EC announces MSCA call for Doctoral Networks with € 608.6 million funding

On 29 May 2024, the European Commission announced a new call for Doctoral Networks under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under Horizon Europe. The call has a total funding budget of €608.6 million for supporting support consortia of organisations to recruit and train doctoral candidates. 

The call is part of the €1.25 billion MSCA budget for 2024 and is expected to fund 160 doctoral programmes spanning multiple scientific fields with a strong focus on interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral cooperation. These doctorates will offer jobs, training, and skills development opportunities to around 2,400 researchers, enabling them to acquire innovation-related competences, and boosting their long-term employability. 

The scheme includes specific incentives to develop Joint Doctorates, offering integrated training programmes in synergy with the goals of the blueprint for a European degree. It also offers incentives to develop Industrial Doctorates which train researchers and develop their skills outside academia, particularly in industry, businesses and the public sector. 

Doctoral Networks are implemented by partnerships of organisations both in academia and beyond, which benefit from the scheme by attracting talent, boosting their global visibility and fostering their international links with other sectors. The deadline for application is 27 November 2024.

More information and guidance on how to apply is available here.