ESR and Mobility rule

As described in the European Commission's Guide for Applicants(1.0 MB, 66 pages), all researchers recruited in an ITN must be Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) and undertake transnational mobility. For all recruitments, the eligibility of the researcher will be determined at the date of their first recruitment in the action.

Two main rules apply for the eligibility of researchers

Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) must, at the date of recruitment by the beneficiary, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Mobility Rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention1 are not taken into account. For international European interest organisations or international organisations, recruited researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date at the same appointing organisation.

(European Commission's Guide for Applicants(1.0 MB, 66 pages), p. 16)

In order to fully align with the application guidelines by the European Commission, please check carefully, the comprehensive information in the European Commission’s Guide for Applicants(1.0 MB, 66 pages) and the Information note for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows in Innovative Training Networks (ITN). For further questions please refer to our collection of frequently asked questions (FAQ) which we update regularly.