NOVA FCT achieves a success rate three times above the European average in MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025

Photo: João Lima/NOVA FCT

NOVA FCT has had six proposals approved out of 21 submitted to the HORIZON-MSCA-2025-Doctoral Networks call, achieving a success rate three times higher than the European average of 8.6%. Two of the approved projects are coordinated by NOVA FCT, meaning the school leads 40% of Portugal’s national coordinations in a competition where the country secured just five leaderships among 138 approved projects.

This excellent result, which represents funding of €3.1 million, strengthens NOVA FCT’s position in the European research landscape as a leading institution.

The European Commission published, on March 25, 2026, the list of projects approved in the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01). Of 1,602 eligible proposals submitted by institutions across Europe and associated countries, only 138 were approved for funding — a European success rate of 8.6%. NOVA FCT, with six projects approved out of 21 submissions, achieved a success rate of 28.6%, more than three times the average for the call.

At the national level, Portugal obtained a total of five coordinated projects, and NOVA FCT leads two of them — representing 40% of all Portuguese coordinations. The remaining three are led by the University of Porto (LEGEND and AstroCirc) and the University of Aveiro (VirION).

Two projects coordinated by NOVA FCT

NOVA FCT leads two of the approved projects, taking on scientific and administrative coordination of European doctoral training consortia:

• GlyCaBiota (Proposal nº 101312796) — Doctoral Training Network on Glycan–Cancer–Microbiota Interactions for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Innovation in Colorectal Cancer. Coordinated by Filipa Marcelo and Angelina Palma (UCIBIO), with Paula Videira (UCIBIO) serving as secundary coordinator, this project focuses on the interactions between glycans, cancer, and the gut microbiota, with direct applications in innovative colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment.
• UNIQUE (Proposal nº 101312878) — University Network for Industrial Quality, aUtomation, Ecology and Excellence. Coordinated by Victor Ionita (UNIDEMI), the project trains doctoral candidates at the crossroads of industrial quality, automation, and sustainability, in partnership with European universities and companies.

Four European doctoral networks with NOVA FCT participation

NOVA FCT also participates as a partner in four approved doctoral networks, with researchers from its R&D units leading the national contribution:

• SkillCirc — Empowering Innovation for a Sustainable Plastic Future | Filomena Freitas (UCIBIO )
• BIO-ACTIVE — Bio-based, Intelligent and Regenerative Systems for a Sustainable and Resilient Agriculture | Jelena Vladic (LAQV)
• IDEAS — Improving Drug Efficacy with next-generation AmorphouS materials and trained experts | Madalena Dionísio (LAQV)
• GLASS-CARE — Green Light for Advanced Solutions in Stained Glass Conservation and Application of Research and Education | Márcia Vilarigues (VICARTE)

11 new international PhD candidates at NOVA FCT

The approval of these six doctoral networks ensures the arrival of at least 11 new PhD researchers at NOVA FCT over the coming years. The MSCA Doctoral Networks fund internationally mobile doctoral candidates through highly competitive European fellowships, integrating them into international consortia that bring together universities, research centers, and industry partners. Each PhD student contributes directly to strengthening the institution’s scientific capacity and expanding its international collaboration networks.

What are MSCA Doctoral Networks?
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks are one of the main funding schemes of Horizon Europe dedicated to the training of outstanding PhD researchers. Each network funds a group of doctoral candidates distributed among consortium partners, with a strong emphasis on international mobility, interdisciplinarity, and cooperation with the non-academic sector. The first contracts for the 2025 competition are expected to be signed by July 2026.