Introduction
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), part of the European research and innovation programmes, advance research by supporting researchers at all career stages and fostering mobility across borders, sectors, and disciplines (European Commission, 2024). With a €6.6 billion budget from 2021 to 2027, MSCA promotes research excellence, supports collaborative projects, and sets standards for researcher development aligned with European principles. The programme emphasises mobility, inclusive recruitment, effective supervision, interdisciplinary research, international and intersectoral exposure, and responsible research conduct. These actions enhance researchers' skills and knowledge and positively impact participating organisations and society, building Europe's research and innovation capacity.
The MSCA/COFUND action fund doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes through co-funded mechanisms. Eligible applicants include government entities, regional authorities, funding agencies, universities, research organisations or enterprises in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Additional partners can join the project, with a maximum funding of €10 million per call. MSCA/COFUND projects promote transparent and merit-based selection and excellence in research training aligned with the European Charter for Researchers and the European Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. These programmes aim to develop researchers for careers in academia and beyond by supporting transferable skill development, professional network growth, and interdisciplinary research opportunities.
Inspired by Baumert et al. (2022), this manuscript provides ten lessons from programme alum, project managers, and grant holders from three MSCA/COFUND projects: a PhD (DTA3) and a post-doctoral programme (Train@Ed) in the UK, and a PhD programme in Denmark (iMED). Our objective is to help future applicants and projects in their planning, overcome challenges more quickly, and enhance impact and sustainability by learning from our experience.
Overview of programmes
DTA3. Seventy-one fellows enrolled in the Doctoral Training Alliance 3 (DTA3) between 2019–2020 across fifteen professional and technical UK universities. Fellows were connected by an enhanced cohort-based doctoral training programme, specialising in the areas of applied bioscience for health, energy, and social policy. DTA3 provided training in entrepreneurship, communication, and employability, and supported collaboration with commercial and non-academic organisations.
Train@Ed. This post-doctoral programme at University of Edinburgh recruited nineteen early-career researchers in 2018, offering secure employment for up to three years with mobility and family allowances where eligible. The programme provided bespoke training, equipping fellows with the knowledge, skills, and experience for careers in academia and industry.
iMED. The International Doctoral Programme in Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (iMED) began in 2017, enrolling twenty-three fellows at the University of Copenhagen’s Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC). It centred on biomedical research areas such as cancer, stem cells, and brain development. The programme offered personalised research and training, including science communication, entrepreneurship, peer-mentoring and career mentoring programmes. iMED aimed to exploit the full potential of doctoral researchers’ talents in careers in or outside academia.
The lessons below stem from surveys and discussions with programme alum and the grant management teams of the DTA3, Train@Ed, and iMED. Following reflection and discussion within the programme teams, and as an authorship group, common lessons were identified in three overarching areas (i) recruitment, (ii) training, career activities and wellbeing, and (iii) project management.
Recruitment
Lesson 1: Project success hinges on effective recruitment
Cohort-based recruitment of fellows in MSCA/COFUND projects allow for refinement of recruitment strategies following each subsequent call. Initiating the recruitment process as early as possible enables projects to start as close to the planned start date as possible. To support this, recruitment advertisements should be disseminated widely and actively (i.e., sharing the advertisement across our networks, as well as on traditional recruitment websites) well before the application deadline. Train@Ed, for example, provided applicants with an opportunity to ask questions and meet faculty members by hosting a virtual open day for individuals who were interested in applying to the programme, which led to improved recruitment rates and a positive interview experience for fellows.
International mobility requirements in MSCA programmes often pose a challenge to the recruitment process, for example visa issues can cause significant delays. Therefore, it is important to support fellows not holding UK/EU citizenship with their visa applications and account for right-to work checks and visa acquisition delays into the recruitment timeline. Positive recruitment practices from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as online interviews, have proven easier to organise and more environmentally sustainable than in-person interviews and have therefore been sustained in the post-pandemic.
Lesson 2: Support EDI with clear recruitment evaluation criteria
To ensure fair recruitment and support Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), uniform approaches should be implemented in MSCA/COFUND programmes. Evaluator committees received materials and clear guidelines with evaluation criteria before interviews BRIC, using iMED recruitment experiences, now employs clearly communicated criteria and predefined scoring for candidate recruitment.
