Marie Curie Actions:
The People Programme
Elizabeth Kokozila
Centre for Research and Technology Hellas
Research Policies and Mobility of Researchers Unit
PEOPLE NCP – Helpdesk for Northern Greece
UoI ESC Launching Event, 23 February 2011,
Ioannina
Where is the money coming from?
FP7 (2007-2013)
FP7 = EU’s research funding instrument
Budget : Billion €50.5
4 Programmes: Cooperation, Ideas, People, Capacities
FP7 breakdown
(€ million)
(+ Joint Research
Centre
+ Euratom)
Ideas: B €7.51
Cooperation:
B€ 32.5
PEOPLE : B €4.75
Marie Curie Actions
JRC:
B 1750
€1.75
JRC : M€
Euratom: B €2.75
Nuclear research
Capacities: B €4.1
What are the Marie Curie Actions?
• created more than a decade ago (1996)
• Most important European programme for
researchers’ mobility (50000 Marie Curie fellows to
date)
• evolved actions aimed at structuring training,
mobility and career development for researchers in
Europe.
• Implemented through People Programme (FP7
2007-2013)
People Programme (FP7)
Objectives
• Develop European human resources potential in R&D
• Stimulate people to enter researcher profession
• Retain & attract researchers from around the world
• Best working and employment conditions, in line with
the European Researchers’ Charter
• Support the Knowledge triangle by exposing new
generations of researchers to both public and private,
and equip them with appropriate transferable skills
People Programme (FP7)
Some basic about Marie Curie:
• Addressed to researchers at all stages of their careers
• Open to all domains of research (bottom-up)
• Mobility (international, intersectoral, interdisciplinary) - a
fundamental component in R&D
• Selection criteria: S&T quality, Quality of participants,
Implementation and Impact
• Budget covers generally salary, mobility and research
budget for the researcher
• Application through competitive calls for proposals…
• … leading to excellence 
People Programme
bottom up approach
MATHEMATICS
4%
CHE
ENG
13
%
S
IN
G
M
IC
IN
EE
R
NO
ENVIRONMENT
13%
LIFE
SCIENCE
33%
ECO
EN
G
C
PHYSICS
13%
EC
O
HE
M
IS
TR
Y
SOCIAL
SCIENCES
11%
3%
10
%
Distribution of FP7- Marie Curie Action projects in
different panels
ENV
LIF
MAT
PHY
SOC
Marie Curie Actions
for each need
Marie Curie Actions
Objective
Initial training of
researchers (1900
Initial Training Networks
(ITN)
Improve career perspectives of
early stage researchers in both
public & private sector
Life-long training
and career
development
Intra-European Fellowships
(IEF)
Career development of
experienced researchers by e.g.:
diversification skills/competencies;
reintegrate after mobility/resume
research
M€)
(1170–1400 M€)
Career Integration Grants
(CIG)
Co-funding of regional,
national, international
programmes (COFUND)
Industry dimension
Industry-Academia
Partnerships and Pathways
(IAPP)
Open and foster dynamic pathways
between public research
organisations and private
commercial enterprises
International
dimension
“World
fellowships”
Outgoing International
Fellowships (IOF)
Reinforce extra-European
dimension of the ERA through
mobility through training,
knowledge transfer, and
cooperation
(250-450 M€)
(1170–1400 M€)
Incoming International
Fellowships (IIF)
International Research Staff
Exchange Scheme (IRSES)
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Aims to improve career perspectives of early stage researchers in both
public & private sector
Scope:

International networks of participants from public & private sector

Joint research training programme

Complementary skills acquisition: entrepreneurship, management, IPR, grant writing,
communication
Eligible researchers : Nationals from any country

Mainly Early-Stage Researchers (ESR): no PhD or less than 4 years experience in research

Experienced researchers (ER): PhD or more than 4 years experience in research, but less than 5
years.

