Research: 7th Framework programme - People (Marie Curie actions)

Introduction

 

The Marie Curie Actions will be funded under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) Specific Programme 'People'. Its main objective is to strengthen the human potential in research and technology in Europe and to make Europe a more attractive place for researchers to work. A key focus of the 'People' programme therefore is to have a structuring effect throughout Europe on the organisation, performance and quality of research training, on the active career development of researchers, on knowledge-sharing through researchers between sectors and research organisations, and on strong participation by women in research and development.

The ‘People’ programme will be implemented through a set of Marie Curie Actions addressing researchers at all stages of their professional lives, from early-stage research training to lifelong training opportunities. They will provide opportunities for individual researchers and organisations - universities, research institutes and companies - to develop their research skills and training capacity, by building on industrial and academic expertise within Europe and across the world, through staff exchanges, secondments, postgraduate and postdoctoral fellowships.

Five Marie Curie Actions are envisaged:

  • Initial training of researchers
  • Life-long training and career development
  • Industry-academia pathways and partnerships
  • International dimension (attracting research talent from outside Europe)
  • Specific actions to support the creation of a European labour market for researchers

Marie Curie Actions

These five Marie Curie Actions are detailed below. Please note that these are still Commission proposals and will only be final when the full FP7 proposal and Specific Programmes have been adopted.  This process is likely to be completed in the latter part of 2006, with the first calls possibly in December 2006 but more likely to be early 2007.

Potential applicants will need to read the Work Programme and relevant application documentation to prepare their applications. These should be available at the time of the calls as they can not be finalised until FP7 has been adopted.

I. The initial training of researchers
This action will support the initial training of researchers, typically directed at the first four years of researchers’ careers, plus up to one additional year if necessary for the completion of the initial training. The action will be implemented through support to competitively selected networks (Marie Curie Networks) of complementary organisations from different countries engaged in research training.

Community support under this action would comprise:

  • the recruitment of early-stage researchers (Ph.D. students and junior postdocs) to be trained;
  • the possibility for setting up academic chairs, or equivalent positions in enterprises, for experienced researchers, with a view to transferring new knowledge and strengthening supervision;
  • the organisation of short training events (conferences, summer schools and specialised training courses), open to both trainees of the network and to researchers from outside the network.

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II. The life-long training and career development of experienced researchers
This action will target experienced researchers (having at least four years of full-time research experience, or postdocs) at different stages of their careers, by enhancing their individual competence diversification in terms of acquisition of multi- or interdisciplinary skills or the undertaking of inter-sectoral experiences.

This action will be implemented through:

  • support for individual trans-national intra-European fellowships awarded directly at Community level
  • co-funding of regional, national or international programmes in the field of research training and career development

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III. Industry-academia partnerships and pathways
This action will seek to open and foster dynamic pathways between public research organisations and private commercial enterprises, including in particular SMEs.

Community support will take one or more of the following forms:

  • staff secondments between both sectors within the partnership, with a view of reinforcing the inter-sectoral co-operation;
  • temporary hosting in both sectors of experienced researchers recruited from outside the partnership;
  • organisation of workshops and conferences enhancing the inter-sectoral experience and knowledge exchange, to reach a larger number of staff members from both sectors;
  • as an SME specific measure a contribution to small equipment related to their participation in the co-operation.

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IV. The international dimension
The career development of researchers from Member States and associated countries will be supported through:

  • outgoing international fellowships, with mandatory return, for experienced researchers
  • return and international reintegration grants for experienced researchers after an international experience.

The international co-operation through researchers will be supported through:

  • incoming international fellowships to attract highly qualified third-country researchers to Member States and associated countries

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Closure dates for for proposals

Website PEOPLE

 

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