researchers. 

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various R&I areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer training in research-related, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability (e.g. entrepreneurship, commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication). Proposals for doctoral networks can reflect existing or planned research partnerships among the participating organisations. 

The selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent and merit-based, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS website) must mention if the published rates include all employer and employee's taxes and contributions. If possible, the gross salary (net salary + employee’s taxes and contributions) should be published. 

MSCA Doctoral Networks are encouraged to lead to Industrial or Joint Doctorates.

Industrial Doctorates
Through Industrial Doctorates, doctoral candidates will step outside academia and develop skills in industry and business by being jointly supervised by academic and non-academic organisations, both of which can be established in the same EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Joint Doctorates
Joint Doctorates represent a highly integrated type of international, inter-sectoral and multi/interdisciplinary collaboration in doctoral training. They lead to the delivery of joint, double or multiple doctoral degrees recognised in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. (Every time this Work Programme part refers to doctoral degrees, this means that the degrees have to be recognised as such by the relevant authorities of the country or countries concerned.)

Supervisory Board
Each MSCA Doctoral Network should have a clearly identified supervisory board coordinating network-wide training, research and in particular supervision activities in line with the Guidelines for MSCA supervision, while establishing continuous communication and exchange of best practice among the participating organisations to maximise the benefits of the partnership.

Training activities

MSCA Doctoral Networks should exploit complementarities between participating organisations and foster sharing of knowledge and networking activities for example through the organisation of workshops and conferences. Proposed training activities should respond to well identified needs in various R&I areas, with appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and follow the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. They should be primarily focused on developing new scientific knowledge through original research on personalised projects.

Inter-sectoral secondments of researchers to other participating organisations, including in third countries, are encouraged when relevant, feasible and beneficial for the researchers and in line with the project objectives. This will increase the employability of the researchers outside academia.

Doctoral Networks should develop substantial training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable skills and competences common to all fields and fostering the culture of Open Science, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as good scientific conduct such as research integrity. In particular, Doctoral Networks should adequately prepare doctoral candidates for increased research collaboration and information-sharing made possible by new (digital) technologies (e.g. collaborative tools, opening access to publications and to other research outputs including data, FAIR data management, societal engagement
and citizen science, etc.).

Supervision

Particular attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. Joint supervision of the researchers is mandatory for Industrial and Joint Doctorates.
 

Career Development Plan

A Career Development Plan must be established jointly by the supervisor and each recruited doctoral candidate. In case of joint supervision, such a plan should be established involving all supervisors. In addition to research objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events aiming at opening science and research to citizens. The plan, established at the beginning of the recruitment, should be revised (and updated where needed) within 18 months.
 

Budget:

The EU contribution for MSCA Doctoral Networks will take the form of unit contributions, as stipulated in Decision of 11 March 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions and unit contributions for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

The following budget categories apply:

A country correction coefficient applies to the living allowance in order to ensure equal treatment and purchasing power parity for all researchers. This coefficient is the one applicable to the country of the recruiting beneficiary (see Table 1 at the end of the Work Programme part). The living allowance is a gross amount, including compulsory deductions under national law, such as employer and employee social security contributions and direct taxes. The beneficiary must recruit each eligible doctoral candidate under an employment contract or equivalent direct contract, including an instrument of appointment (e.g., for permanent staff and/or officials), with full social security coverage (including sickness, parental, unemployment and invalidity benefits, pension rights, benefits in respect of accidents at work and occupational diseases). An exemption from this rule can be accepted only in cases where national legislation or the equivalent internal regulations of International European Research Organisations (IERO), entities created under Union law, or an international organisation, prohibit this possibility and subject to the prior agreement of the granting authority.

When an employment contract or instrument of appointment cannot be provided, the beneficiary may exceptionally recruit the doctoral candidate under a 'fixed-amount fellowship'. In this case, the living allowance will be halved, and the beneficiary must ensure that the doctoral candidate enjoys minimum social security coverage (including sickness, parental and invalidity benefits, and benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases). 

The beneficiary must pay to the doctoral candidates at least the amount of the living allowance (minus all compulsory deductions under national legislation). A top-up may be paid to the researchers in order to complement this contribution. In addition to the living allowance, all doctoral candidates must receive a mobility allowance. This allowance covers their additional, private mobility-related costs (e.g. travel and accommodation costs), not their professional costs under the action, which are covered by the research, training and networking contribution.

