This page describes the five Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Potential applicants should in the first instance contact an eligible host institution to identify whether they will support their application. As the application dates and processes are different for each of the Actions, please refer to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website for the precise details on how to apply.

For enquiries contact the Research Enquiry Service and Participant Validation.

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Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Doctoral Networks

Doctoral Networks aims to implement doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

Benefits include a living allowance, a mobility allowance and if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities, and management and indirect costs.

Key eligibility criteria:

• Must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment
• Can be of any nationality
• Should be enrolled in a doctoral programme during the project
• Should spend at least 50% of their time outside academia, for Industrial Doctorates
• Should comply with the mobility rules: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

Benefits include a living allowance, a mobility allowance and if applicable, family, long-term leave and special needs allowances. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities, and management and indirect costs.

Key eligibility criteria:

• Have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply
• Must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe
• Should comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Staff Exchanges

Funding short-term exchanges of personnel between academic, industrial and commercial organisations throughout the world.

Benefits for the researcher include a Top‐up Allowance to support travel, accommodation and subsistence costs which is on top of the salary paid by their organisation. A special needs allowance, if applicable. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities, and management and indirect costs.

Key eligibility criteria:

• Research staff of any nationality and at any career level – from PhD preparation to experienced researchers – can undertake a secondment. Staff members working in managerial, technical or administrative roles can also take part.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes

Providing organisations with additional financial support for their own researcher training and career development programmes.

Benefits: Up to €10 million. Duration: Up to 5 years.

Key eligibility criteria:

• Each proposal should have one main participant, such as a government ministry, regional authority, funding agency, university, research organisation, enterprise.
• Experienced researchers and doctoral candidates apply directly to the relevant funding organisation through vacancies for co-funded programmes on Euraxess, a jobs portal for researchers.