11 MSCA-Funded PhD Positions Open Across Europe in RNA and Host–Pathogen Research

Applications are open for 11 salaried PhD positions across six European countries through nEXt-RNA, a new Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network investigating how extracellular RNA moves between organisms during host–pathogen interactions.

The positions are based at universities in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom, with applications closing on 15 October 2026. Successful candidates will receive 36-month, full-time MSCA-funded doctoral contracts, with appointments expected to begin between 1 May and 1 September 2027.

There is no single salary figure covering all 11 positions. Pay will follow MSCA funding rules and the employment conditions of the recruiting institution, with the amount adjusted according to the country where the doctoral researcher is employed.

The scientific scope is unusually broad for an RNA-focused doctoral network. Individual projects move between plant pathology, microbiology, extracellular vesicles, RNA interference, human-cell models, fungal disease and RNA-delivery technologies.

nEXt-RNA PhD positions in brief

• Programme: nEXt-RNA — Next Generation Scientists Studying Extracellular RNA
• Funding: Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network
• Grant agreement: 101312407
• Positions: 11
• Host institutions: 7 universities
• Host countries: Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and United Kingdom
• Contract: Full-time
• Funding period: 36 months
• Salary: MSCA-funded; exact amount depends on host country and employment conditions
• Nationality: Open to all nationalities
• Degree: Master’s degree or equivalent required by recruitment
• Existing PhD: Not permitted at recruitment
• English: At least B2, potentially higher for individual hosts
• Mobility rule: Applies
• Application: One central application with three ranked project choices
• Deadline: 15 October 2026
• Expected starts: 1 May–1 September 2027

What is nEXt-RNA?

Extracellular RNA, usually abbreviated exRNA, refers to RNA molecules found outside the cells in which they were produced.

RNA is often introduced simply as an intermediary carrying genetic instructions inside cells. But researchers increasingly know that RNA can also move between cells—and in some cases between entirely different organisms.

That creates an intriguing possibility in infectious disease biology.

A pathogen may send RNA molecules into its host and influence the host’s biological machinery. A host may use its own RNA molecules as part of its defence. RNA can travel freely or through carriers such as extracellular vesicles, creating molecular communication channels between organisms that may normally appear biologically very distant from one another.

nEXt-RNA will examine these processes across viral, bacterial, fungal, plant, animal and human systems, connecting fundamental molecular biology with potential new approaches for disease control and RNA delivery.

The network is organised around three major questions: how extracellular RNA is transmitted between organisms, how it is taken up and delivered into target cells, and how these mechanisms might eventually be adapted for useful applications.

Where are the 11 PhD positions located?

The doctoral researchers will be employed by seven universities:

• University of Hamburg, Germany: 2 positions
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany: 2 positions
• École Normale Supérieure, France: 2 positions
• University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom: 2 positions
• University of Crete, Greece: 1 position
• University of Palermo, Italy: 1 position
• Utrecht University, Netherlands: 1 position

The network also includes eight associated partners from academic and non-academic sectors, allowing candidates to work outside their primary laboratory during secondments and collaborative training.

The 11 available doctoral research projects

Applicants are asked to identify and rank three projects when submitting their application.

DC1 — Tracking fungal messenger RNA from Ustilago maydis into maize

Hosted at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, this project examines the movement of extracellular messenger RNA from the fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis into maize.

DC2 — Extracellular RNA during plant viral and viroid infections

At the University of Crete, the project investigates extracellular RNA transmission in plants during infection by viruses and viroids.

DC3 — Cross-species RNA interference in host–bacteria interactions

Hosted by École Normale Supérieure in Paris, this research explores RNA transfer and cross-species RNA interference involving host organisms and Pseudomonas bacteria.

DC4 — Quantitative modelling of cross-species RNAi during intestinal infection

The University of Edinburgh hosts this project examining RNA communication during intestinal infection, including interactions involving parasitic nematodes and mammalian systems.

