New MSCA Doctoral Networks call open – key changes from 2025 to 2026 for applicants to know
3rd June 2026 at 12:58 pm
The European Commission has published the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks (DN) 2026 call with a submission deadline on 24 November 2026, introducing several important updates that applicants should consider when preparing proposals. While the overall structure of the DN scheme remains unchanged, the 2026 call includes seven important updates, particularly for those planning to resubmit a previously unsuccessful proposal.
This blog is based on official European Commission documentation. We cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or subsequent changes to the source material.
1. New minimum threshold for each evaluation criterion
A major change introduced in the 2026 call concerns the proposal evaluation. For the first time, each evaluation criterion now has an individual minimum threshold of 3. Proposals scoring below 3 in any of the three evaluation criteria (excellence, impact, implementation) will be rejected. What does this mean for applicants in practice? Most likely, not a lot. While an overall high score may have compensated for a score below 3 in the implementation section, it is unlikely that a proposal could have achieved a high enough score to achieve the funding threshold of ~96. The change, however, highlights the need for balanced and coherent proposals throughout Part B1 of the proposal.
2. Higher living allowances
As in recent years, the MSCA have increased the living allowances for the DCs. These have gone up from EUR 4,010 per person-month to EUR 4,250 per person-month. Other allowances have not been adapted, meaning that the institutional allowances (e.g., research, training and networking contribution, management and indirect contribution) have not been adjusted for inflation since the beginning of Horizon Europe. Indeed, the research, training and networking contribution decreased from EUR 1,800 per person-month to EUR 1,600 per person-month from Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe. Financially, the MSCA DNs remain difficult and are often financially difficult for applicants grappling with rising research costs.
3. Longer secondments allowed in standard DNs
Up until the 2025 DN call, the MSCA have limited secondments in standard DN projects to one-third of the researcher’s recruitment period. In the 2026 call, this maximum duration has been increased to half (50%) of a Doctoral Candidate’s (DC) fellowship duration. This means that fellows recruited for 36 months may now spend up to 18 months on secondment instead of 12 months. This change will allow for more flexibility and new opportunities for collaboration between institutions. However, applicants should ensure that secondments remain scientifically justified and well-integrated into the overall research and training programme.
4. PhD enrolment flexibility for non-associated third-country beneficiaries
The 2026 call introduces a new exception concerning the PhD enrolment of DCs recruited by beneficiaries established in non-associated third countries. Under previous rules, recruited researchers generally had to be enrolled in a doctoral programme in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. The 2026 call now allows an exception, permitting fellows to be enrolled solely in a doctoral programme offered in that country. This flexibility does not apply to Joint Doctorate (DN-JD) proposals, which require that researchers must be enrolled in a joint, double or multiple doctoral degree awarded by at least one institution from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
5. New restrictions concerning Chinese universities
The 2026 Guide for Applicants introduces an additional eligibility restriction concerning Chinese universities linked to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). According to the guidance, these universities are not eligible to participate as either beneficiaries or associated partners. Consortia should therefore review their composition carefully during proposal preparation to avoid eligibility issues.
6. Stricter formatting requirements
The standard proposal templates for Part B1 and Part B2 remain largely unchanged. However, one important change that may be overlooked is especially relevant for those applicants resubmitting their proposals. The minimum font size of 11 points throughout the proposal now includes tables. Only literature references in footnotes may use a smaller font size of 8 points. This will prove challenging, as the many required tables, especially in the implementation section (e.g., work package descriptions, deliverables, milestones, risks), need significant space. Importantly, non-compliant proposals may be reformatted, and any excess pages from reformatting will be disregarded during evaluation. A takeaway from this change is for applicants to continuously verify that formatting requirements and page limits are met throughout the preparation process. Given the page limits, applicants should focus on developing well-structured, easy-to-follow proposals rather than overcomplicating things and getting lost in the details.
7. New RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science
Alongside the standard MSCA DN call, the EC has earmarked EUR 30 million for a new initiative: the RAISE Doctoral Networks for AI in Science pilot call, which is part of Horizon Europe’s new Horizontal Activities, to be funded from Pillar 2, Cluster 4. This initiative builds on the MSCA DN 2026 call and is intended for DN proposals dedicated to either developing or significantly contributing to the development of innovative AI systems, models, tools, or methodologies in their scientific domain. The development of the AI tool, model or methodology must be an integral and indispensable part of the research work and clearly delineated in the scientific work plan. Importantly, this is not a separate call. Applicants will have to submit to the MSCA-2026-DN call and will undergo the same evaluation process and fulfil the same admissibility and eligibility criteria as all other DN proposals. However, consortia may opt in for the RAISE DN call by providing a one-page justification of why their proposal fits the scope in section 11 of Part B2. Proposals achieving a high score but not funded under the competitive MSCA-2026-DN call that opted in for the RAISE DN call will be entered for evaluation for the RAISE topic.
How to start your DN proposal journey
Whether you are planning to submit a new or reapply a previously submitted proposal to this year’s DN call, make sure that you have the necessary documents ready. We also recommend that you regularly check the call on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for important updates. You may also want to subscribe to our blog updates in the main area of our blog, as we regularly publish blog posts on Doctoral Networks and other Horizon Europe funding opportunities.
As an Associated Partner in four Horizon Europe DNs currently in grant preparation, 15 ongoing DNs, such as DarChem, MobiliTraIN, BREAKthrough, CONCISE, MITGEST, MIRELAI and SYNSENSO, as well as many successful H2020 ITNs, we at accelopment have gathered a great deal of practical experience in Proposal Writing, Project Management and Dissemination support, as well as Transferable Skills Training, all geared toward DNs. If you are interested in our support for your upcoming DN proposal, feel free to contact us.
