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MSCA Doctoral Networks 2027
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 European Charter for Researchers. The vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS[1] 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[2] recognised in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
Supervisory Board
Each MSCA Doctoral Network should have a clearly identified supervisory board co-ordinating 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[3]. 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, addressing key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, including digital ones (e.g. generative AI) and foster the culture of Open Science, knowledge valorisation[4], and when applicable innovation and entrepreneurship as well as good scientific conduct such as research integrity. In particular, Doctoral Networks should adequately prepare doctoral candidates to pursue a career in research and 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.
AI Based Application Success Predictor
All Horizon Europe proposals are scored on three decisive pillars:
✔️ Excellence
- Clear, innovative idea beyond state-of-the-art
- Strong methodology and scientific credibility
- Well-defined, measurable objectives
✔️ Impact (most decisive in practice)
- Demonstrated societal, economic, or environmental impact
- Strong dissemination & exploitation plan
- Alignment with EU priorities (Green Deal, digital, SDGs)
✔️ Quality & Efficiency of Implementation
- Realistic work plan, timeline, and deliverables
- Clear governance and task distribution
- Feasible and justified budget
👉 Proposals must meet minimum thresholds (≈10/15 total) and ≥3 per criterion to be fundable
🧠 2. Consortium Strength (Top Empirical Predictor)
From large-scale studies of EU Framework grants:
Key factors:
- Prior EU funding experience (very strong predictor)
- High scientific reputation / excellence of partners
- Strong existing collaborations (network familiarity)
- High “network visibility” in EU research ecosystem
Structural advantages:
- Balanced consortium (academia + industry + SMEs)
- Inclusion of well-established Western EU institutions
- Application-oriented collaborations perform better
👉 This is one of the most consistently proven predictors across studies
🌍 3. Strategic Consortium Composition
Successful proposals often show:
- Multidisciplinary & cross-sector teams
- Inclusion of:
- Universities
- Industry/SMEs
- Public or non-profit organizations
- Alignment of partner roles with project objectives
👉 “Triangular collaboration” (academia + industry + research orgs) is common in funded projects
📊 4. Strong Alignment with Call Topic
- Precise match with call scope and expected outcomes
- Explicit referencing of:
- Work Programme priorities
- EU missions / policy goals
- Avoid “generic” proposals
👉 Misalignment is a major reason for rejection (even for strong science)
📑 5. Proposal Quality & Compliance
Critical but often underestimated predictors:
- Full compliance with:
- Formatting rules
- Page limits
- Mandatory annexes
- Clear, readable, structured writing
- Inclusion of ethics, gender, and data management plans
👉 Administrative errors can lead to automatic rejection
💰 6. Budget Credibility
- Budget must be:
- Realistic
- Justified per work package
- Linked to outputs
👉 Weak or inflated budgets reduce evaluation scores
⏳ 7. Preparation Time & Proposal Development
- Successful consortia typically:
- Start 6–8 months in advance
- Iterate drafts and internal reviews
- Proposal preparation often requires 2–3 person-months effort
📈 8. Experience with Evaluation Process
- Understanding scoring system and evaluator mindset is crucial
- Key predictors:
- Prior submissions (even unsuccessful ones)
- Use of experienced coordinators or consultants
👉 Studies show success depends on both:
- Excellent idea
- Understanding evaluation system
📉 9. Success Rate Context (Competitiveness)
- Average success rate ≈ 16% in Horizon Europe
👉 Meaning: even strong proposals fail → optimization of all predictors is essential
🧩 Summary: Most Important Predictors (Ranked)
Highest impact factors:
- Strong consortium (experience + reputation)
- Clear impact (policy + societal relevance)
- Excellence of idea
Moderate but critical:
4. Implementation quality
5. Call alignment
6. Budget credibility
Supporting factors:
7. Proposal writing quality & compliance
8. Early preparation
9. Familiarity with EU evaluation process
💡 Practical Insight
The biggest shift from Horizon 2020 → Horizon Europe is:
👉 Impact is now as important (or more) than scientific excellence
Specialties
Eligibility Requirements
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
Sponsor Details
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: European Commission
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: Rue de la Loi 200 / Wetstraat 200, 1049 Brussels
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Grant
Letter Of Intent Deadline:
Nov 23, 2027
Final Deadline:
Nov 23, 2027
Funding Amount:
$220,000
150 awards available. €200k
Host Details
Affiliation: European Commission
Address: Rue de la Loi 200 / Wetstraat 200, 1049 Brussels
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.
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