The European Commission has announced the results of the 2025 call for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks, with a total budget of €617.18 million. The funding will support 141 doctoral programmes, training around 2,115 doctoral candidates and equipping them with the skills needed for successful careers both within and beyond academia. The call attracted strong interest from the research community, with 1,616 applications submitted from organisations across Europe and beyond.
As part of the Commission’s commitment to fostering the link between academia and industry, incentives have also been introduced to promote two specific types of doctorates. Among the selected projects, five industrial doctorates will enable researchers to develop their skills outside academia, notably in industry, businesses and the public sector. In addition, eight Joint Doctorates will offer integrated training programmes leading to joint or multiple doctoral degrees.
The funded projects cover all scientific disciplines, with research ranging from fundamental science to applications addressing key societal challenges in areas such as climate change, health, digital transformation, energy, sustainable development, and social science innovation.
The next call for MSCA Doctoral Networks is planned to open on 28 May 2026. More information is available on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website.
This year also marks 30 years of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Since 1996, the programme has supported over 150,000 researchers.
