The call for proposals for the MSCA Doctoral Networks a RAISE Doctoral Networks 2026 is now open

The European Commission has published a call for proposals under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) – Doctoral Networks 2026 program, introducing several changes that applicants should take into account when preparing their proposals.& nbsp;Under the MSCA DN 2026 call, a total of €593 million will be allocated to fund more than 130 projects across all scientific disciplines and to support the training and skills development of up to 1,950 doctoral candidates.  The deadline for submitting applications is November 24, 2026.

The MSCA Doctoral Networks enables universities, research organizations, research infrastructures, businesses (including small and medium-sized enterprises), and other relevant organizations to form international consortia and implement innovative doctoral training programs. The program aims to foster creative, entrepreneurial, innovative, and resilient doctoral students, strengthen the career prospects of researchers both within and outside the academic environment, and support international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral mobility.

For a standard PhD program, the involvement of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries is required, each of which must be authorized to admit doctoral students. In practice, consortia tend to be significantly larger, e.g., 7–16 beneficiaries, plus additional associated partners. 

In addition to standard doctoral networks, incentives have been introduced to support two specific types of doctoral studies.

Types of MSCA Doctoral Networks projects

Doctoral Networks offer three funding options for establishing doctoral programs, with specific incentives for industrial (Industrial) and joint (Joint) doctoral networks.

Standard Doctoral Networks (DN)

• the most common form of project.
• support international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral collaboration in the training of doctoral students in various scientific fields, focusing on developing entrepreneurial thinking, research and transferable skills, and  long-term career prospects both within and outside the academic environment.
• The project duration is 48 months; PhD students are employed for a maximum of 36 months within the project.

Industrial Doctoral Networks (DN-ID)

• A PhD program jointly implemented by an academic and a non-academic organization.
• train doctoral students and develop their skills outside the academic sphere, including in industry and business. Doctoral students also benefit from joint supervision by industry and academia. Strong emphasis on applied research and innovation.
• The PhD student must spend at least 50% of their time in the non-academic sector.
• The project duration is 48 months; PhD students are employed for a maximum of 36 months within the project.

Joint Doctorates (DN-JD)

• Integrated programs leading to a joint or dual/multiple doctoral degree.
• The programs promote structured cooperation between institutions and are required to establish common operational procedures for the recruitment, admission, supervision, and evaluation of doctoral students.
• Doctoral students must study under a joint degree, double degree, or multiple degree program.
• The project duration is up to 60 months; PhD students are employed for a maximum of 48 months within the project.

Funding

MSCA-DN uses a system of unit costs. The European Commission does not reimburse actual expenses, but rather fixed amounts for each person-month worked by a PhD student. The number of person-months is the main parameter determining the size of the project. The typical "size" of a project is 240 to 540 "person-months," which corresponds to 8–15 doctoral students employed for 36 months.

Each beneficiary (host organization) receives funding based on the number of doctoral students and the duration of their employment.

Funding consists of two components:

A. Personnel costs (living allowance, mobility allowance, family allowance) - the amount depends on the country where the beneficiary is based and the doctoral student’s family status

B. Institutional costs (Research, Training and Networking (RTN)) – a fixed amount of 1,600 euros per month per doctoral student

    Management and indirect costs (Management and Indirect Costs) - a fixed amount of 1,200 euros per month per doctoral student

MSCA RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science (RAISE pilot) Call

In addition to the standard MSCA DN call, the European Commission has allocated 30 million EUR to a new initiative, the pilot call RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science. This initiative builds on the MSCA DN 2026 call and is intended for DN proposals focused either on the development of, or a significant contribution to the development of, innovative artificial intelligence systems, models, tools, or methodologies in their scientific field. The development of an AI tool, model, or methodology must be an integral and indispensable part of the research work and must be clearly defined in the scientific work plan. Importantly, this is not a separate call. Applicants will be required to submit a proposal under the MSCA-2026-DN call and will undergo the same evaluation process and must meet the same admissibility and eligibility criteria as all other proposals under the “DN” program. Proposals that achieve a high score but are not funded under the competitive call MSCA-2026-DN and that have applied to the RAISE DN call will be included in the evaluation for the RAISE theme. 

So how do you apply to RAISE?

The procedure is:

1. submit a standard proposal to MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026,
2. indicate your interest in participating in RAISE when submitting the proposal,
3. demonstrate fulfillment of the “AI in Science” criterion,
4. the proposal will undergo standard MSCA evaluation,
5. an additional ranking for RAISE funding will be created from high-quality projects on the reserve list.

Useful links

Calls for Funding & Tenders Portal: MSCA-DN call 2026,  RAISE Doctoral Networks call 

MSCA Work Programme 2026-2027  - Introduction to MSCA DN grants, call text, definitions, eligibility rules

Tips and advice for a successful proposal: 6 steps to preparing your application

Doctoral Networks: Call Details and Application Process (May 21, 2026) – recording of the webinar organized by MCAA

Those interested in assistance with submitting a grant application may also contact staff at the UP Project Service. The MSCA agenda falls under the responsibility of:

Mgr. Eva Richterová
 eva.richterova@upol.cz
58 563 1454 | +420 734 763 491

Source: MSCA , Funding and Tenders Portal