PF: When completing Form A, the system displays an error message that at least 1 Associated partner organisation located in a Third Country where the outgoing phase will take place is required. What should applicants do?

This warning appears to be related to the new forms engine, which is not yet fully consistent in certain special cases involving countries such as Japan, whose association to Horizon Europe is limited to Pillar II.

For the purposes of the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, Japan is considered a Third Country. Therefore, a Japanese associated partner is eligible to host the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship. The warning is not blocking, and applicants can proceed with the submission after providing the requested justification. The budget should be calculated correctly, as Japan is correctly recognised as a Third Country in the budget section of the application form.

At this stage, it is recommended to proceed with the submission despite the warning.

PF: Which Country Correction Coefficient (CCC) is applied in case there is a three-month secondment at the European host organisation at the beginning of a Global Fellowship?

Тhe CCC of the third country applies for the three-month secondment at the European host organisation.

PF/ COFUND: Can a Postdoctoral Fellow take part in a secondment within a Staff Exchanges project?

MSCA-funded fellows (either in Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships or COFUND) cannot be seconded within a Staff Exchanges project.

The only way fellows can participate in a Staff Exchanges project would be to suspend their fellowship while on secondment to avoid double funding.

DN: Is it possible to terminate a Doctoral Candidate’s contract in case the background of the researcher does not match the beneficiary’s needs?

There have been cases where the technical skills of the Doctoral Candidate do not match those described in the candidate’s CV. In most countries, employment contracts may include a probation period (3-6 months) in accordance with national labour legislation and the researcher’s contract can be terminated.

If the recruitment process was not implemented satisfactorily, another beneficiary can accept this Doctoral Candidate for their individual project. If that is not possible, the Doctoral Candidate should be replaced with a candidate from the reserve list.

 

DN: Is it possible in a DN proposal to have a fourth year of a PhD funded through a different contractual arrangement, such as a research fellowship or other university/departmental funding outside the MSCA project?

Yes, it is possible, but it is recommended to inform the fellow about that scheme during the recruitment interview, so that the researcher is aware of it and is ready to get a national scholarship during the last year of the doctoral programme. Moreover, it is not mandatory for fellows to complete their PhDs within the duration of the Doctoral Network.

For better management, many proposals indicate that the recruitment process will start before Month 1 and this has been accepted by REA, ensuring that the Doctoral Candidates can begin much earlier, typically around Months 3–4 of the project. This approach allows part of the fourth year (funded through other sources) to fall within the duration of the MSCA Doctoral Network project.

 

All actions: If an MSCA beneficiary offers to all its employees a mandatory complementary health insurance, would it have to be funded with the Living allowance?

If it is taken directly from the employees’ salary, then it should be deducted from the Living allowance. Moreover, all health insurance and social security contributions, including all benefits arising from the collective bargaining agreement, should be covered within the Living allowance.

PF: An error appears in the budget section in Part A. What should applicants do?

This is an IT issue and should be resolved by the end of July. This warning has not blocked proposal submission, and all applicants can proceed with submitting their proposals.

DN: Is there a template for a declaration for respecting the mobility rule from Doctoral Candidates that will be recruited by a DN beneficiary?

There is no official declaration for respecting the mobility rule. Beneficiaries could include in their application forms a section where candidates confirm they meet the mobility rule, indicating their places of residence, study, and employment during the relevant 36-month period. In addition, beneficiaries could ask for extra documentation in order to double-check their mobility status (residence registration certificates or another official proof of address, as well as entry / exit records).

PF: A postdoctoral fellow participated in a strike organised by the Union and the Ministry in charge issued a note that the time spent on a strike will not be paid. Should the fellow receive the whole amount of Living allowance for that month?

The beneficiary could declare the actual working time on a pro rata basis for the respective month, excluding the strike day(s) from the final cost statement. This would ensure that there is no discrepancy between the salary paid and the EU contribution reimbursed to the beneficiary. The Project Officer should of course be informed.

PF: Can fieldwork for a period of 4 months in another country qualify as a short visit?

If the visits are split and do not exceed one month in duration each, they can classify as “field trips” or “short visits”. They have to be explained in detail and specify what type of data or information will be collected.

It is critical that the researcher calculates the cost of those four months of visits to ensure there is adequate budget to cover their cost, which may not be the case given the existing Research, Training and Networking costs and the rest of the RTN activities (conferences, secondments, publications) planned.