Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MCSA) are a set of major mobility research grants created by the European Union/European Commission to support research in the European Research Area (ERA). It is currently financed through the eighth of the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development (called Horizon 2020) and belongs to the so-called first pillar: namely, "Excellent Science." In this funding scheme, the European Research Council (ERC) has devoted over €6 billon to the grant program.
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Established in 1996 as Marie Curie Actions and known since 2014 as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the fellowship program aims to foster the career development and further training of researchers at all career stages. MCSA promote interdisciplinary research and international collaborations, supporting scientists from not only within Europe but also across the globe. Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellowships are Europe’s most competitive and prestigious awards, aimed to support the best, most promising scientists.
In March 2017, over 100,000 researchers had been supported by MSCA. To mark this milestone, the European Commision selected thirty highly-promising researchers (who achieved the highest evaluation scores in 2016) to showcase the EU's actions dedicated to excellence and worldwide mobility in research.
The Polish-French namesake of MCSA was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences (physics and chemistry).
Types of funding
Fellowships are awarded by the European Commission across scientific disciplines within the framework of Horizon 2020.
MCSA are grouped into the following schemes:
Within the framework of Horizon 2020, which runs from 2014 through 2020, MSCA will award €6.16 billion in funding.
Examples of Marie Curie Actions
Initial Training Networks (ITN) networks:
Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)