The European Commission has opened the 2026 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN), with a submission deadline of 24 November 2026. Through this programme, international consortia of universities, research institutes, companies and other organisations jointly train doctoral candidates, combining cutting-edge research with structured training and cross-border, intersectoral mobility. The scheme funds the recruitment of these candidates and is aimed at organisations that want to strengthen their research capacity and talent pipeline through European collaboration. The set-up of the 2026 call is unchanged, but seven updates are worth knowing, certainly if you plan to resubmit an earlier proposal.

The key changes at a glance

Minimum score per evaluation criterion

Each criterion – excellence, impact and implementation – must now individually score at least 3 out of 5. A proposal therefore needs to be consistently strong across the board.

Higher living allowances

The living allowance rises from € 4,010 to € 4,250 per person-month. The institutional allowances remain unindexed, so budgets for host organisations stay tight.

More room for secondments

Secondments in standard DNs may now cover up to half of the fellowship duration instead of one-third, up to 18 months on a 36-month contract, provided they remain scientifically justified.

Flexible PhD enrolment in non-associated third countries

Candidates recruited in a non-associated third country may now be enrolled in a doctoral programme in that country itself. This exception does not apply to Joint Doctorates (DN-JD).

Restrictions on certain Chinese universities

Chinese universities affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) may no longer participate as beneficiary or associated partner. Check the status of Chinese partners early on.

Stricter formatting rules

The 11-point minimum font size now also applies to tables. Non-compliant proposals may be reformatted, with excess pages disregarded in the evaluation.

RAISE: pilot for AI in science

€ 30 million is reserved for the RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science pilot, for proposals in which developing innovative AI systems, models, tools or methodologies is an integral part of the research. It is not a separate call: consortia opt in via a one-page justification in Part B2, giving highly scored proposals that miss the main budget a second chance.

How Hezelburcht can support your MSCA-DN proposal

The MSCA Doctoral Networks remain highly competitive: success requires early preparation, a balanced consortium and a coherent proposal. Hezelburcht’s MSCA specialists are happy to support you, from assessing your project idea to writing and reviewing the full proposal. Would you like to explore the opportunities for your application? Get in touch with our specialist via info@hezelburcht.com, call 088 495 20 00 or fill in our contact form.

Contact form