The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), along with the European Research Council (ERC) and Research Infrastructures (RI), is situated within Pillar 1 ‘Excellence Science’, which aims to promote scientific excellence and attract highly-skilled researchers and innovators to Europe. Specifically, the various MSCA funding opportunities set out to support researcher training, career development, and knowledge exchange, thereby helping researchers to establish a stable career path within Europe.
MSCA are committed to the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers and the Innovative Doctoral Training Principles, as well as to the principles of Open Science and Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI). MSCA actions also contribute to the European Research Area (ERA) and European Education Area (EEA).
What will be funded by the MSCA?
All MSCA opportunities are ‘bottom-up’ and open to all research and innovation areas that prompt international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility of researchers. MSCA also set out to enhance training and career development systems thereby having a structuring impact on institutions.
Applications can be submitted by researchers and innovation staff from universities, research institutions, research infrastructures, businesses and other socio-economic actors from EU Member States (MS), the Horizon Europe Associated Countries (AC) and other third countries (TC).
Confirmed areas of funding
MSCA Doctorates
These actions build on the success of the Innovative Training Networks (ITN) to continue to support the training of a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative researchers by providing doctoral training of Doctoral Candidates (previously known as Early-Stage Researchers [ESR]), through projects implemented by partnerships between universities, research institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs and other socio-economic actors from across Europe and beyond.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships
These actions continue the success of the Individual Fellowships (IF) to enhance the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers (post-doctoral researchers) by diversifying their skill acquisition through advanced training international, and/or inter-sectoral as well as interdisciplinary mobility in all subject areas, including those covered by EURATOM. Incentives are provided to encourage individual researchers to restart their careers after a break from research, as well as to reintegrate back into Europe after spending time abroad, and to increase the involvement of non-academic organisations.
MSCA Research Staff Exchanges
These actions extend the previous Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) scheme to promote international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration through research and innovation staff exchanges to encourage knowledge sharing as well as the advanced science and innovation development. The scheme supports new and existing staff exchanges between Europe and third countries (international) and/or between academic and non-academic partners (inter-sectoral) and/or between academic partners (interdisciplinary). The action supports exchanges for researchers at all career stages, as well as administrative, managerial and technical staff.
Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND)
These actions aim to stimulate regional, national and international programmes to foster excellence in international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary researcher training, mobility and career development through the co-funding of new or existing programmes. Support will be provided for co-funding of multi-annual doctoral or fellowship programmes at regional, national or international level with renewed emphasis on developing sustainable structuring effects and spreading best practise.
MSCA and Citizens
These actions build on the Researchers’ Night (NIGHT) to increase public awareness of EU-funded research and innovation activities. The dedicated Citizen events and other related outreach initiatives are designed to highlight the excellence research and innovation being undertaken within Europe and to encourage young people to embark on studies and positions in this area. Funding will be provided to support the implementation of public and media events, normally held at the end of September, as well as for other regional or national science festivals and outreach events with EU-added value.
These funding areas have been agreed under the provisional agreement on the legal basis of Horizon Europe reached in early 2019. Further information on the specific activities that will be funded under each area will become available as negotiations on the future programme progress and will be presented in a dedicated work programme developed as part of the multiannual Strategic Planning process for Horizon Europe.
Funding, eligibility and project details
The MSC Actions are open to applications in all research and innovation areas. The participation of non-academic actors, e.g. SMEs, NGOs and cultural institutions is highly encouraged. Support is also provided to encourage diversity and inclusion with dedicated funding available to support the involvement of researchers with disability (Special Needs Lump Sum) and a dedicated family allowance (MSCA Doctorates and MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships). Part-time working within MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and the COFUND Fellowship Programme for personal or professional reasons is also supported.
The MSC Actions fund projects using fixed ‘unit costs’ for the researcher and the institution. These ‘unit costs’ are flat rate EU contributions to support the researcher, research costs and institutional costs during the project. A country correction co-efficient, to account for differences in the cost of living between different countries, is applied specific unit costs that directly support the researcher.
Relevant EU policy areas and developments
The MSC Actions support the implementation of a number of Europe Initiatives, including but not limited to the Digital Skills Agenda, European Skills Agenda, and the Zagreb Call for Action on Brain Circulation. They also contribute to the development of the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Education Area (EEA) by promoting the principles of the ‘European Charter for Researchers’ and the ‘Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers’, which encourage open recruitment and attractive working conditions.
Although a bottom-up programme, the MSCA part of Horizon Europe also significantly contributes to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and to the European Green Deal objectives.
Principles of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) apply throughout all MSC Actions. They also endorse Open Science and other cross-cutting issues, including engaging society, integrating gender and ethical dimensions, ensuring access to research outcomes and encouraging formal and informal science education.
Moreover, there are also synergies between MSCA and other programmes that support these EU policy areas, such as Erasmus+ and the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – all in addition to the synergies with other parts of Horizon Europe and various regional and national research and innovation funding programmes.