1. What are the eligibility criteria to participate in the CDP programme?
The Call for Expressions of Interest is directed at Partner Institutions, including higher education institutions and research organisations, that wish to organise PhD projects with their JRC counterparts. Partner Institutions should fulfil the following criteria at the closing date of the Call and for the entire duration of the CDP Agreement with the JRC (at least 5 years from the time of signature):
- Originate from an EU Member State or country associated to the EU Research Framework Programme in force. In the case of nuclear collaboration topics, the partner institution should originate from a country associated to the Euratom Research and Training Programme;
- Have the necessary administrative autonomy to sign agreements with external partners;
- Be able to host and train PhD candidates; and
- Be accredited to award doctoral degrees. Partner Institutions that are not accredited to award doctoral degrees may still apply provided that they have an agreement with a Partner Institution that is accredited to award doctoral degrees and fulfils all other criteria. In case their application is successful, the JRC will sign the CDP Agreement with both Partner Institutions.
2. Is it possible for two or more Partner Institutions to apply together?
No, each Partner Institution has to apply separately for the CDP programme. Partner Institutions that are not accredited to award doctoral degrees may still apply provided that they have an agreement with a Partner Institution that is accredited to award doctoral degrees and fulfils all other criteria. In case their application is successful, the JRC will sign the CDP Agreement with both Partner Institutions.
An eventual CDP agreement is concluded at the institutional level and may support collaborative projects within multiple schools or faculties within the same institution. Applications can therefore be submitted by a group of researchers, on the condition that they are affiliated with the same institution.
3. Is it possible to apply for more than one Collaboration Theme?
Yes. Applicants must submit separate applications for each Collaboration Theme they wish to apply for. When multiple proposals from the same Partner Institution are successful, a single CDP agreement covering multiple Collaboration Themes will be concluded with the JRC.
4. Can research organisations that are not accredited to award doctoral degrees participate in the CDP Programme?
Partner Institutions that are not accredited to award doctoral degrees may still apply provided that they have an agreement with a Partner Institution that is accredited to award doctoral degrees and fulfils all other criteria. In case their application is successful, the JRC will sign the CDP Agreement with both Partner Institutions.
The associated Partner Institution must be aware and should already be identified in the application form. In this case the CDP Agreement will be signed by both Partner Institutions and the JRC.
5. If there are different departments within the same institution, should all of them submit one joint application or each their own?
This depends if they wish to submit a joint application or if each one wants to fill in their own application. If more than one department within your institution would like to collaborate in the same Collaboration Theme and agree to submit a single proposal then only one application can be submitted.
Regardless of whether one or several departments of the same institution are selected, the negotiation of the CDP Agreement will be carried out at the institutional level of the Partner Institution, representing all participating departments.
6. Is it possible for an institution to put forward a proposal in more than one collaboration theme?
Yes, this is possible. Each proposal should be submitted as a separate application through EU Survey.
7. Can an individual person/student apply?
Individual people or students cannot apply to the Call for Expressions of Interest for the CDP programme. Individuals can apply for PhD positions within the CDP programme, which are advertised in the separate 'CDP for PhD Candidates' section of the CDP website.
8. What is the minimum and maximum duration of the CDP programme?
- The CDP Agreement with the JRC is concluded for a duration of five years from the date of signature.
- The overall duration of the PhD projects under the CDP Agreement corresponds to the standard duration of the doctoral programme at the participating Partner Institution. During the PhD project, doctoral students spend between one and two years of their research at one of the JRC sites. The remaining period required for the student to fulfil the PhD programme is carried out at the Partner Institution.
9. At which JRC site will the PhD projects be hosted?
The JRC sites hosting PhD projects under the programme are located in Brussels (BE), Geel (BE), Ispra (IT), Karlsruhe (DE), Petten (NL) and Seville (ES). The hosting JRC site will depend on the specific project and is indicated in the call documents.
10. What type of support can the Partner Institution expect?
The goal of the CDP programme is to foster a close cooperation in pre-determined scientific themes with the participating institutions, while enabling the joint hosting and supervision of PhD students. PhD students under the CDP are jointly selected, hosted and supervised by the selected Partner Institution and the JRC.
The CDP does not involve any transfer of funds between the Partner Institution and the JRC. Each institution will cover the costs related to the doctoral student during the period spent at the respective institution. Whilst staying at JRC premises, the JRC will employ the doctoral student under the national employment law of the site where they will be assigned and cover related employment costs including salary, necessary training and work-related travel costs.