Visiting Professors
European Union Contribution



Attractive salaries of recruited researchers
Research and networking costs
Organisation of short training events (workshops, seminars, summer schools and conferences)
 About 10 000 researchers funded
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Participants
 National organisations (e.g. universities, research centres, etc…
whether private or public)
 Commercial enterprises, especially SMEs
 Non-profit or charitable organisations (NGOs, trusts, etc…)
 International European Interest Organisations (CERN, EMBL, …)
 The Joint Research Center of the EC
 International organisations (WHO, UNESCO, etc…)
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Level of participation
2 levels of participation:

Participants (level 1):
Recruit and employ researchers to implement the joint training
programme, provide specialised and transferable training, offer
secondment opportunities

Associated partners (level 2):
Do not recruit researchers but provide specialised and
transferable training, and offer secondment opportunities

All partners participate in dedicated networking
activities and supervisory board
Initial Training Networks
(ITN)
Participant rules:
Participants must be universities, research centres, companies, SMEs
Typically located in at least 3 different MS or AS (regular size of
consortium: 6-10 participants)
Involvement of private sector essential
Project duration: 48 months
Eligible researchers (from any country):
early-stage researchers (funding: 3-36 months) - 80%
experienced researchers (funding: max 24 months; max 20%)
visiting scientists: for short stays (Justified)
Community Contribution:
Salaries of recruited researchers / visiting scientists
Research and networking costs
Organization of training events open to external researchers
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Which Countries?
4 categories of participating countries
 EU Member States (MS)
 Associated Countries (AC):
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Iceland,
Israel, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and
Turkey
 International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC)
 Other (non-AC, non-ICPC) Third Countries (OTC)
 Minimum eligibility criteria: ≥3 Participants from 3 different
countries (MS or AC)
Life Long Training
& Career Development
Career development of experienced researchers by diversification of
skills & competences; reintegration after mobility/resume
research. (”Significant step” in career)
Operated through:

Individual Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Career Integration Grants (CIG)

“Co-funding” of national, regional and international fellowship
programmes (CO-FUND)
 About 22 000 researchers funded
Intra-European Fellowships
(IEF)
Main characteristics
 To support career development or restart
 Experienced researchers* of any nationality
*Be in possession of a doctoral degree, or 4 years of full-time research
experience at the time of the relevant call deadline
 Trans-national mobility* within Member States (MS) or Associated
Countries (AC)
 Applicants must comply with the rules for mobility
*They have not to have resided or carried out their main activity in the
country of the host organisation for more then 12 months in the 3 years
immediately prior to the relevant deadline
 Application submitted by the researcher in conjunction with the host
organisation
 Project duration: 12 up to 24 months
Career Integration Grants (CIG)
Main characteristics
 To encourage researchers to establish themselves in a Member State
of an Associated Country
 Experienced researchers of any nationality
 Applicants must comply with the rules for mobility
 Project duration: 24 up to 48 months
 Flat rate contribution of 25 000 EUR per researcher/year for
research costs
Life Long Training and Career
Development
Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes
(COFUND)
COFUND allows:
– The opening up of an existing programme for transnational mobility
– The creation of new transnational programmes
– The increase in quantity and quality of transnational fellowships awarded by
the co-funded programmes
– Combating fragmentation of objectives, evaluation methods an working
conditions
Participant rules : Organisations funding and managing a fellowship programme



Official public bodies (ministries, academies, councils, agencies, …)
Other bodies including research organisations (with official mandate or recognise by public
authorities)
Bodies at international level, running such schemes at European level
COFUND
Main characteristics
 Duration of Co-funding: 24-60 months;
 No maximum or minimum size of programme required, but the
programme should have sufficient impact in the specific scientific
field(s) or geographical area;
 Bottom-up approach: all domains of research and technological
development are eligible.
 Eligible researchers
 Experienced researchers
 Three types of trans-national mobility:
 Outgoing : to another MS/AC/TC
 Incoming : from another MS/AC/TC
 Re-integration : from TC to MS/AC (after a research stay of at least 3
years)
 Community contribution
40% of the fellowship costs for eligible researchers (max. 10 M€ per
applicant)
Industry–Academia
Partnerships & Pathways (IAPP)
Foster research collaboration between non-commercial (public)
research organisations & commercial enterprises





Based on common research project
Intersectoral mobility & skills exchange
Staff secondments & recruitments of experienced researchers
Usual duration: 48 months
Participants: minimum ONE per sector from 2 different MS/AC (Additional participants:
from anywhere in the world
Eligible researchers

Staff exchange – secondments (either ESRs or ERs): 2 to 24 months

Recruitment of ERs (optional) : 12 to 24 months – Satisfy the mobility rule
Community contribution

Staff secondments and recruitment of experienced researchers (optional)