If the recruited doctoral candidate has or acquires family obligations during the action duration, i.e. persons linked to him/her by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country or region where this relationship was formalised; or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher, the family allowance must be paid to him/her as well.

The long-term leave allowance contributes to the personnel costs incurred by the beneficiaries in case of the researchers’ leave, including maternity, paternity, parental, sick or special leave, longer than 30 consecutive days. The special needs allowance contributes to the additional costs for the acquisition of special needs items and services for researchers with disabilities, whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are certified by a competent national authority, and of such nature that their participation in the action may not be possible without them (e.g. assistance by third persons, adaptation of work environment, additional travel/transportation costs). These special needs items or services  must not have been funded from another source (e.g. social security or health insurance). Both long-term leave and special needs allowances should be requested when the need arises. The research, training and networking contribution should cover, for example, costs for training and networking activities that contribute directly to the researchers’ career development (e.g. participation in conferences, trips related to work on the action, training, language courses, seminars, lab material, books, library records, publication costs), research expenses, visa-related fees and travel expenses, additional costs arising from each secondment of six months or less, which require mobility from the place of residence (e.g. travel and accommodation costs). 

The management and indirect contribution should cover the beneficiary’s additional costs in connection with the action (e.g. personnel costs for project management/coordination, indirect costs).

The above rates apply to doctoral candidates devoting themselves to their project on a fulltime basis. Researchers may, in agreement with the supervisor and beneficiary and with prior approval by the granting authority, implement their project on a part-time basis. Such a request is limited to personal or family reasons. In cases of part-time work, the doctoral candidates must work at least 50% of the full working time in their recruiting organisation for the action funded by the MSCA. The recruiting beneficiary should report costs as pro rata of the applicable full-time unit contributions.

Eligibility
Given the specific nature of MSCA Doctoral Networks, the following exceptions and additional eligibility criteria apply. This section also contains eligibility conditions, which apply during action implementation but cannot be verified at proposal stage.

• All proposals must indicate if they are resubmitted from the previous MSCA Doctoral Networks call under Horizon Europe.

• Proposals submitted to the previous call of MSCA Doctoral Networks under Horizon Europe and having received a score of less than 80% must not be resubmitted the following year.

• Any proposal involving 70% or more of the same recruiting organisations as in another proposal submitted to the previous call of the MSCA Doctoral Networks under Horizon Europe that has received a score of less than 80% will be assessed for whether it is a resubmission, irrespectively of the applicants’ self-declaration. The assessment will be carried out by external expert evaluators based on the similarity of objectives as well as on the similarity of the scientific approach proposed to reach
  such objectives.

Participating organisations

• Applications must be submitted by a consortium including at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and with at least one of them established in an EU Member State. Should none of them be entitled to award a doctoral degree, a university or a consortium/grouping of academic/research institutions entitled to award a doctoral degree must be added to the project as an associated partner or an associated partner linked to a beneficiary.

• Not more than 40.0% of the EU contribution may be allocated to beneficiaries in the same country or to a single International European Research Organisation (IERO) or international organisation.

• International organisations with headquarters in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country will be deemed to be established in this Member State or Associated Country.

• Affiliated entities are not allowed to participate as they cannot claim costs in MSCA Doctoral Networks.

• All beneficiaries must recruit at least one doctoral candidate. They are required to host at their premises and supervise recruited researchers, or use associated partners linked to them to do so.

• In order to reach the objectives of Joint Doctorates, at least three independent legal entities must be entitled to award doctoral degrees. At least one129 of the institutions conferring a joint, double or multiple doctoral degree must be established in an EU
  Member State and/or Horizon Europe Associated Country. An applicant from the academic sector, which has transferred the right of awarding a doctoral degree to a consortium/grouping of academic/research institutions to which it belongs to, is also eligible. Applicants must provide, at the time of the submission of the proposal, a preagreement to award a joint, double or multiple degree to the doctoral candidate(s). The proposal should indicate from which institutions a researcher is expected to receive the degree(s).

• Joint Doctorates must set up a joint governance structure with joint admission, selection, supervision, monitoring and assessment procedures.
   

Recruited researchers

• Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment.

• Researchers must be enrolled in a doctoral programme leading to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.

• For 'International European Research Organisations' (IERO), 'international organisations', or entities created under Union law, the researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment in the same appointing organisation.

• Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

• Secondments are eligible for up to one third of the actual months spent implementing the research training activities under the action. This limitation does not apply in the case of Industrial Doctorates and Joint Doctorates.

