Recruitment procedure
Applications are now open for 14 fully funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Double Degree PhD Fellowships in the framework of the Doctoral Network-Joint Doctorates on Multilingual Language Awareness in the European Digital Society (MultiLAwa HORIZON – MSCA – 2025 – DN-JD).
With its innovative approach, MultiLAwa will train 14 Doctoral Candidates (DC) in order to meet the job market requirements in the digital and (Gen)AI era. Indeed, there is a great need for experts in language awareness with a solid plurilingual competence and a profound linguistic and cultural understanding of digital tools and AI concepts in various burgeoning professional fields.
The consortium uniquely combines expertise in the following areas: (Applied) Linguistics, Digital Linguistics & Language Technologies (AI, NLP, Computational Linguistics), Gender Linguistics, Interactional Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Lexicography, Terminology, LSP, Didactics and Language Policy. The research programme will also integrate expertise, data, techniques, tools, concepts and theories from other scientific disciplines: Economic Sciences (Finance), Information Science and Engineering (AI and Multimedia), Environmental and Geosciences (Circular Economy).
Values of plurilingualism: The consortium will train 14 DCs as plurilingual ambassadors of plurilingualism in research excellence by using both English and German for internal communication during the training events and to achieve the respective research objectives in their multilingual individual research project.
All Doctoral Candidates (DCs) will be awarded one joint doctoral degree (‘cotutelle’), on two PhD diplomas, i.e. one diploma from each of the two host universities from to different countries. They will be part of a joint European PhD training programme for all Doctoral Candidates, in connection with their local Doctoral School. The recruited DCs will need to spend time at both universities. The period of time at each university partner varies according to the institution and country in question and will be notified in the joint supervision agreements.
Secondments: The DCs will also do research training stays: long ‘secondments’ (from 1 to 6 months) and, if applicable, short research stays (from a few days to one week). The secondment period(s) will take place at partners of MultiLAwa.
All positions are fully funded, with very competitive salaries (cf. below). The start date is 1 November 2026.
Online Info-Session for all applicants: Tuesday 16 June 2026, at 2:00 pm (CEST)
Link: https://uni-mannheim.zoom-x.de/j/65079748910?pwd=byK7Z7Lm6XtdItw0d9ipErIMfFVNql.1
Meeting-ID: 650 7974 8910 | Kenncode: 581518
General eligibility criteria
All candidates are expected to
– have the potential to conduct research of excellent quality, as demonstrated by initial academic work such as the master’s thesis, and – if applicable – presentations at conferences, awareness-raising activities or publications.
– be interested in working in a multilingual, interdisciplinary and international research environment.
– have excellent communication skills in German and English (at least B2).
– be willing to undertake international research secondments and travels.
To be considered eligible, applicants must meet the following conditions:
1. Not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
See details in “Horizon Europe Programme: Guide for applicants – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions DN 2025” on page 11 :
“Eligible researchers: All researchers recruited in a DN must be doctoral candidates (i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment) and undertake transnational mobility […]. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.”
2. Be in possession of a Master of Arts, Master of Translation, Master of Education, or a Master of Science (MSc) or equivalent degree in Linguistics or similar disciplines that provides the DC with appropriate background for the MultiLAwa DN-project – with a high mark in the Master programme (at least high honour / > 70% (distinction)1).
3. Meet the Mobility rule of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Doctoral Networks, i.e. must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting university for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.
Mobility Rule – Horizon Europe Programme: Guide for applicants – MSCA DN 2025:
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 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account. For international European research organisations, international organisations, or entities created under Union law, recruited researchers must not have spent more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment in the same appointing organisation.
Note that the mobility rule applies to the (first) beneficiary where the researcher is recruited. In case of multiple recruitments, the mobility rule only applies to the first recruitment. (page 5)
To determine the recruiting universities, see the overview on the 14 open PhD positions and the description of each Individual Research Project (IRP).
4. German and English languages: Applicants must demonstrate that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English and German is sufficiently high for them to benefit fully from the network training and to conduct their individual research project. At least B2 level (or equivalent) in German and English are expected. Knowledge of additional (foreign) languages is an advantage, as described in the open PhD positions.
Please note: Instruction languages are English and German, as lectures will always be held in one of these languages. Evidence of the required knowledge must be provided in the form of language certificates. For information on the types of evidence you can provide to demonstrate your language skills, please see details in “Application Process”.
Benefits & Salary
We offer:
a comprehensive, interactive and international doctoral training programme;
a dedicated team of experts from prestigious European partner institutions in the Humanities and Social Sciences and associated leading international industrial companies to cooperate with;
a Personal Career Development Plan (PCDP) to prepare the Doctoral Candidates for their future careers;
a local individual training at universities in accordance with the PCDP description;
an attractive remuneration package in accordance with the MSCA-DN programme regulations for DCs.
Salary:
The successful candidates will receive a full-time employment contract for 36 months as per Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) regulations for Doctoral Candidates.
The salary consists of a monthly living allowance (EUR 4010 – gross value), a monthly mobility allowance (EUR 710), and, if applicable, a monthly family allowance (EUR 660). A long-term leave allowance and a special needs allowance are offered if applicable. Information about the salary for DCs can be found in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Work Programme 2023-2025 on page 118. Taxation and Social contributions (including pension) deductions will be deducted according to national and company regulations.
Please note the country correction coefficient (see above-quoted document, page 156) applies to the living allowance in order to ensure equal treatment and purchasing power parity for all researchers. Salary rules apply to the Doctoral Candidates hosted in the European Union and will change depending on the recruiting university.
Country correction coefficients (2025):
Austria: 109,7%
Denmark: 132,8%
France: 118,1%
Germany: 101,2%
Italy: 95,3%
Poland: 74,1%
Portugal: 93,7%
Switzerland: 163,8%
In addition to their individual research projects, all Doctoral Candidates will benefit from further professional development opportunities, including secondments, various training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops, in conferences and in many public engagement activities.
The initial application deadline will be 8 July 2026, 11:59 pm (CEST).
1 Depending on the country, the distinction differs in the obtained grade: in France: > 14/20 “bien” (to 16-20/20 “très bien”); in Germany and Austria: > 2 “gut” (to 1 “sehr gut/Auszeichnung”); in Denmark: > 7 (to 12) ; in the UK: > 70%; in Switzerland: > 5.5. (“sehr gut” to 6.0 “ausgezeichnet”), etc.
