Horizon Europe - MSCA doctoral networks 2026 - call info day

Horizon Europe - MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 - Call Info Day Summary

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Info Day Banner

📌 Video Metadata

  • Title: Horizon Europe - MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 - Call info day
  • Video Link: YouTube - Mz5eL-ndXCg
  • Organisers: European Research Executive Agency (REA), DG EAC, and DG RTD (European Commission)
  • Event Date: June 3, 2026
  • Video Duration: ~2 hours 47 minutes (10,043 seconds)
  • Target Audience: Universities, research institutes, companies (large & SMEs), non-academic organizations, researchers, and project coordinators planning to apply for Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 & RAISE DN 2026 calls.

🎯 Main Objectives & Overview of MSCA Doctoral Networks

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks aim to:

  1. Train Doctoral Candidates: Develop creative, entrepreneurial, innovative, and resilient early-stage researchers.
  2. Foster Intersectoral Collaboration: Deepen cooperation between academia, industry, businesses, SMEs, and other non-academic actors.
  3. Enhance Career Prospects: Equip researchers with both high-level scientific expertise and key transferable skills (e.g., entrepreneurship, open science, IP management, public engagement).

🏗️ The 3 Doctoral Network Modes

Feature Standard Doctoral Networks (DN) Industrial Doctorates (ID) Joint Doctorates (JD)
Primary Focus Broad academic & interdisciplinary training Non-academic integration & industrial application Joint/double degree awarding structures
Non-academic Requirement Highly encouraged through secondments Candidates spend $\ge$ 50% of time in the non-academic sector Encouraged intersectoral supervision
Degree Awarding Enrolled in at least one doctoral programme Joint supervision by academic + non-academic entities Mandatory joint, double, or multiple degree creation
Max Person-Months Up to 540 person-months (~15 fellows for 36 months) Up to 540 person-months Up to 540 person-months

🆕 Major Novelties & Changes for the 2026 Call

  1. RAISE DN 2026 Track (AI in Science):
    • A dedicated parallel call launched alongside MSCA-DN 2026: RAISE (Resources for AI Science in Europe).
    • Focuses on proposals integrating Artificial Intelligence into scientific research across disciplines.
  2. Strict Font Size Rule Across Proposal (Font 11):
    • Font size 11 is now mandatory for ALL text, including tables, figures, headers/footers, and footnotes in Part B1.
    • Reason: Standardizes page density across competing proposals after previous abuses of small font sizes (font 9) in tables.
  3. Strict Page Limit:
    • Part B1 is capped at 30 pages max (excluding preliminary cover page, TOC, and title page). Evaluators will ignore any pages exceeding the limit.
  4. Updated Unit Costs & Country Coefficients:
    • Living allowances and country correction coefficients have been adjusted upward to reflect economic changes across participating countries.
  5. Third-Country & Low/Middle-Income Country Eligibility:
    • Clarified rules for non-associated third-country institutions acting as degree-awarding entities or associated partners.

📋 Consortium & Eligibility Rules

  • Minimum Consortium Size: At least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries (with at least 1 established in an EU Member State).
  • Mobility Rule: Recruited fellows must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months prior to recruitment.
  • Resubmission Restriction:
    • Applies if a proposal was submitted to the previous year’s call (DN 2025), scored below 80%, and involves a >70% overlap of beneficiaries.

📝 Proposal Structure & Evaluation Criteria

Proposal Sections

  • Part A: Online administrative forms, participant list, budget calculation, ethics self-assessment, and security questionnaire.
  • Part B1: 30-page narrative proposal containing:
    1. Excellence (50% weight): Scientific quality, interdisciplinary/intersectoral approach, supervision quality, and training program.
    2. Impact (30% weight): Fellow career enhancement, knowledge transfer, dissemination, open science, and public outreach.
    3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (20% weight): Work plan, risk management, consortium capacity, and infrastructure.
  • Part B2: Partner descriptions, letters of commitment, ethics justification, and security check details.

💰 Financial Structure (Unit Contributions)

Funding is based 100% on unit costs per researcher person-month:

  1. Researcher Contributions (paid to/for the recruited candidate):
    • Living Allowance: Base salary adjusted by country coefficient.
    • Mobility Allowance: Covers travel and relocation expenses.
    • Family Allowance: Eligible if candidate has family obligations.
    • Long-Term Leave / Special Needs Allowances: Available if required.
  2. Institutional Contributions (paid to the host organization):
    • Research, Training & Networking Costs: Covers lab materials, conference attendance, field trips, courses.
    • Management & Indirect Costs: Admin overheads and coordination costs.

💡 Top 5 Final Tips from REA Officers

  1. Read the Guidance: Thoroughly review the Guide for Applicants, Work Programme, and call FAQs.
  2. Follow the Template Strictly: Use the official 2026 Part B template without altering section titles or structure.
  3. Write Clearly for Evaluators: Present arguments concisely, logically, and explicitly against evaluation criteria.
  4. Submit Well Before the Deadline: Avoid last-minute technical bottlenecks or submission errors on the portal.
  5. Perform a Post-Submission Check: Download and inspect the submitted PDF to verify formatting, font compliance, and rendering.