Gender balance in our programmes was achieved organically (e.g., 56% of DTA3 researchers identified as women). However, an awareness of cultural differences was crucial for equitable recruitment and having a diverse evaluator panel was important to address cultural sensitivities. DTA3, Train@Ed and iMED are embedding EDI lessons learned from MSCA/COFUND projects into their institutions’ recruitment practices. For example, institutions are now providing candidates with interview questions in advance and communicating EDI feedback to funders so that reporting indicators and quotas can be adapted accordingly.
Fellow training, career activities, and wellbeing
Lesson 3: Benefits of enhanced training and career development
Fellows in all three programmes joined new research groups and worked with experts in various disciplines and locations, with some completing secondments. These experiences expanded their professional networks and collaboration opportunities. Within DTA3 and Train@Ed, the intersectoral and international mobility elements were highlighted by fellows as key to securing post-fellowship employment.
The enhanced training and career focus of the programmes supported the fellows’ professional development and transferable skills, increasing their employability. DTA3 fellows attended annual residential writing retreats for thesis and manuscript writing, supported by peers. Train@Ed offered career coaching, including CV review and mock interviews, which fellows found particularly helpful for securing post-fellowship employment. iMED provided final year career mentoring, matching fellows with mentors in their fields of interest. This initiative was one of the most valuable (non-research related) activities for career development.
Lesson 4: Cohort-based programmes enhance social cohesion
Although doctorate and post-doctorate training can be taxing, with high stress (Hazell et al., 2021; van der Weijden & Teelken, 2023) and social isolation (Hazell et al., 2020), many fellows valued being part of a cohort-based programme which fostered a sense of community. Transnational relocation requirement of MSCA, and the dispersion of fellows across different research groups, departments, and universities made this particularly important. One DTA3 fellow spoke of the programme giving them a “profound sense of belonging”, with many others listing social interactions as being vital to maintaining positive mental wellbeing. Annual in-person contact points, like summer schools, allowed researchers to build a community over the 3-year programme. iMED organised a peer mentorship initiative, whereby new fellows joined a group of trusted peers, supporting each other throughout the trials and tribulations of doctoral study. This was noted as being essential for their well-being and personal development.
Project management
Lesson 5: Make fellows and supervisors aware of MSCA responsibilities
Excellent supervision was a goal in all three projects. Yet, some supervisors lacked awareness of MSCA requirements and had not received relevant training (e.g., knowledge of MSCA ethical requirements, support needed by fellows from supervisors on the development and maintenance of data management plans, open access expectations etc). Accordingly, clear communication with supervisors about their responsibilities is essential. Some Train@Ed fellows needed more research independence and autonomy. In line with MSCA/COFUND guidance, post-doctorate fellows should be involved in research project development and setting professional development priorities. Therefore, aligning fellows and supervisors’ expectations from the beginning of the project, supported by EC guidance, is recommended. Organising a project kick-off meeting can help project partners meet and for the MSCA/COFUND scheme, and its associated expectations and rules to be outlined.
Lesson 6: Early alignment of stakeholders is essential
Effective communication is vital for successful project management, especially in complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Early engagement with project partners establishes strong working relationships before the project start date, and ensures all partners understand and can implement MSCA project requirements. Identifying key people within the project group is essential for smooth project implementation. For example, it can be helpful to identify at least one contact point in graduate schools, human resource departments, research office, and financial services who understands the project and its reporting requirements. If any changes are made to project processes or procedures, it is important that they are clearly communicated to all stakeholders so that they can be uniformly adopted. Train@Ed found a good relationship with the university contracts team important for supporting contractual aspects of the project and finalising necessary agreements.
Lesson 7: Develop Standardised Operating Procedures
The complexity of large projects and the inevitable turnover in project personnel during a five-year project highlights the need for consensus-building and clear guidance documentation. Standardised Operating Procedures and directories of key contacts should be developed to support quick project familiarisation for new staff. Maintaining up-to-date contact details of project partners, particularly those who were involved in the bid development and project set-up, is crucial. Additionally, storing fellows’ contact information, in line with GDPR guidelines, for an agreed duration after project closure allows for follow-up queries and alum activities (e.g., DTA3 alum are invited to training and networking events and can be nominated for the annual Alum Award). Setting up a project management system, including a project email address to centralise communication and an accessible online space for project documents (e.g., Microsoft SharePoint, or Google Drive) is recommended.
