Strengthening EU–Australia and New Zealand Research: MSCA Doctoral Networks Webinar for Institutions from Australia & New Zealand

The webinar “MSCA Doctoral Networks for Institutions from Australia & New Zealand” was successfully held online on 14 May 2026, bringing together close to 250 participants from Australia, New Zealand, and over 30 other countries. Organised under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) framework in cooperation with the European Research Executive Agency (REA) and the MSCA GLOPOL project, the session generated strong interest across universities, research institutes, and industry stakeholders. The high level of engagement demonstrated the growing interest in Australia and New Zealand for collaborative doctoral training and international research partnerships under Horizon Europe.

The 60-minute programme featured a detailed presentation of the MSCA Doctoral Networks call by Ms Paula Hokkanen, Project Officer at the European Research Executive Agency (REA), who provided practical insights into the objectives of the scheme, eligibility rules, consortium structures, and evaluation aspects. This was complemented by an experience-sharing intervention from Ms Francesca Arcara, MSCA Grants Coordinator at RMIT Europe, who highlighted practical considerations and institutional perspectives on participating in MSCA Doctoral Networks. The session concluded with an interactive Q&A moderated by Mr Nishant Shandilya, MSCA GLOPOL Regional Liaison for Australia & New Zealand, enabling participants to clarify technical aspects and explore concrete pathways for participation. The webinar served as an important capacity-building initiative, strengthening institutional preparedness and fostering future MSCA Doctoral Networks collaborations between Europe and the research and innovation community in Australia and New Zealand.

The presentations delivered during the event are available below:

• Presentation of the MSCA Doctoral Networks call: Ms Paula Hokkanen, Project Officer at the European Research Executive Agency (REA). See the presentation here.

• Experience Sharing: Ms Francesca Arcara, MSCA Grants Coordinator, RMIT Europe. See the presentation here.