Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
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| Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions | |
|---|---|
| Name | Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions |
| Established | 2014 |
| Parent | Horizon 2020 |
| Funding | European Commission |
| Country | European Union |
Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon 2020 constituted a flagship European Union research fellowship and training framework supporting mobility and career development for researchers across disciplines, interfacing with institutions such as the European Commission, European Research Council, and national research agencies. The programme operated within the broader Horizon 2020 programme alongside initiatives connected to the European Parliament, European Council, and national ministries, involving partnerships with universities, research institutes, and industry actors across member states and associated countries.
Overview
The programme built on precedents like the Marie Curie Actions and frameworks linked to the European Research Area, collaborating with institutions such as the European Commission, European Parliament, European Council, European Investment Bank, European Central Bank, European Space Agency, and national agencies including the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, and Spanish National Research Council. It interfaced with universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Sorbonne University, University of Bologna, University of Warsaw, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and technical institutes like ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, Technical University of Munich, and Politecnico di Milano. Partners included corporations and organizations like Siemens, Airbus, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Roche, Novartis, Bayer, Pfizer, and NGOs such as the Wellcome Trust, European Science Foundation, and Marie Curie Foundation.
Objectives and Scope
The programme aimed to support researcher mobility and training aligned with agendas such as the Europe 2020 strategy, the Bologna Process, and the Lisbon Strategy, with links to policy instruments from the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and national ministries of science and technology. Objectives addressed researcher careers connected to institutions including the European Research Council, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Max Planck Society, CNRS, CNR, CSIC, and academies such as the Royal Society, Academia Europaea, and the Polish Academy of Sciences. The scope encompassed doctoral training, postdoctoral fellowships, staff exchanges, and industry-academia pathways involving partners like CERN, EMBL, ESA, EIT, EIT Digital, EIT Health, and the Joint Research Centre.
Funding Schemes and Instruments
Key instruments mirrored previous Marie Curie schemes and included Innovative Training Networks, Individual Fellowships, Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges, Co-funding of regional programmes, and RISE mechanisms, interfacing with grant procedures used by the European Commission, European Research Council grants, and national grants from DFG, ANR, NSF (as comparator), and NWO. Funding agreements connected to legal frameworks such as the Financial Regulation of the European Union, Horizon 2020 Work Programme, and Grant Agreement templates used by institutions like the European Court of Auditors, Court of Justice of the European Union, and national audit offices. Beneficiaries ranged from universities like Harvard (as partner), Yale (as partner), University of Toronto (as partner), to research infrastructures such as EMBL, ESRF, ILL, and ITER-associated organisations.
Eligibility and Application Process
Eligibility rules referenced mobility requirements and researcher status categories similar to those administered by the European Commission and national research councils such as the DFG, ANR, NWO, FWF, and SNF. Applications involved host institutions including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, KU Leuven, and partners like Siemens, Airbus, Roche, Novartis, and academic networks like Marie Curie Alumni Association and EURAXESS. Peer review panels drew expertise from academies and societies including the Royal Society, Academia Europaea, National Academy of Sciences (US), Leopoldina, and Hungarian Academy of Sciences, aligning with evaluation criteria used by the European Research Council and national funding bodies.
Implementation and Management
Management structures included project officers from the European Commission's Research Executive Agency, grant agreement oversight by the European Commission and European Research Council, and auditing interactions with the European Court of Auditors and national audit authorities. Implementation engaged research-intensive institutions such as Max Planck Society, CNRS, CNR, CSIC, EMBL, CERN, Karolinska Institutet, and funding partners including EIB and national ministries like the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Coordination involved networks such as European University Association, League of European Research Universities, Coimbra Group, and partnerships with industry consortia like IMI and public-private programs with EFPIA members.
Impact, Outcomes and Evaluation
Evaluations commissioned by the European Commission referenced impacts on career progression tracked by bodies such as the Marie Curie Alumni Association, European Research Council, OECD, UNESCO, Eurostat, and national statistics offices. Outcomes included mobility statistics involving member states and associated countries, collaborations with institutions like CERN, EMBL, ESRF, and spin-offs linked to companies such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, and biotech firms including Novartis, Roche, and Bayer. Impact assessments drew on case studies from universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Sorbonne, and technical institutes such as ETH Zurich and TU Munich, with benchmarking against programs like NIH fellowships, NSF schemes, and Horizon Europe successors.
Criticism and Challenges
Critiques cited by stakeholders including the European Ombudsman, European Court of Auditors, national academies, and advocacy groups such as the Marie Curie Alumni Association and Science Europe addressed issues comparable to concerns raised in debates involving the European Commission, European Parliament committees, national ministries, and research councils like DFG and ANR. Challenges involved mobility constraints affecting researchers from countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Romania, administrative burdens reported by universities like University of Bologna, University of Warsaw, and management complexities highlighted by institutions including CNRS, Max Planck Society, and Karolinska Institutet, alongside debates in forums such as the European Research Area and meetings of the Council of the European Union.