DC5 — How fungal extracellular vesicles attach to and enter plant cells

At the University of Hamburg, the project investigates how fungal extracellular vesicles interact with plant cells and how their molecular cargo is delivered.

DC6 — How different carriers affect extracellular RNA uptake

A second University of Edinburgh project compares extracellular RNA carried through different transport mechanisms and examines differences in uptake, specificity and localisation.

DC7 — Extracellular vesicle fusion and RNA delivery into human cells

At Utrecht University, the project focuses on the properties of extracellular vesicles and the molecular mechanisms that allow RNA cargo to reach human cells.

DC8 — Citrus-derived nanovesicles for RNA delivery

Hosted at the University of Palermo, this project examines whether nanoscale vesicles derived from citrus plants can be engineered as RNA-delivery systems in mammalian or human-cell models.

DC9 — Microalgae extracellular vesicles against Botrytis cinerea

At the University of Hamburg, researchers will investigate microalgae-derived extracellular vesicles as possible RNA-delivery tools targeting Botrytis cinerea, a major fungal plant pathogen.

DC10 — Applying natural extracellular mRNA delivery systems

The second position at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf investigates natural mechanisms for extracellular messenger-RNA delivery and how these could be applied across plant and mammalian systems.

DC11 — Engineering RNA-binding proteins for improved RNA delivery

The second École Normale Supérieure project focuses on engineering RNA-binding proteins to improve small-RNA transport and activity in target cells.

Together, the projects span three linked research areas: cross-kingdom RNA transmission, RNA uptake and delivery, and the development of new extracellular-RNA applications.

Salary and funding for the nEXt-RNA PhDs

All 11 candidates will occupy 100% full-time positions funded for 36 months by the European Commission.

Unlike programmes that offer one identical scholarship amount irrespective of location, these researchers will be employed by different institutions and in different national systems.

The final salary therefore varies.

MSCA funding applies a country correction coefficient to the living component of doctoral funding to reflect differences in employment costs and living conditions between participating countries. National taxation, social-security contributions and the employment rules of each host institution also affect what ultimately appears on a researcher’s payslip.

For that reason, applicants should not interpret generic MSCA funding figures found elsewhere online as the guaranteed gross or net salary for their chosen nEXt-RNA position.

The exact salary will be confirmed at appointment.

Additional funding may also be available depending on the host institution.

More than an individual PhD project

A Doctoral Network differs from a conventional PhD vacancy because training takes place at both the host university and network level.

Each nEXt-RNA researcher will conduct an individual doctoral project while also participating in secondments, specialist scientific courses, transferable-skills training, workshops and conferences.

Planned network training includes areas such as:

• RNA visualisation techniques;
• extracellular-RNA bioinformatics;
• project and data management;
• science communication;
• entrepreneurship;
• extracellular-RNA applications;
• European research funding and grant writing.

Secondments and exchanges between academic and non-academic partners are built into the programme, exposing candidates to research environments beyond the laboratory that formally employs them.

This structure is particularly relevant for applicants considering careers in biotechnology, biomedical research, agricultural science or other research-intensive industries in addition to conventional academic careers.

Who can apply?

The recruitment is open to candidates of any nationality.

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent by the date they are recruited into the project. Relevant backgrounds include biology and closely related disciplines such as:

• biotechnology;
• biochemistry;
• immunology;
• microbiology;
• molecular and cell biology;
• plant biology;
• RNA biology and related life sciences.

The exact academic profile varies by project.

Previous laboratory experience and quantitative data-analysis skills are considered useful, while bioinformatics and scientific programming experience can be advantageous for some projects.

Candidates must not hold a doctoral degree at the time of recruitment.

This means a candidate finishing a Master’s degree after the October application deadline may still potentially satisfy the general MSCA degree condition if the qualifying degree is completed before employment begins, although individual host-university doctoral admission requirements still have to be met.

