Guide · Europe · MSCA

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks: a guide for international PhD applicants

Updated 19 October 2026 · For applicants worldwide · Always confirm details in the official vacancy

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA DN) are among the best-paid PhD positions in Europe, and they are open to applicants of any nationality. Each network is a consortium of universities, research organisations and often companies, funded by the EU to recruit and train a group of doctoral candidates. This guide explains how to find open positions on EURAXESS, how the salary is built from the official MSCA work programme, the mobility rule that decides who is eligible, and how to apply.

What a Doctoral Network is

The European Commission funds Doctoral Networks through Horizon Europe. A consortium wins a grant and then recruits doctoral candidates into individual projects, usually spread across several countries. Each candidate is hired by one organisation (the “recruiting beneficiary”), enrols in a doctoral programme, and spends time at other partners through secondments.

Under the official work programmes:

• A fellowship lasts 3 to 36 months, or up to 48 months in a joint doctorate.
• In an industrial doctorate, candidates spend at least 50% of their time in the non-academic sector.
• A whole network project runs for up to 48 months, or 60 for joint doctorates.

Remember that a network’s call deadline is for consortia, not for you. The 2026 Doctoral Networks call (HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01) closes on 24 November 2026, and the 2027 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-DN-01) closes on 23 November 2027 (MSCA Work Programme 2026–2027). Networks that win those calls advertise their positions later. The positions you can apply for today come from earlier calls.

Who can apply

The MSCA Doctoral Networks page says positions are open to doctoral candidates of any nationality. The work programme sets two core conditions:

• No doctorate yet. You must not already hold a doctoral degree on the date of recruitment. If you have defended a thesis but the degree has not been formally awarded, you are still treated as holding one, so you are not eligible.
• Doctoral enrolment. You must enrol in a doctoral programme leading to a degree in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Each project adds its own entry requirements, such as a relevant master’s degree or a language test, in the vacancy.

The mobility rule

The mobility rule is the condition that most often catches applicants out. It is the same in the 2023–2025 and 2026–2027 work programmes:

You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies and so on) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before your recruitment date.

What this means in practice:

• The test is about the country of the organisation that hires you, not your nationality. A German citizen who has lived in Spain for three years can be hired in Germany but not, normally, in Spain.
• The 36-month window is counted back from your recruitment date, not from the application date. A position that starts later can change the result.
• Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent in a refugee procedure or obtaining temporary protection are not counted.
• Refugees and people benefiting from temporary protection in the EU are exempt from the rule.

Because of this rule, you are usually looking for positions outside the country where you currently live or study. If you finished a two-year master’s in the Netherlands last summer, for example, Dutch positions are probably closed to you, but Belgian or Danish ones may not be. Check your exact dates before you apply.

Salary structure from the official work programme

MSCA funding is set as fixed amounts per person per month. The work programme lists these EU contributions for each doctoral candidate:

• Living allowance: EUR 4,010 per month under the 2023–2025 work programme, or EUR 4,250 under the 2026–2027 work programme. This is multiplied by the country correction coefficient (CCC) of the country where you are hired.
• Mobility allowance: EUR 710 per month, paid to all candidates.
• Family allowance: EUR 660 per month, if you have family as defined in the work programme.
• Separate amounts for long-term leave and special needs, plus institutional contributions to the host for research, training and management. The institutional contributions are not paid to you.

Which rate applies depends on the call that funded the network. Networks from the 2024 and 2025 calls, which make up most of the positions recruiting now, use the 2023–2025 rates. The EUR 4,250 rate applies to networks funded from the 2026 and 2027 calls.

Country correction coefficients

Examples from the 2023–2025 work programme: Germany 101.2%, Netherlands 111.6%, France 118.1%, Denmark 132.8%, Spain 95.6%, Italy 95.3%, Sweden 125%, Austria 109.7%, Ireland 136.4%, Belgium 100%, Portugal 93.7%, Finland 118%, Poland 74.1% and Switzerland 163.8%. Applying the coefficient to EUR 4,010 gives a monthly living allowance of about EUR 4,058 in Germany, EUR 4,475 in the Netherlands, EUR 3,834 in Spain and EUR 5,325 in Denmark, before the EUR 710 mobility allowance.

