Writing an MSCA Doctoral Network proposal? Then you know that designing a comprehensive training plan is one of the key components that make or break your chances. We have worked with more than a dozen Doctoral Networks (formerly ITNs) over the last 10 years, and have identified a few key characteristics of an outstanding training plan:
1. Interdisciplinary ≠ Just Multi-Disciplinary
The complexity of modern scientific challenges requires researchers to operate beyond the boundaries of their core field. Interdisciplinary training means integrating knowledge, methods, and reasoning from multiple domains—not simply combining them. This helps PhD candidates engage with collaborators from different backgrounds, understand complex problems more holistically, and develop the flexibility needed for innovation..
Tip: Map technical and conceptual skills across fields. A good training plan includes workshops that bridge these fields—e.g., a programming module for biologists.
2. Intersectoral = Practical Industry Insight
Your plan should provide candidates with exposure to both academic and non-academic sectors. This intersectoral approach ensures that candidates are not only developing the necessary skills for their research – technical and transferable – but also gaining insights into industry practices, business development, and knowledge transfer.
Tip: Go beyond secondments. Include joint supervision from industry experts, or workshops on intellectual property and commercialisation.
3. Transferable = Sustained Productivity
It is important to include training in transferable skills for the Doctoral Candidates. While technical training is of course essential, technology will move on, and many PhD graduates lack transferable skills they need for future employment. Importantly, training in transferable skills helps your Doctoral Candidates to work more efficiently and communicate science effectively, accelerating their PhD work, and improving their contribution to the culture of their research team.
Tip: Align each workshop with the stage of the PhD journey. For example, time your scientific writing workshop so that the participants work on real papers that contribute to the network’s stated goals and deliverables.
Aligning training in transferable skills with doctoral candidate development
To maximise the impact of your training plan, and your candidates’ engagement in it, it’s essential to adapt the training activities to their changing needs as they progress through their PhD. The more urgent the need, the greater the engagement, and the greater the impact of the workshop.
Here is our recommended timeline:
Year 1
- Core Skills for Your PhD: Key concepts to recognise, understand, and effectively deal with many of the problems that cause most delays and frustration during the PhD.
- How to Read a Paper using Common Sense and AI: Systematic approaches and tools to effectively navigate, manage and read the scientific literature.
Year 2-3
- Oral Presentations: Communicate clearly and engagingly to peers and public.
- Scientific Writing: Write papers more efficiently and effectively.
Year 3-4
- Career Development for Scientists: Make informed career choices, including core values, opportunities, and application process.
- Grant Writing: How to obtain competitive funding.
One important piece of advice when planning your training: We have spoken with many Doctoral Network Managers & Coordinators who combined training days for their doctoral candidates with consortium meetings. This idea is fantastic for cohort building and fostering scientific exchange. That said, be mindful of fragmented programs with multiple unconnected topics on the same day: this can lead to input overload, making it difficult for participants to retain practicable learning outcomes.
If you’re thinking of writing an MSCA-DN proposal, revisit our previous blogpost on writing successful MSCA-DN applications. And if you need support in drafting, critiquing, or reviewing your proposal, please get in touch with our grants team.
We’ve supported more than a dozen DNs with workshops aligned to real doctoral milestones. Let us help you design a training plan that works. Get in touch with our training team.