Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions


Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are a set of major research fellowships created by the European Union/European Commission to support research in the European Research Area. These fellowships are among Europe's most competitive and prestigious research and innovation awards. Established in 1996 as Marie Curie Actions and known since 2014 as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, they aim to foster the career development and further training of researchers at all career stages. The MSCA promotes interdisciplinary research and international collaborations, supporting scientists from not only within Europe but also across the globe. MSCA is currently financed through the eighth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and belongs to the so-called 'first pillar' of Horizon2020: "Excellent Science." Through this funding scheme, the Research Executive Agency has devoted over €6 billion to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Since the launch of the programme in 1996, over 100,000 researchers had received MSCA grants by March 2017. To mark this milestone, the European Commission selected thirty highly-promising researchers to showcase the EU's actions dedicated to excellence and worldwide mobility in research.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie is the Polish-French namesake of the programme and was the first female Nobel prize winner. The only person to win a Nobel Prize for contributions in two different sciences, she was also the first — and only woman — to have been awarded a Nobel Prize twice.

Types of funding

Fellowships are awarded by the European Commission across scientific disciplines within the framework of Horizon 2020.
MSCA 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.