Marie Curie actions in Horizon 2020

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:09:07 +0200

Swisscore reports increased funding and a simplification of the EC funded Marie Curie Actions to be envisaged for Horizon 2020, the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. In view of the widely acknowledged success of these actions in FP7, making research careers more attractive and creating a strong European research community, the European Commission proposes a budget increase from the €4.7 billion in the current Framework Programme (FP7) to €6 billion in Horizon 2020. In addition to a name change (from Marie Curie to Marie Skłodowska-Curie), to ease participation a simplification is envisaged, with the eight actions in FP7 being reduced to just four: i) Innovative Training Networks (ITN); ii) Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE); iii) Individual Fellowships (IF); iv) Co-funding. IF, a scheme designed for experienced researchers, reflects the biggest change, incorporating the current Intra European Fellowships, International Outgoing Fellowships, International Incoming Fellowships and Career Integration Grants. Details of the implementation plan and the precise budget will not be published until 2013, when the final negotiations for Horizon 2020 have been completed. Discussions on the best way forward are still ongoing with many stakeholders pointing out that the objectives and formats of the individual instruments differ substantially and integration into a reduced number of actions will be difficult.