If I quit a MSCA ITN PhD in my second year, do I have to pay back all the fellowship I received in the past?

Question

If I quit a MSCA ITN PhD in the second year (of a three-year program), do I have to pay back all the fellowship I received in the past 1.5 years? I am having very large problem with my professor. I'm considering quitting this PhD. This is the clause in my contract:

If the S.V. after starting the planned activity, does not continue it without justifiable reason, regularly and uninterruptedly for the entire duration, or becomes responsible for serious and repeated failures or proves that he does not have sufficient aptitude for carrying out the research activity, she will be declared forfeited from the further use of the grant following a motivated decision by the Director of institute, on the proposal of the research manager.

If the S.V, for supervening personal reasons, cannot complete the planned activity and therefore renounces the fellowship in advance, it must notify the Director of institute and the research manager in writing with thirty days' notice. In this case, it remains understood that S.V. will have to return any sums received and not due.

Answer 1

I am not a lawyer and not involved with the Marie Curie program, but this seems to say that you will have no problems about money paid in the past unless you have been given an advance for work yet to be done. The latter money needs to be returned, but not that paid for earlier participation. "return any sums received and not due" is the important clause.

If you are paid monthly then you probably have nothing due to return, but if you are paid annually in advance but only complete half the year, you probably need to return half the stipend.

Few funding agencies would have stricter rules, I think, and collecting large sums from doctoral students seems like an impossible task.

But you can ask the funding agency for clarification on the rules.