DN: A partner in a Doctoral Networks proposal aims to hire 4 PhD candidates, thus leading to an elevated budget (43% of total budget). Would this slight overshoot render their proposal ineligible? Is there an acceptable way to reduce this budget?

Yes, their proposal would be ineligible, as there is the “40% rule” – “no more than 40.0% of the total EU financial contribution may be allocated to beneficiaries in the same country or to any one International European Research Organisation or International Organisation” (p. 5 of the DN 2022 Guide for Applicants). The only way to reduce the budget is to divide the PhD candidates more equally between the participating countries.

In principle, one PhD candidate can be recruited by two different universities, if it makes sense for their PhD project.