MSCA Doctoral Networks: How to Find and Apply for a Funded PhD

What is an MSCA Doctoral Network?

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks are an EU funding line under Horizon Europe. The European Commission does not hire PhD candidates directly. It funds partnerships of universities, research institutes, and companies. Each partnership, called a consortium, runs its own doctoral programme and recruits its own candidates.

A consortium must include at least three independent organisations. Each must be in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. At least one must be in an EU Member State. Consortia can also include partners from any country in the world, beyond this minimum.

Two special types of Doctoral Networks exist:

• Industrial Doctorates. The candidate spends time in a non-academic partner, often a company. The candidate is jointly supervised by an academic and a non-academic partner. For this type, the candidate must spend at least 50% of their time outside academia.
• Joint Doctorates. The candidate completes one doctoral programme with multiple institutions. The institutions award a joint degree or several degrees together.

A Doctoral Network project can run for up to 4 years, or up to 5 years for a Joint Doctorate project. Each beneficiary organisation in the consortium must recruit at least one doctoral candidate, and may also arrange secondments for that candidate at a partner organisation anywhere in the world. A secondment is a period of work at a different organisation than the one that recruited you, usually a few weeks or months, built into your project plan.

Who can apply

You apply to a specific vacancy at a specific consortium, not to the European Commission. Each consortium sets its own subject area and sets its own selection process. Still, all MSCA Doctoral Network positions share these EU-wide rules:

• You must not hold a doctoral degree on the date you are recruited.
• You can be of any nationality.
• You must follow the mobility rule: in general, you must not have lived or worked in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months right before your recruitment date.
• For a standard fellowship, you work on the project for between 3 and 36 months. For a Joint Doctorate fellowship, the range is 3 to 48 months.

Tip: The mobility rule is the most common reason candidates get rejected. Check your residence and work history for the last 3 years before you apply.

What it pays

MSCA Doctoral Networks pay the candidate as an employee, not through a scholarship. The EU funds each recruiting organisation to cover:

• a living allowance,
• a mobility allowance,
• family, long-term leave, and special needs allowances, where these apply.

The exact net salary depends on the host country's cost-of-living correction and on tax and social security rules there. Every vacancy notice must state the gross salary. Read the vacancy notice itself for the number that applies to your position; do not rely on a general figure, since it changes by country and by call.

Deadlines and timeline

Doctoral Network calls open and close once a year. For the 2026 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01):

This timeline is for the consortia that apply for funding, not for individual PhD candidates. Once a project is funded and starts, the consortium opens its own PhD vacancies with its own deadlines. Always check the specific vacancy notice for its application deadline, and check the MSCA funding page for the current call before you plan around these dates.

How to find and apply for an open position

1. Search EURAXESS. This is the EU's own portal for research jobs. Filter by "PhD Positions" under Academic Level, and by "Horizon Europe - MSCA" under Funding Programme, to see current Doctoral Network vacancies.
2. Read the full vacancy notice. It names the consortium, the research topic, the host institution or institutions, the required qualifications, and the gross salary.
3. Check the mobility rule against your own history. Confirm you meet it for the specific host country named in the vacancy.
4. Prepare your application documents. Most consortia ask for a CV, a motivation letter, degree certificates, and sometimes a short research statement. Follow the exact list in the vacancy notice.
5. Apply directly to the institution or project, following the instructions in the vacancy notice. There is no central MSCA application form for candidates.
6. Expect an open, transparent, merit-based process. Recruitment must follow the EU's Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, so the process should be documented and fair.

Documents you usually need

Document requirements vary by consortium, but most ask for the same core set:

• an academic CV,
• a motivation or cover letter addressed to the specific project,
• degree certificates and transcripts for your previous studies,
• proof of your English level, or the project's working language, if it is not your first language,
• contact details for one or two academic referees.

Some Industrial Doctorate vacancies also ask for a short statement about why you want to work outside academia. Some Joint Doctorate vacancies ask you to confirm you can enrol at every institution that will award your degree. Always follow the exact list in the vacancy notice over this general list.

Common mistakes

• Applying for a project where you do not meet the mobility rule for that host country.
• Already holding a doctoral degree before applying. This disqualifies you for a Doctoral Network fellowship.
• Treating the MSCA call timeline (above) as a deadline for your own application. That timeline is for consortia proposing new projects, not for candidates applying to open positions.
• Skipping the specific vacancy notice and relying only on general MSCA information. Salary, duration, and required documents vary by vacancy.

Where to find open positions

Search current PhD positions on PhD Atlas, or filter by country, such as Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, or France. Many MSCA Doctoral Network vacancies are also funded PhD positions, since the EU pays the full salary.

Tip: Set up a free PhD Atlas account at sign up. PhD Atlas matches open positions, including MSCA-funded ones, to your CV, so you see relevant vacancies as consortia post them.