• In case of industrial doctorates, doctoral candidates must spend at least 50% of their fellowship duration in the non-academic sector.

Duration of the action

• The duration of the action must not exceed 48 months from the starting date set out in the grant agreement (including the time needed to recruit and select the doctoral candidates), except in the case of joint doctorates where this maximum duration is 60 months.

• The duration of each fellowship (on the basis of full-time employment) is minimum 3 and maximum 36 months, except in the case of joint doctorates, where this maximum duration is 48 months.

• The overall EU contribution for MSCA Doctoral Networks actions is limited to a maximum of 540 person-months. 

   

Call Budget:

For 2022 Call: EUR 427 million

For 2023 Call: EUR 434,80 million

For 2024 Call: EUR 608,60 million

For 2025 Call: EUR 597,80 million

Current Call Information:

Opening: 28 May 2025

Deadline: 25 Nov 2025

Documents needed for this CALL:

• Click here for the 2025 call launch announcement and details.

• MSCA Work Programme (Updated version dated 14 May 2025): The Work Programme includes information on all calls under the MSCA. You can find details about the Doctoral Networks 2024 call starting from pages 23 and 118.

• Doctoral Networks Guide for Applicants (2025 Call): The application guides include details on how to apply to the European Commission for the respective call. Please ensure you consult the 2025 Guide for Applicants for the 2025 call.

• Doctoral Networks Proposal Template (2025 Call): The proposal template provides guidance on how to draft a project proposal for the relevant call. (Make sure to download the latest version of the Word/RTF document from the Funding & Tenders Portal.)

   

• Doctoral Networks Evaluation Form: It is recommended to review this form to understand the evaluation criteria that will be used by reviewers when assessing your proposal.

• Click here to access the DN presentations delivered by the European Research Executive Agency during the Information Day organized by TÜBİTAK on 8–9 May 2025.

• Click here to access the event recording and presentations of the "MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 Online Information Day - 24 June 2025." (The event recording and presentations, which contain comprehensive details about the call, will be added to this link.)

• All documents are also accessible via the European Commission's own platform. Click here to access the “Funding & Tender Opportunities” page.

• For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, click on the “Topic Related FAQ” tab on the “Funding & Tender Opportunities” page.

• Click here for the “How to Prepare Your Project in 6 Steps” guide.

• Click on the respective year to access the “Set of Graphs” document containing statistical results for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 DN calls. 

• Click here to access the “Handbook” for the 2024 Call, prepared with contributions from all National Contact Points, which includes recommendations on key points to consider while drafting a proposal. The “Handbook” for the 2025 call will be added here shortly.

Partner Search Platform

• Please check "Funding & Tender Opportunities" portal of European Commission. You will see "Partner Search Announcements" title on this link. 

• The MSCA Matchmaking Platform has been launched to connect researchers with various institutions. By registering on the platform, you can get in touch with institutions and find partner organizations for your project proposals. Please click here.

Funded Projects

• Funded Project List of 2021 Call can be reached via link (choose from left menu) 

• Funded Project List of 2022 Call can be reached via link (choose from left menu) 

• Funded Project List of 2023 Call can be reached via link (choose from left menu) 

• You can reach the success stories from Turkiye via the link.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Please check "Funding & Tender Opportunities" portal of European Commission. You will see "Topic Related FAQ" title.

• Please send your questions to TUBITAK MSCA National Contact Points via ncpmobility@tubitak.gov.tr 

   

TÜBİTAK Coordinators Support

Support Program for ‘EU FP Coordinators’, has been established by TÜBİTAK for encouraging Turkish Institutions to lead consortia in projects submitted under EU FP calls and increase their success rate of them in European Union Framework Program (EU FP).

Potential coordinators (from Türkiye), who wish to apply for the support, first have to go through the “General Application” process. Following the approval of the general application to the Coordinators Support Program, a new application must be made for each of the sub-supports and approval must be obtained from TÜBİTAK.

The applicant determines and declares the expert or expert organization from which they will receive the service in line with the criteria published by TÜBİTAK, during the sub-support application. If the selected expert or  expert organization is found to be insufficient within the scope of the relevant criteria, the expert or expert organization must be changed, and new documents must be submitted to TÜBİTAK. The result regarding the suitability of the expert individual or organization is conveyed to the applicant via email.

Please check the details via the link.

Contact Info

For your inquiries about Doctoral Networks Call, please contact with MSCA National Contact Points for Türkiye  (located at TÜBİTAK) ncpmobility@tubitak.gov.tr