11. What is the benefit for a Partner Institution?
Aside from the JRC covering the employment costs related to 12 to 24 months of the PhD project, benefits include but are not limited to:
- The Partner Institution gets the possibility to cooperate in different research areas with the JRC and hence directly contribute to EU policy making, while gaining access to research infrastructures and JRC institutional networks.
- The Partner Institution gets the opportunity to publish together with JRC experts in leading scientific magazines.
12. What is the budget for the CDP programme?
The budget for the CDP programme comes from the EU Research Programme Horizon Europe. The budget for the CDP will be negotiated annually. For years 2025-2027 the JRC will host up to 48 doctoral students at any point in time.
13. Where can I apply for the CDP programme, and where can I access the application form?
Open calls will be published on the CDP website. Access to the application form will be removed upon closure of the call.
14. How do I get the ECAS password?
In order to submit the application form for the CDP programme you need to get an ECAS password. As you do not work for an EU institution, choose the first option to connect to the EU Survey application. You will need to have previously registered your mobile phone to pass the two-factor authentication.
If you do not have an EU Login, you can create an account online.
Once you have logged in into ECAS, go to your account details (on the upper right hand side of the page) by following the "My account" link. Click on "Manage my mobile phone numbers", then "Add a mobile phone number" and follow the on-screen instructions.
15. Who is the legal representative at the Partner Institution (as mentioned in the application form)?
The legal representative is the person who is authorised to make legal commitments on behalf of the Partner Institution. It is up to the Partner Institution to define who their legal representative is. In the context of the CDP programme, it is the person authorised to sign the CDP agreement on behalf of the concerned Partner Institution and of the department that applied.
16. How will the results of the CDP call be communicated to applicants?
The results of the evaluation procedure will be communicated individually to each applicant via email.
17. What is an overview of the CDP procedure once the applications have been submitted?
Upon closure of the call, the JRC will inform applicants who submitted non-eligible proposals and proceed to assess eligible proposals according to the selection criteria.
The selected candidates are invited to set up a CDP partnership with the JRC. This entails:
- The CDP Agreement follows a standard template, as published together with the Call for Expressions of Interest on the CDP website.[1] There is one template for Partner Institutions from EU Member States and another one for Partner Institutions from associated countries. Both the JRC and the Partner Institution will sign the CDP Agreement. In case the Partner Institution is not accredited to award doctoral degrees directly, the associated Partner Institution that will award the degree will also sign the CDP Agreement. CDP agreements have an initial duration of 5 years, and can be renewed, amended or extended to accommodate possible future PhD projects beyond the initial collaboration.
- The Multi-Annual Work Programme is jointly prepared by the researchers of the Partner Institution and the JRC. It describes the Collaboration Theme(s), PhD topic(s) and expected outputs of the collaboration. The Multi-Annual Work Programme will be added to the CDP Agreement as Annex B.
- The Partner Institution and the JRC agree on the modalities for the selection of the doctoral student. The suggested modalities by the JRC are part of the CDP Agreement templates. The agreed upon modalities will be added to the CDP Agreement as Annex C. Following the completion and signature of the CDP Agreement by both parties, the Partner Institution and JRC start recruiting doctoral students for the collaborative PhD projects.
18. How does the JRC publish the PhD positions?
After signing a CDP Agreement, the Partner Institution publishes a PhD vacancy based on their requirements in agreement with the JRC. The links to these vacancies are published on the JRC website.
19. How will the financial arrangements and the implementation of the PhD programmes be established?
Each Party finances the PhD student for the time they spend doing research at the Party’s premises.
While employed at the JRC, the doctoral student will be offered a contract under national employment law of the JRC site. The annual net salary results from deducting all compulsory employee social contributions as well as direct taxes (e.g. income tax) from the gross amounts. These salaries are subject to regular revision in line with the Horizon Europe Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions. A mobility allowance of 710,00 euro per month is also paid. Family allowance might also apply depending on the student status.
For the time that the doctoral student spends at the Partner Institution, the Partner Institution should assure financing for the PhD candidate.
20. Does the CDP programme apply to future doctoral students (i.e. students to be selected after the signature of the agreements and the definition of work plans) or to doctoral students already selected by the institutions (i.e. doctoral students already enrolled in their first or second year?
The CDP programme applies to future doctoral students to be selected after signature of the CDP Agreement.
21. When will the PhD project be defined? Is this a part of the CDP application?
The exact PhD thesis titles and descriptions will be part of the negotiation (Annex C of the CDP Agreement). They are negotiated between the JRC future supervisor and the supervisor from the Partner Institution. PhD thesis proposals can be outlined already in the application form for the proposals. Instructions to do so are included in the call documents of the different Collaboration Themes, as well as the online application form.