Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions : driving innovation, cultivating excellence in doctoral and postdoctoral training.
Date: 2020-03-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture
Subjects: cooperation in the field of education, education policy, postgraduate education, school-industry relations, scientific cooperation

MSCA

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Driving innovation, cultivating excellence in doctoral                                                         
and postdoctoral training

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are part of Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation 2014-
2020. With a budget of EUR 6.16 billion for this period, MSCA will support 65,000 researchers in Europe and beyond, promoting 
collaboration between academic, scientific and business communities, boosting the careers of scientists and developing excellent 
doctoral programmes.

The Actions

Any research field may qualify for funding. The researcher and host 
institution decide. 

1

Innovative Training Networks (ITN):

Joint research training or doctoral programmes bring together universities, 
research institutes and other sectors from across the world to train researchers 
to doctorate level and develop excellent doctoral programmes.

2

Individual Fellowships (IF):

Fellowships for postdoc researchers of any nationality enabling them to move 
across borders within and outside Europe, sectors and disciplines. 

3

Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges (RISE):

Short-term exchanges of personnel between universities, research institutes and 
other sectors throughout the world.

4

Co-funding of regional, national  
and international programmes (COFUND):

Provides organisations in Europe with financial support for their own doctoral, 
postdoctoral and career development programmes.

5

The European Researchers’ Night (NIGHT):

Annual public event promoting research that takes place in September and 
attracts 1.5 million visitors in over 370 cities across Europe and beyond.

For researchers  
who want to

>  undertake a research project in 
Europe through a doctorate or 
a postdoc programme,  
in an academic or other  
(e.g. business) setting

>  spend their time at the leading 

labs in Europe or beyond

>  be part of a well-established  

and prestigious European Union 
programme

>  benefit from good working  

conditions

For organisations to

>  build and strengthen strategic 

partnerships with leading 
research groups, universities 
and industry worldwide

> develop excellent doctoral    
   programmes

>  increase the number of 

researchers

> host and train leading and       
   promising researchers at no   
   cost

Marie Skłodowska-Curie
actions

What's in it for you?
MSCA offers opportunities wherever you are in your research career. 

POSTDOCS
Are you a talented researcher already with a 
PhD and looking to undertake research abroad?  
Apply for a two (or three) year Individual Fellowship 
together with the university, research institute or 
company of your choice. Go anywhere in Europe and 
beyond and boost your career through high-quality 
training and skills development. And look at EURAXESS 
Jobs for vacancies under COFUND postdoc programmes. 

STUDENTS
Would you like to do a PhD abroad?   
Receive high-quality training and excellent working 
conditions while doing your doctorate in another 
country. Take a look at the Euraxess jobs site https://
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/search for vacancies for 
doctoral candidates in the numerous MSCA Innovative 
Training Networks and in the COFUND doctoral 
programmes. 
UNIVERSITIES/RESEARCH INSTITUTES
Interested in training PhD candidates from 
PROFESSOR/
abroad? In developing an excellent doctoral 
programme?  
Join with colleagues from other universities, researcher 
institutes and other sectors from across the world and 
apply for an Innovative Training Network; hire young 
PhD candidates as part of the network, helping them 
gain experience of different working environments 
while developing transferable skills and training them 
to doctorate level.

Looking to broaden the horizon of your staff?  
Engage in a MSCA RISE project to build a new research 
network or consolidate an existing one; arrange for 
short-term exchanges of personnel between academic 
and non-academic organisations across the globe; 
develop your and your staffs’ skills and careers 
while building strong collaborative links between the 
network partners.

Interested in attracting highly qualified 
postdoctoral researchers from Europe and 
beyond at no cost?  
Become a host of an MSCA Individual Fellowship; the 
grant provides allowances for salary, travel and family 
costs to the researcher, and contributes to training, 
networking, research, and management costs.  

COMPANIES and OTHER NON ACADEMIC PARTNERS
Do you want to strengthen your cooperation 
with academic partners?  
Join an Innovative Training Network or a European 
Industrial Doctorate that help PhD candidates step 
outside academia and develop skills in  business 
and beyond; individuals are jointly supervised by the 
academic and non-academic partners. 

Interested in a highly qualified postdoctoral 
researcher at no cost?  
Become a host organisation for an MSCA Individual 
Fellowship; the MSCA grant provides allowances for 
salary, travel and family costs to the researcher, and 
contributes to training, networking, research, and 
management costs.  

Funding opportunities

Innovative Training Networks (ITN):
No more calls foreseen under Horizon 2020 

Individual Fellowships (IF): 
     08/04/2020         09/09/2020        €328.00 million

RISE:
     05/12/2019 

      28/04/2020        €80.00 million

COFUND:  
     08/04/2020         29/09/2020        €100.00 million

NIGHT:
No more calls foreseen under Horizon 2020 

For more information, please contact 
EAC-MARIE-SKLODOWSKA-CURIE-ACTIONS@ec.europa.eu  
or - for support in your native language - the National  
Contact Point (NCP).  
To find the NCP in your country, please consult the website at 
ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/
support/ncp

Printed by the Publications Office of  
the European Union in Luxembourg

© European Union, 2020

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ISBN 978-92-76-16287-2

ISBN 978-92-76-16286-5

doi: 10.2766/687797

doi: 10.2766/264052

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