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2025 Marie Curie PhD Scholarships

International students seeking fully funded PhD opportunities  in Europe now have an exciting chance to apply for 15 PhD positions under the COCOSO Industrial Doctoral Network.

This prestigious program is funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and focuses on research in social welfare. The program brings together six universities and 16 public and non-governmental sector partners across Europe.

COCOSO Scholarship Benefits:

• No GRE/IELTS required
• No application fee
• Monthly stipend: €4,000 (approx. 12,65,000 PKR)
• Additional stipend for spouse: €650 (approx. 2,00,000 PKR) per month
• 50% work-based research in collaboration with social sector organizations
• Fully funded international training, study blocks in different European countries.

Program Overview

COCOSO (Co-Constructing in Social Welfare) is an innovative doctoral research network focusing on participation and co-construction in social welfare, a key dimension of democracy and social innovation. 15 PhD candidates will be selected for interdisciplinary research across social policy, education, sociology, communication sciences, and history.

The research will be carried out under the joint supervision of senior academic and industry experts, ensuring practical application of research in collaboration with social organizations and local authorities.

Each PhD project involves 50% industrial collaboration, where the candidate will work closely with social sector partners. Training includes international study sessions every six months, online collaborative meetings, and personalized research training.

PhD Research Topics and Locations:

The 15 PhD projects cover a diverse range of research topics, each aligned with a specific European location:

1. Community Involvement in Combatting Stigma of People with Mental Health Problems (Greece)
2. Digital Volunteerism and New Forms of Social Inclusion/Exclusion (Poland)
3. Compared Perspectives on Co-Construction for People with Disabilities (Denmark)
4. Effective Dissemination of Co-Construction Strategies (France)
5. Power, Gender, and Participation in the Global History of the Social Work Profession (Austria/Romania)
6. Multi-Actor Co-Construction in Local Welfare Policies – Post-COVID Challenges (Portugal)
7. Gender Factors in Co-Constructing Solutions for Homeless Citizens (Denmark)
8. Social Services and Service Users in Family Foster Care Planning (Greece)
9. Lived Experience Advocacy in Child Protection in East Sussex and Paris (France/UK)
10. Older Adults’ Participation in Co-Construction via Technology-Mediated Care (Denmark/Italy)
11. Cross-National Comparison of Young People’s Understandings of Co-Construction (Portugal/Spain)
12. Co-Constructive Leadership in NGO Social Service Sectors (Poland/Portugal)
13. Universal Access and Diversity in Co-Constructed Digital Disability Communities (Austria)
14. Co-Constructing Evaluation of Services with Vulnerable Populations (France)
15. Digital Tools for Co-Construction in Crisis Management within Organizations (Portugal).

Eligibility and Requirements:

• Open to international candidates from diverse academic backgrounds related to social sciences, humanities, and policy research.
• Candidates must meet the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) mobility rule, meaning they must not have lived in the host country for more than 12 months in the last 3 years before application.
• English proficiency required, but no GRE/IELTS required.

Apply: https://cref.parisnanterre.fr/accueil/cocoso-15-phd-positions-in-2025.

Application Deadline:

The last date to apply for the COCOSO Industrial Doctoral Network is 2 March 2025 and the program will run from 1st September 2025 to 31st August 2028.