ITN: In a European Joint Doctorates project is it mandatory to obtain the PhD diploma by the end of the project?

It is not mandatory for the MSCA fellows to defend their thesis or to obtain their PhD single, double, joint or multiple degree in the frame of the ITN project.  

ITN: Where can fellows share their work with society? What other platforms, events, etc. (besides the European Researchers’ Night) are there for MSCA fellows?

Fellows can look for the following opportunities:

• The host organisation's PR services, including social media channels.

• Science weeks, science fairs, open-schools, etc. organised in their city/ region.

• The European Science Engagement Association.

• The Falling Walls Lab.

• The Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA offers talks on public engagement and semi-citizen/ semi-peer targeted outreach sessions at their events.

• Apply at ESOF – EuroScience.

COFUND-DP, ITN-EJD: Are double recruitments possible?

Fellows can either be employed by one host and sent to the partner organisations involved or they can be recruited by all partners separately.
The mobility rule is applied to the beneficiary where the fellow was recruited for the first time of the action.

Where do I find the 'Researcher declaration' in Horizon2020 and HorizonEurope?

The ”Researcher Declarations” is even more important in Horizon2020, as reporting is automated (the data from the declarations will be fed directly to the reporting system). TThe RD has to be updated for all cases of leave (e.g. parental or sickness leave) and for secondments. The declarations are done electronically via the SyGMa portal for managing the grant.  

In an ITN, who has to submit a letter of commitment?

In Guide for Applicants it is described that each partner organisation must include an up-to-date letter of commitment. Partner Organisations must follow the template letter included in the Annex 6.a of the Guide. This is cruical, as the expert evaluators are instructed to disregard the contribution of any partner organisation for which no letter of commitment is submitted.

In an EJD, shall all ESRs receive double/joint degree, or can some of them receive the PhD from only one institution?

For EJDs, doctoral degrees have to be either joint, double or multiple awarded by institutions from at least two different countries. For the definition of joint, double/multiple degree, please check the Workprogramme 2017, p. 8, footnotes.

ITN: How can an organisation check whether they can act as the non-academic partner within an EID project?

Before applying, each organisation has to register and is automatically classified in one of the two sectors on the basis of the Participant Identification Code (PIC) assigned during the validation process and the information provided. Organisations are considered as belonging to the academic sector if they have been assigned to one of the three categories mentioned below:
• Public or private higher education establishments awarding academic degrees;
• Public or private non-profit research organisations whose primary mission is to pursue research;
• International European Interest Organisations.
All other organisations are by default non-academic.
If an entity does not yet have a draft PIC number, it can be obtained easily by following the instructions via https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/how-to-participate/participant-register

Who evaluates the proposal?

You will find details on the evaluation process in the Guide for Applicants. The evaluators are experts (=researchers) in the field. They will be matched to your proposal according to their profile and to your abstract and keywords. They will for sure be in your general research area, but might not be in the exact same field that you are. 

Every proposal is read and evaluated by at least three independent evaluators.

How can I become an evaluator?

Please have a look at the 'Funding & Tender Opportunities' Portal for information on how to become an evaluator:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/work-as-an-expert

Can you please let me know the outcome of the evaluation?

No. National Contact Points/Programme Committee members do not get the information (neither the Evaluation Summary Reports nor the ranking - 'main list', 'reserve list' etc.) earlier than the coordinators of the projects.
You can find the timeline for each call in the respective Guides for Applicants. Results do not come earlier than announced there, and sometimes a delay of one or two weeks is possible.
If you do not get information on the outcome of your proposal, get in touch with your coordinator (for the Individual Fellowships: This is your future supervisor who is the contact person of the European Commission).

Can I still change my proposal once I submitted it?

- Before the deadline: You can change the proposal after submitting it by simply uploading and submitting a new version. Do not forget to press the 'submit'-button!
- After the deadline: There is no possibility to change the proposal anymore once the deadline passed, not even when you contact the helpdesk or the NCP. There are no exceptions to this rule, even in cases when you could add another publication to your CV etc.