The MSCA mobility rule

One of the most important eligibility conditions is the Marie Skłodowska-Curie mobility rule.

Candidates must not have lived or carried out their main activity—such as employment or study—in the country of the university recruiting them for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding their recruitment date.

The rule applies to the country of the specific position, not Europe as a whole.

For example, previous residence in Germany matters when applying for one of the Hamburg or Düsseldorf positions, while residence in France is relevant to the positions at École Normale Supérieure.

A candidate who has spent two years in Germany could therefore have a mobility problem for a German nEXt-RNA position while remaining potentially eligible for a position in France, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom.

This makes the three-project ranking especially important for applicants who have recently studied or worked in one of the participating countries.

English requirement

Candidates need sufficient spoken and written English to participate fully in research, training and scientific communication across the network.

The minimum network requirement is B2 English, corresponding broadly to upper-intermediate proficiency.

Individual recruiting universities may impose a higher language requirement, so applicants should check the conditions attached to each preferred position rather than treating B2 as an automatic guarantee of eligibility everywhere.

Documents required

The central nEXt-RNA application is relatively compact.

Candidates are asked to submit:

• a complete CV;
• a motivation letter explaining how their background and experience fit nEXt-RNA;
• a ranked selection of their three preferred doctoral projects.

The online form also collects basic personal and contact information.

The central recruitment page does not currently list transcripts, recommendation letters or a separate research proposal among the mandatory uploads, so applicants should not prepare additional documents on the assumption that they are required unless a host institution subsequently requests them.

How to choose the three projects

The three-project system deserves more attention than simply choosing the most attractive titles.

Applicants should compare each project’s scientific methods with their existing training. Someone with strong plant-pathology and fungal-biology experience may fit very different projects from an applicant trained primarily in mammalian cell biology or extracellular-vesicle research.

The mobility rule also needs to be considered separately for each host country.

Finally, project-specific requirements can differ. Candidates can contact the indicated supervisor when they need scientific clarification about a particular doctoral project.

How to apply

Applications are submitted through the central nEXt-RNA recruitment form hosted by the University of Hamburg.

Open the nEXt-RNA PhD application page

Applicants enter their three preferred project numbers in ranked order and upload their CV and motivation letter directly through the form.

The deadline is 15 October 2026. The corresponding EURAXESS vacancy specifies 23:59 Europe/Berlin time.

Selection process

The central recruitment notice does not publish a detailed scoring system, interview schedule or final notification date.

Applicants should therefore avoid relying on selection timelines copied from other MSCA Doctoral Networks. Recruitment procedures can differ between projects and institutions even when they operate under the same European funding programme.

Candidates shortlisted for an individual project may subsequently have to satisfy the doctoral admission and employment requirements of the university that will recruit them.

Important dates

• Recruitment opened: Summer 2026
• Application deadline: 15 October 2026, 23:59 Europe/Berlin
• Expected contract starts: between 1 May and 1 September 2027
• Funding duration: 36 months

The nEXt-RNA project itself is scheduled to begin in February 2027, before the individual doctoral researchers take up their positions.

Why nEXt-RNA may be worth considering

The main advantage is not simply that 11 positions are available.

Candidates enter a single European research network while retaining the possibility of working on very different biological systems—from fungal infections in crops to extracellular-vesicle delivery in human cells.

The programme also combines a salaried doctoral contract, international mobility, secondments, specialist RNA training and exposure to both academic and non-academic research environments.

For candidates specifically interested in RNA biology, extracellular vesicles, host–pathogen interactions, plant pathology, microbiology or molecular biotechnology, the scientific overlap between the 11 projects also creates opportunities for collaboration that would be difficult to reproduce in an isolated PhD project.

The key eligibility issues remain straightforward but strict: candidates need a qualifying Master’s degree by recruitment, cannot already hold a PhD, must satisfy the mobility rule for their eventual host country and need at least B2 English.

Applications close on 15 October 2026.