MSCA 2018 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Beyond 2020

Results in brief

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Beyond 2020

The organisation of MSCA 2018 under the Austrian Council Presidency is to be seen as a continuation of successful MSCA related conferences (Trento, 2014; Luxemburg, 2015; Brussels, 2016; Valletta, 2017; Tallinn, 2017). In general, MSCA 2018 will analyse the current state of play, the challenges, the new trends, and the proposal for the post 2020 programme. Moreover, the conference will come up with conference conclusions in order to facilitate further developments in areas such as prioritising, widening, financing and governing MSCA to meet today´s and tomorrow´s challenges. New and complementary approaches need to be tailored according to the nature of MSCA. In order to foster inter- and multidisciplinary, to widen the applicants´ communities and to exploit innovation and excellence further the conference will also deal with questions related to oversubscription, new career paths, further development in offering training for researchers designed on purpose. MSCA 2018 will enable participants to network and exchange experiences as well as identify common areas of collaboration at international and European level. In a year when core strategic objectives will be discussed in the EU research and education policy areas, the MSCA 2018 will serve as a key event in the RTI and HE events calendar of the Austrian EU Presidency to highlight the importance of human resources, their training and career development as well as scientific excellence. The MSCA 2018 will gather relevant experts and stakeholders from Europe and beyond. They will discuss the challenges in acquiring and developing competent R&I human resources and emerging as well as future needs in skills and training. The conference will discuss how these challenges could be tackled by strategic international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary exchanges and cooperation between European organisations and their international counterparts. In particular, MSCA 2018 will • Strengthen the awareness of the important relevance of human resources, the promotion of early stage researchers and support for experienced researchers and for further benefit of excellent research in a European context by addressing this topic in a dedicated session of the event and presenting successful projects as well as organising a prize competition beforehand and an award ceremony during the conference. • Improve the understanding and importance of intersectoral mobility by addressing this topic in a dedicated session of the event. • Build on widening participation and fostering international cooperation by inviting international as well as widening institutions and leave floor for discussion and networking. • Contribute actively to the discussion on the draft of the next Framework Programme and the role and impact of MSCA and bring forward thoughts and comments on possible issues. • Contribute to a better understanding and visibility of MSCA which still seem to be seen by some stakeholders as a mobility programme only. MSCA are much more than that.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The purpose of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions / MSCA is to bring together organisations such as Universities, SMEs (small/medium enterprises), public and private (non-commercial) research centres, non-profit organisations etc. in order to train early-stage researchers in professional environments. MSCA•Encourage researchers to explore multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary avenues in responding to current and future challenges;•Enhance researchers’ career prospects and exposure to both academic and non-academic fields, through international and intersectoral mobility;•Convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit;•Provide researchers with a set of transferrable skills for the purpose of innovation and long-term employability. Better preparation for work in business, industry and the public and private sectors, effectively moving away from the focus of research as being purely academically centred can be attained.MSCA celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2016. The past 20 years have shown how flexible these actions were adapted to current demands and needs of researchers and the research community. While the focus on the research theme and the project is prevailing the career development scheme has a strong meaning. The work programme for the last three years of Horizon 2020 and therefore MSCA was adopted; the next two years will be implemented as up to now. The third and last year will be depending on the discussions on the next Framework Programme and underline the expected transition period and therefore relevant projects helping to change from one scheme to the other. The draft of the next Framework Programme is expected to be released in May 2018 and will subsequently be one of the priorities during the Austrian Council Presidency. This gives the opportunity to discuss the draft and to gather input from different stakeholders relevant to the process and to the scientific and research community.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

BUNDESMINISTERIUM FUR ARBEIT UND WIRTSCHAFT · WienCoordinatorAustria
OEAD GMBH - AGENTUR FUR BILDUNG UND INTERNATIONALISIERUNG · WienAustria

MSCA 2018 · Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Beyond 2020

Results in brief

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Beyond 2020

Project objective

Participants

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