DN: Can costs incurred by beneficiaries during the recruitment stage be covered?

If this concerns institutional costs, they can be used before the PhD contracts start (but only after the project starts).  The eligibility of institutional costs is conditioned by the eligibility of the researchers’ costs, and not by real expenses. As far as the researchers’ costs are eligible, and provided the institutional costs are used for the project’s needs, the beneficiary is free to use them, including for covering expenses incurred before the start of PhD contracts.

Each individual beneficiary should be careful and avoid engaging large amounts.

However, it is possible to organise a consortium meeting at the beginning of the project and to fund it with Management costs even if the Doctoral Candidates are not recruited yet.