€1.25 billion from Horizon Europe to support cutting-edge research under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission announced new calls worth over €1.25 billion to support research under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), part of the EU research and innovation programme, Horizon Europe. The funding will develop excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, and support collaborative research and innovation projects.

The funding will support and provide jobs to about 10 000 talented researchers from all over the world at all stages of their career with research projects covering all fields. Supported researchers will be able to carry out their research whilst acquiring new skills and developing their careers in the EU and beyond.

This year’s funding round will start with the opening of three calls this week:

• The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships help experienced researchers acquire new skills, develop their careers and gain international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral experience by working abroad. These prestigious fellowships are a steppingstone in researchers’ careers, allowing them to carry out cutting-edge research and to cooperate with leading scientific teams and figures. The call, with a budget of €417.2 million, opens today and will close on 11 September.
• The MSCA COFUND helps organisations create or enhance their own doctoral training and postdoctoral fellowship programmes, with the goal of recruiting researchers and attracting international talent by co-funding a significant share of their costs. Institutions benefiting from such funding need to top it up with their own funding sources. This scheme spreads the MSCA’s best practices by promoting high standards and excellent working conditions. The call, with a budget of €104.8 million, opens today and will close on 26 September.
• The Feedback to Policy initiative will allocate €2 million to make stronger thematic links between MSCA projects, raising the visibility of their contribution to key EU policy priorities and exploring ways to maximise the programme’s impact. The call will open on 25 April and close on 3 September.

Later this year, two other major calls will open to support excellent doctoral programmes and international collaborative research projects:

• The MSCA Doctoral Networks implement programmes to recruit and train doctoral candidates in academia and other sectors, including industry, businesses, and public administrations. The scheme includes the development of joint degrees, including a possible European degree. The call, with a budget of €608.6 million, will open on 29 May and close on 27 November.
• The MSCA Staff Exchanges develop international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary exchanges and knowledge sharing at all stages of the innovation chain. The call, with a budget of €99.47 million, will open on 19 September and close on 5 February 2025.

The calls follow the adoption of the revised 2023-2025 Horizon Europe Work Programme last week.

Through its MSCA funding schemes, the Horizon Europe programme sets high standards for researchers’ careers and continues to achieve a long-lasting impact on European research and innovation systems and organisations, boosting cooperation and increasing their global attractiveness and visibility.

Background

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under Horizon Europe fund excellent research and innovation and equip creative researchers with new knowledge and skills, through training and exposure across borders, fields and socio-economic sectors. MSCA is a cornerstone of the European Research Area, fostering researchers’ careers and transversal skills development across borders.

These actions promote the uptake of the principles of the Charter for Researchers and the objectives of the European framework for research careers by improving recruitment and working conditions and setting standards for researchers. The MSCA also make a notable contribution to the reform of research assessment systems, promoting a broad definition of excellence and diverse career paths, in line with the European Commission’s commitment to the process initiated by the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

For More Information

More information on the 2024 calls

Factsheet: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 2021-2027: Developing talents, advancing research

Factsheet: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions: Over 25 years of European support for researchers’ work

Revised Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Work Programme 2023-2025

Quote(s)

With the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon Europe, we commit to fostering international collaboration and nurturing the next generation of researchers and innovators. The €1.25 billion in these calls will catalyse cutting-edge research and boost the careers of thousands of brilliant minds, supporting their mobility across countries and disciplines to acquire new knowledge and skills. We need these excellent researchers in Europe to ensure that we remain at the forefront of scientific progress and succeed in tackling the challenges that we face.

Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth