Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: EUR 530 million to allow 2,000 PhD candidates take part in training opportunities abroad

With a total budget of €530 million, the European Commission will support 147 Innovative Training Networks under its Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programme. The networks involve 1,373 organisations, including 158 SMEs. They will offer top-notch research and training opportunities around the globe to 2,000 PhD candidates. They will also contribute to increasing the overall quality and innovation of doctoral training in Europe and beyond. Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “Congratulations to all selected participants in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programme! Today’s announcement is a living example that research and innovation should work hand in hand with education. This is why we are working towards a European Education Area that has strong links with research. In that context, the European Universities initiative has great potential as it clearly promotes cooperation and activities that will strengthen the links between education, research and innovation, developing students’ research skills, establishing joint education and research labs, and fostering joint strategies for smart specialisation.” Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said: “In these exceptional times, we see more than ever the importance of supporting collaboration between researchers, enterprises and research centres from different countries to provide innovative solutions. The 147 projects selected, involving academic institutions and industrial partners from around the world, are a great example of such collaboration. I would like to congratulate all applicants that made it through this competitive process and wish them all the best in implementing their ideas and enhancing collaborations.” The selected projects cover a variety of research areas, including engineering (31%), life sciences (24%) and social sciences (10%). The full list of selected projects is available here. European Researchers’ Night, also funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, is a Europe-wide public event that brings researchers closer to the public. In 2020, 51 European Researchers’ Night projectswill be funded in 30 European countries. This year, due to the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event initially scheduled for Friday 25 September 2020 will take place on Friday 27 November 2020.