Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) 2024: open call

The programme Horizon Europe has announced the call for proposals of international projects Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN). Deadline is 27. 11. 2024.

If you plan to participate in a proposal submitted to this call, please, contact well in advance, if possible, 1 month before the deadline at the latest, the Project Management Department (Martina Holíková, martina.holikova@natur.cuni.cz).
See also Horizon Europe – practical information on faculty website.

Note on the Joint Doctorates (MSCA-DN-JD) projects
Participation in this type of project must be approved by the head of the department and the guarantor of the relevant doctoral study programme. Participation is only possible in the form of a double degree or a multiple degree (not a joint degree) by extending an existing accredited doctoral study programme.

September 2024: At this point there probably is not enough time to prepare a high-quality application in the role of a coordinator, as this preparation is very demanding. Nevertheless, please contact us as soon as possible if you are seriously considering coordinating an MSCA-DN project so that we can plan the preparation of the proposal for the 2025 call with, deadline 25. 11. 2025.

• Call on Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal – scope of the call, links to relevant documents, frequently asked questions, interface for proposal submission.
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Work Programme 2023-2024 
  – call text pp. 12 and 18–22, rules and eligibility criteria pp. 109–117.
• Doctoral Networks call 2024 - bitesize overview 
  – 11-minute video perfectly summarising key features of the call.
• MSCA Doctoral Networks Handbook 2023 – annotated application form prepared by the network of National Contact Points MSCA-NET with detailed advice on individual parts of the application.
• Webinar for applicants by the European Commission (7. 6. 2024): 
  event webpage, recording, presentation, Q&A.
• MSCA-DN projects supported in previous calls: 2021, 2022.
• About MSCA-DN by European Commission.
• About MSCA by the Czech National Contact Point – news, events etc.

MSCA-DN are projects of international research and training networks focused on a joint research topic. Within the implementation of the project, the beneficiaries recruit doctoral students who fulfil the “mobility rule” (in the last 3 years they have spent no more than 12 months in the country where they are employed on the project). Project budget is based on “unit costs”: budget of a participating institution is determined by multiplying a fixed sum (unit cost) by the number of months during which a doctoral student is employed by the institution for the project (person-months). At least 3 entities from 3 different EU countries or countries associated to Horizon Europe must participate in a project. In practice, the consortia usually consist of 9–22 partners (beneficiaries) and associated partners.

The European Commission funds these projects to increase employability of young researchers after their PhD – in the academic as well as in the non-academic sector. Therefore, in all types of MSCA-DN projects, active participation of non-academic entities is crucial (they can be beneficiaries recruiting the doctoral students or associated partners hosting the doctoral students during secondments). In MSCA projects, the non-academic sector includes not only enterprises, but also e.g. hospitals, museums, libraries, national parks, non-governmental organisations, public authorities etc.

Participation in these projects allows research teams to deepen their collaboration with partners abroad and at the same time to attract capable early-career researchers from abroad to their teams.

Types of MSCA-DN projects

Doctoral Networks

• Project duration is up to 48 months.
• Doctoral students can be recruited for up to 36 months.
• Maximal project size is 540 person-months for the entire network
  (corresponds to 15 doctoral students employed for 3 years).

Doctoral Networks – Industrial Doctorates

• Doctoral students must spend half of their time in the non-academic sector.
• Project duration is up to 48 months.
• Doctoral students can be recruited for up to 36 months.
• Maximal project size is 540 person-months for the entire network
  (corresponds to 15 doctoral students employed for 3 years).

Doctoral Networks – Joint Doctorates

• Doctoral students must be enrolled in joint degree or double degree or multiple degree study programmes.
• Project duration is up to 60 months.
• Doctoral students can be recruited for up to 48 months.
• Maximal project size is 540 person-months for the entire network.

News published by Ludmila Součková on 29. 5. 2024.
Updated 12. 6. 2024 (link to the new “bitesize overview” video added).
Updated 9. 9. 2024 (proposals in the role of a coordinator should be planned for the next deadline).

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