The 2026–2027 work programme updates the coefficients (for example Germany 101.5%, Netherlands 111.8%, France 116.6%, Denmark 131.3%, Spain 94.2% and Sweden 119.3%).

Why your payslip will show less

The living allowance is a gross amount that includes both employer and employee social security contributions and direct taxes. Doctoral candidates are normally hired on an employment contract with full social security. The employer’s costs come out of the living allowance first, so your contractual gross salary is lower than the figures above, and your take-home pay is lower again after income tax and your own contributions. In exceptional cases a host may offer a fixed-amount fellowship instead of a contract, and the living allowance is then halved. Some hosts add a top-up from their own funds.

The 2023–2025 work programme asks networks to say in the vacancy whether the published amounts include employer and employee taxes and contributions, and to publish the gross salary where possible. If the vacancy doesn’t say, ask the contact person for the expected gross monthly salary and whether the family allowance applies to you.

Finding openings on EURAXESS

The MSCA jobs page points to EURAXESS for current Doctoral Network vacancies and says the lists are updated daily. Networks must advertise their positions internationally, including on EURAXESS. To search:

1. Open the EURAXESS job search.
2. Filter by Funding Programme and select Horizon Europe – MSCA.
3. Narrow by research field and country, and look for the First Stage Researcher (R1) profile, which is the level for doctoral candidates.
4. Open each result and check the line “Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?”. MSCA posts say Horizon Europe – MSCA and often show a Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number.
5. Follow the link to the network’s own recruitment site. One network often advertises several projects at once, each with its own host and supervisor.

Search every week: each network sets its own deadline, and positions can close soon after they are posted.

How to apply, step by step

1. Check the mobility rule for each host country against your own dates before you write anything.
2. Read the network’s call document. Some networks let you apply to several of their projects in one application; others want a separate application per project.
3. Prepare the documents the call lists, typically a CV, a motivation letter, transcripts, degree certificates, proof of English and referees. Follow its file and word limits exactly.
4. Tailor the letter to the project: show you understand its secondments, partners and training plan.
5. Prepare for interviews. Shortlisted candidates are usually interviewed by the supervisors, often online.
6. Plan visa time. If you need a residence permit, ask the host how long its procedure usually takes.

For wider options beyond MSCA, see our guide to funded PhDs in the UK and Europe for international students. If you also plan to contact supervisors directly, read how to email a PhD supervisor.

FAQ

Can international students from outside Europe apply to MSCA Doctoral Networks?

Yes. The official MSCA page says Doctoral Network positions are open to candidates of any nationality. You must not already hold a doctorate and must meet the mobility rule for the country of the host that recruits you.

What is the MSCA mobility rule?

You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies and so on) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before recruitment. Compulsory national service, short holidays and time in a refugee procedure are not counted, and refugees are exempt.

How much does an MSCA Doctoral Network PhD pay?

The EU contribution is a living allowance of EUR 4,010 per month (2023–2025 work programme) or EUR 4,250 (2026–2027), multiplied by the host country’s correction coefficient, plus a EUR 710 mobility allowance and, where applicable, a EUR 660 family allowance. These are gross amounts that include employer and employee contributions and taxes, so your payslip will show less.

Where do I find open MSCA Doctoral Network positions?

On EURAXESS. The MSCA jobs page links there and says vacancy lists are updated daily. Filter the EURAXESS job search by the Horizon Europe – MSCA funding programme and the First Stage Researcher (R1) profile.

Is the 24 November 2026 MSCA deadline for PhD applicants?

No. HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01 is the deadline for consortia applying for network funding. Doctoral candidates apply to the positions that funded networks advertise, each with its own deadline.

Sources

• European Commission — Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (PDF)
• European Commission — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Work Programme 2023–2025
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions — Doctoral Networks
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions — MSCA jobs and vacancies
• EURAXESS — Job search