Excellent Science: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are part of the „Excellent Science” in Horizon 2020 and strive to make academic career paths more attractive for early-stage researchers in Europe.

MSCA aim to equip researchers with a range of skills and experiences in the field of R&D. Futhermore, transnational and intersectoral mobility of scientists is supposed to be encouraged. MSCA are open to all topics as well as domains of research and innovation, from basic research to market take-up and innovation services.

There are regular calls for proposals for both institutional and individual actions:

Innovative Training Networks (ITNs)
Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges (RISE)
Individual Fellowships (IF)

Funding conditions

1. Networks: Innovative Training Networks (ITNs)
The goal of the ITN is to establish training networks for doctoral students and to enhance the career perspectives for early-stage researchers. These networks are generally funded for a period of 4 years.

Awarded projects will receive funds for the recruitment and training of individual researchers (salary, travel costs) and management / overhead costs.

ITNs are divided into three categories:

European Training Networks (ETN)
European Industrial Doctorates (EID)
European Joint Doctorates (EJD)

European Training Networks (ETNs)
ETNs involve joint research training implemented by at least three partners located in or outside academia, each of which is located in a different EUR member state (MS) or associated country (AC).

European Industrial Doctorates (EIDs)
EID involve joint doctoral training implemented by at least one academic partner entitled to award doctoral degrees and one industrial partner, which are located in different MS or AC. Each participating researcher is enrolled in a doctoral programme and is jointly supervised. They must spend at least 50% of their time in industry.

European Joint Doctorates (EJDs)
(EJD) involve joint doctoral training implemented by at least three academic institutions located in different MS or ACs. Additional participants from anywhere else in the world, including those from the non-academic sector, can also participate.

2. Staff Exchanges: Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges RISE
RISE funds short-term exchanges for staff to gain experience in another environment (academic, private sector) or country. RISE aims to stimulate interaction between academia and industry in Europe and worldwide.

Proposals are made by at least three partners (e.g. universities, research institutions and non-academic organisations). Each partner must be located in a different MS or AC. Proposals must involve organisations from different sectors, except for worldwide partnerships with third countries (TC), in which exchanges within the same sector are possible.

Research staff (including managerial and technical staff) of any nationality or career level can apply if they have been engaged in or linked to research activities for at least 6 months before the secondment. Funding is available for a secondment period of one month to one year. After this period, the researcher returns to the sending organisation to pass on their knowledge.

The maximum duration of the project is four years.

3. Individual Funding: Individual Fellowships (IFs)
IF is an individual action of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme. The funding applies to experienced researchers who hold a PhD or have at least four years of full-time research experience.

The researcher are free to choose a topic for their individual projects. Secondments to non-academic sector are facilitated. The funding proposal is submitted jointly with the host institution abroad at fixed application deadlines. The funding covers salary costs, research and training costs as well as management/overhead costs.

European Fellowship (EF)
Experienced researchers (postdocs, habilitation candidates) are eligible to receive funding for additional qualifications in a research institution in an EU country (MS or AC). European fellowships last 1-2 years. The funding proposal is submitted to either one of the scientific panels that cover the different academic disciplines, or to one of the three multidisciplinary review panels (Reintegration, Career Restart, Society and Enterprise Panel).

Global Fellowship (GF)
GFs are aimed at research projects of experienced researchers (postdocs. habilitation candidates) at an institution which is located in a third country outside Europe (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan). The research project is split between a 12 to 24-month research stay in the third country and a mandatory 12-month return phase in Europe.

Applicants

Innovative Training Networks:
Networks of at least three institutions (universities, research institutions, enterprises, etc.) from different EU Member States or Associated Countries
Research and Innovation Staff Exchange:
International exchange:
at least two institutions from different EU Member States or Associated Countries and one institution outside Europe
and/or
Inter-sectoral exchange (academic/non-academic sector):
at least two partners from different sectors located in different EU Member States or Associated Countries
Individual Fellowship:
Post-doctoral candidates or researchers with at least four years of full-time research experience

Open calls for proposals

please refer to the "Funding & Tenders Portal" of the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home

Official website

http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/marie-sklodowska-curie-actions

Projects at TU Dresden (Selection)

IPBMNES

Type: Project coordinator TU Dresden
Project duration: 01.01.2017 - 31.12.2018
Total budget: EUR 171,460.80
Project leader at TUD: Dr. Martin Treiber
Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences

CIC-BREL

Typ: Project coordinator TU Dresden
Project duration: 16.03.2018 - 15.03.2021
Total budget: EUR 239,860.80
Project leader at TUD: Prof. Dr. Wolfram Jäger
Faculty of Architecture