Lesson 8. Don’t underestimate the time required for project set-up
Effective time management is paramount in developing, initiating, and implementing MSCA/COFUND projects, particularly due to their comprehensive recruitment process. Despite the seemingly ample duration of the recruitment call window, this timeframe can swiftly elapse amidst the intricacies of partner management and project preparation. Accurately gauging the amount of work needed during the project set-up phase is essential, as an underestimation can lead to critical time deficiencies, oftentimes leading to initial missteps. Therefore, sufficient time should be built into the project’s initiation to reaffirm partner commitments, sign the grant agreement, establish operational frameworks, and recruit staff. Recruiting the first cohort of fellows before the official project start date (allowed) is strongly recommended to allow the project to start at the same time the first cohort of fellows begin their contract. This is especially needed in three-year fellowship programmes with 2–3 recruitment calls to ensure sufficient time for project implementation.
Lesson 9: Financial management – set standards from the beginning
Meticulous financial record-keeping aligned with EC requirements is essential. DTA3 experienced challenges in reconciling diverse financial management practices across its fifteen university, particularly when addressing issues such as fellow underpayments. Train@Ed experienced similar challenges with different university departments having their own methods of applying finance codes and distributing family allowances. Following an EC audit, DTA3 restructured payroll information collection to streamline periodic reporting. Given the variety of MSCA/COFUND projects, new projects should seek support from Project Officers or National Contact Points and use the MSCA Project Management Working Group for guidance and peer support.
Lesson 10: Be realistic in your plans and transparent in your reporting
While MSCA/COFUND programmes are extremely competitive (Pina et al., 2021), maintaining realistic expectations regarding project deliverables and avoiding ‘window-dressing’ in the application is important. The EC rigorously holds applicants to their commitments, and although some deviations can be permissible, there can be a lack of clear guidance on the number and/or extent of permissible deviations. First-time MSCA/COFUND grant holders may encounter unforeseen challenges, affecting project milestones and deliverables, including low recruitment rates, visa entry route changes, or global events such as COVID-19. Hence, meticulous attention to detail in both the grant agreement and subsequent periodic reporting is essential. Dependent on the degree of change, these can be implemented in the grant either through a ‘formal notification’ or a more comprehensive amendment to the grant agreement, as agreed with the Project Officer. Thus, regular updates and careful review of EC communications and guidance documents are vital due to their frequent changes. Continuous contact with the Project Officer is crucial for addressing queries and seeking support. For large projects, the host institution should ideally fund a dedicated resource for project set-up and implementation for approximately six months (i.e., a project manager or administrator).
Conclusion
International recruitment had a strong impact on sustained internationalisation of the involved regions, with many fellows remaining in the UK and Denmark, and others returning to their home countries or other global destinations for employment. The programmes effectively promoted academic international mobility and the creation of global. Substantial support for mobility was required during recruitment to help fellows overcome challenges and to adhere to timeline. An interdisciplinary cohort model was effective in supporting fellows’ training, careers, and wellbeing. was found to be particularly effective. Training programmes should focus on developing professional transferable skills and emphasise in-person networking and events. Given the complexity of MSCA/COFUND projects, effective project management is vital. Consistency through standardised procedures and good stakeholder communication is essential, but openness to change and adaptability is also important to refine processes throughout the projects. By sharing our 10 lessons from managing large MSCA/COFUND projects and detailing activities integral to the projects’ success, we aim to support others in application, development, and management of similar projects. We also aim to increase awareness and transparency of the realities of these complex projects, particularly in international mobility and EDI.
Ethics and consent
No Ethical approval and consent is not required.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors. Publication in Open Research Europe does not imply endorsement by Horizon Europe.
Data availability
No data was generated or used within this article.
Authors’ contributions
Idea conception (ESC, TM, JE), initial writing (ESC, TM), feedback (KSH, IR, AV, CI, CW, RA, JE, LN), all authors read and approved the final submitted manuscript.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the DTA3, Train@Ed and iMED fellows, supervisors and department/university programme leads who contributed to this work. Furthermore, we thank all host departments and universities for participating in the programmes and making it such an impactful and enriching experience which provided the foundation of this manuscript.
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