DN: Are there any requirements regarding the contractual situation of a supervisor in MSCA Doctoral Networks?

Article 6 of the Grant Agreement says that the beneficiary must  “ensure that the employment contract specifies: - the name of the supervisor(s) for the research training activities (…)”. Normally the supervisor should be the beneficiary’s employee.

Usually, when a supervisor retires, the beneficiary informs the Project officer and asks for an amendment to the Grant Agreement to change the supervisor. REA would normally need information on how the new supervisor fits into the description of the action (work to be done on the project and MSCA fellow needs) to make sure this person is suitable.

If a supervisor from the project retires but is interested in continuing their role, the beneficiary can assign a co-supervisor.

 

DN: How is the 70% rule for consortia implemented regarding the resubmission in MSCA Doctoral Networks?

As specified in the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2025, “Any proposal involving 70% or more of the same recruiting organisations as in another proposal submitted to the previous call of the MSCA Doctoral Networks under Horizon Europe that has received a score of less than 80% will be assessed for whether it is a resubmission, irrespectively of the applicants’ self-declaration.”

Therefore, if 7 out of 10 beneficiaries from the previous proposal are in the new consortium, that would be considered 70%, even if new members are added.

PF: Can a third-country national be considered as a long-term resident in EU Member States or Associated countries if they have resided in the UK before the date of its association to Horizon Europe and then moved to their home country for 5 months?

Once a country is associated to Horizon Europe, any period spent in that country (independently of the date of association to Horizon Europe) may be counted towards the calculation of the ‘long-term residence’. Therefore, the time spent in the UK when it was not associated counts towards the five-year requirement.

Applicants can check this FAQ. 

DN: What is the difference between joint, double and multiple degrees in Joint Doctorates?

In joint degrees there is only one diploma signed by two universities, while in double/multiple degrees the fellow receives two or more diplomas, each signed by the respective university.

PF: If an applicant was employed by an organisation based in the country of application, how should the time of maternity leave spent outside the country be considered for the mobility rule?

If the researcher had a contract with an organisation in the country of application covering the period of the maternity leave, this time will be taken into account for the mobility rule, even if the researcher was not physically present in the country of application during the maternity leave.

PF: When should the special needs allowance be requested for Postdoctoral Fellowships?

Beneficiaries can consult the Guidelines for Management of the MSCA Special Needs in Horizon Europe Grants here. Beneficiaries can apply at any time during the implementation of the MSCA project:

“The support will be granted based on the request submitted by the coordinator/beneficiary of the MSCA grant to the granting authority. Any beneficiary of a running Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe MSCA grant with a recruited researcher or (for RISE/SE) seconded staff member who has special needs can submit a request at any time during the implementation of the MSCA grant. The request should contain a description of the special needs, the type of support and the budget requested. 

Note: The requested special needs support is limited to a maximum of EUR 60,000 per recruited researcher/staff member. If the amount needed to cover the special needs of the concerned researcher/staff member is higher than EUR 60,000, the remainder shall be covered from other sources.

The MSCA beneficiary shall submit the request, based on the template provided below under Annex I, to the Project Officer via the Formal Notification system of the Portal.  The request shall be submitted for each researcher/staff member with special needs. If there is more than one researcher/staff member with special needs recruited/seconded by the beneficiary in the framework of the same MSCA grant agreement, a separate request needs to be submitted for each of the concerned researchers/staff members.”

PF: Is Puerto Rico considered a part of the United States of America?

Puerto Rico is considered a territory of the USA. When applicants include an Associated Partner in their proposal from Puerto Rico, it is considered as the USA.

PF: Can the 5 years of legal and continuous residence within EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries be spent at two (or more) EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries?

The rule says “within EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries” which means they can stay in more than one country as long as they stayed more than 5 years with no breaks more than 3 months at once and 10 months in total. Moreover, the applicant does not have to possess the official long-term residency status.

PF: Should applicants address the ethics section only if their research activity involves the development, deployment and/ or use of Artificial Intelligence?

Applicants who plan to develop, deploy and/ or use Artificial Intelligence in their project should address this under Criterion 1 (Excellence) as they would do for any other key methodology they plan to use in the project. Addressing the technical robustness of AI systems is no longer required under Criterion 1.

As in previous MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships calls, whenever applicants intend to develop, deploy, or make use of AI in their project, they should answer ‘Yes’ to the relevant question in Part A, Section 4 - Ethics and Security, and provide an explanation of the ethical implications of the objectives, methodology, and potential impact of AI in their project, as well as compliance with relevant ethical principles and legislation, in the Ethics self-assessment of Part A (and in Part B2, if necessary).

Further information can be found in the document How to complete your ethics self-assessment. Applicants should also be aware of how the AI Act can affect their research activities.

PF: Is shared supervision in Postdoctoral Fellowships allowed?

Shared supervision is indeed allowed and encouraged in Postdoctoral Fellowships as long as it is described in Part B. However, it is necessary to list only one supervisor from the host organisation in Part A.