MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026: €593M for Doctoral Consortia

The European Commission has opened a €593 million call for doctoral research consortia. MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 (HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01-01) funds international PhD programmes through partnerships of universities, research institutions and businesses. The submission deadline is 24 November 2026. Because Ukraine is a Horizon Europe associated country since June 2022, Ukrainian organisations participate on equal terms with EU partners – as full beneficiaries, not third-country add-ons.

Who can form a consortium and Ukraine’s role in MSCA

A valid consortium needs at least three independent organisations from three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. At least one must be based in an EU Member State. After that minimum is met, organisations from any country can join – as beneficiaries or associated partners, depending on their country’s status under Horizon Europe.

Since Ukraine holds full association status, Ukrainian universities and research centres can participate as beneficiaries. That means they receive funding directly, recruit doctoral candidates, and host researchers on-site. They can also coordinate a consortium, provided at least one EU-based partner is included. Eligible organisations span higher education institutions, research infrastructures, private companies and SMEs, public bodies, NGOs and think tanks.

Three doctoral network formats in MSCA

The call supports three formats. Each has its own structure, rules and financial incentives for the consortium.

Standard Doctoral Networks. The baseline format: international, interdisciplinary PhD programmes across any scientific field. The focus is on research training alongside transferable skills – entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, communication and long-term employability.

Industrial Doctoral Networks (DN-ID). Doctoral candidates spend at least 50% of their time outside academia – in companies, industry or other non-academic organisations. Joint supervision from both academic and non-academic partners is required. Consortia that bring in strong industrial partners receive additional incentives in the budget calculation.

Joint Doctoral Networks (DN-JD). These lead to a joint, double or multiple doctoral degree awarded by two or more universities in the consortium. The fellowship duration extends to 48 months (vs. 36 for standard DN). At least three institutions must have degree-awarding rights, and at least one must be in an EU Member State or associated country.

What the programme funds and how the budget works

Funding follows a unit cost model: one unit equals one researcher-month. The grant covers living allowances, adjusted by a country correction coefficient; relocation and mobility costs; family allowances where applicable; and project-related training expenses. On top of that, each participating organisation receives €1,200 per researcher-month as overheads.

Each fellowship runs from 3 to 36 months, or up to 48 months in Joint DN format. The consortium-wide cap is 540 person-months. Projects last up to four years, or five years for Joint DN. All recruited doctoral candidates must be employed under a work contract or an equivalent arrangement – no volunteer or unpaid positions count.

Eligibility rules for doctoral candidates in MSCA

Doctoral candidates are recruited by the funded consortium after projects start. The rules that apply to them are straightforward. They must not hold a PhD at the date of recruitment, they can be of any nationality. They must comply with the mobility rule: they cannot have lived or worked in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months before their recruitment date.

Candidates must enrol in a doctoral programme leading to a degree in at least one EU Member State or associated country. For Industrial DN, they spend at least half their time at a non-academic host. Secondments at other consortium partners are allowed for up to one third of the fellowship duration – with no cap for Industrial and Joint DN formats.