Research and networking costs

Specific small equipment for SMEs: <10% total contribution
 About 6 000 secondment & recruitments funded
IAPP Activities &
Participants
Sector 1
Sector 2
(non-commercial)
Recruited
researchers
from publicized
vacancies
(commercial)
Staff
secondment
Coordinator
P1
(DE)
P3
(CH)
P4
(NZ)
P2
(NL)
P5
(DE)
Recruited
researchers
from publicized
vacancies
World Fellowships
Reinforce the international (extra-European) dimension
of the EU’s human resources in R&D
Operated through

International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF)

International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)

International Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)
 About 16 000 researchers funded
International Outgoing
Fellowships (IOF)
Main characteristics

Fellowships of 2 phases: initial outgoing phase in a TC (partner
organisation) and a re-integration phase in a MS or AC (return
host organisation)

Experienced researchers from Member States (MS) or Associated
Countries (AC)

Project duration: 24-36 months (outgoing phase:1-2 year(s);
reintegration phase:1 year)

Application submitted by the researcher in conjunction with the
host organisation

Grant agreement to be issued with the return host organisation in
MS or AC
International Incoming
Fellowships (IIF)
Main characteristics

Experienced researchers of any nationality active in research in a Third
Country (TC)

They must move from a TC to a Member State (MS) or Associated Country
(AC)

Applicants must comply with the rules for mobility: they have not to have

Possible return phase of max 12 months for researchers coming from
International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC)

Project duration: 12 up to 24 months (+ possible return phase : 12

Grant agreement to be issued with the host organisation in MS or AC- in
case of return phase in an ICPC, Grant agreement to be issued with the
host located in ICPC
resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the host organisation for
more then 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the relevant deadline
months)
International Research Staff
Exchange (IRSES)
Objective:
To establish or deepen partnerships between at least 2
research organisations in Member States/Associated
Countries and 1 organisation in Countries covered by the
European Neighbourhood policy and Countries with
S&T Agreements through a joint programme of exchange of
researchers
International Research Staff
Exchange (IRSES)
Which countries ?
Countries with EC agreements on S&T: Argentina*, Australia,
Brazil*, Canada, China*, Chile*, Egypt*, India*, Japan, South
Korea, Mexico*, Morocco*, New Zealand, Russia*, South
Africa*, Tunisia*, Ukraine*, United States
Countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP):
 Eastern Europe & Central Asia (EECA) Armenia*, Azerbaijan*,
Belarus*, Georgia*, Moldova*, Ukraine*
 Mediterranean Partner Countries (MCP) Algeria*, Egypt*,
Jordan*, Lebanon*, Libya*, Morocco*, Palestinian-administrated
areas*, Syrian Arab Rep*., Tunisia*
* International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC)
International Research Staff
Exchange (IRSES)
Exchange Programme
 Multi-annual joint exchange programme (balanced &
coordinated)
 Short term exchanges (up to 1 year per person in
total, short visits, i.e. of less than 1 month, are
exceptional)
 Staff: researchers, management, technical staff
 Exchanges to/from Europe (not between EU/AC
partners)
 Staff are seconded (salary is paid by the institution of
origin)
 Partner institutes select their staff for exchange
 EC contribution: 1900€ researcher/month (+ 200€ for
long distance)
 For ICPC an identical Community contribution is
provided if requested
Future Call deadlines
& Budget
Calls in 2011
ACTION
CALL PUBLICATION
CALL DEADLINE
BUDGET
ITN
20 July 2010
26 January 2011
318,41 M€
IAPP
20 July 2010
7 December 2010
80 M€
COFUND
20 October 2010
17 February 2011
90 M€
IRSES
20 October 2010
17 March 2011
30 M€
CIG
(Career Integration
Grants)
20 October 2010
8 March 2011
6 September 2011
40 M€
16 March 2011
16 March 2011
16 March 2011
11 August 2011
11 August 2011
11 August 2011
IEF
IIF
IOF
110 M€
40 M€
40 M€
Marie Curie Actions: Statistics
(02/2010)
Indicative
data per year
Submitted
proposals
Funded
projects
Budget (ME)
Success rate
Number of
fellowships** expected
Range of the
number of partners
Average EC
contribution
ITN*
1.000
90
365
9%
1.800
8 -12
3.600.000€
IEF
2.500
550
95
22%
550
1
170.00 €
IOF
600
120
28
20%
120
2
240.000 €
IIF
1.000
160
28
16%
160
1-2
175.000 €
IRG
400
170
20
43%
170
1
100.000 €
ERG
200
130
11
65%
130
1
45.000 €
Cofund
40
25
75
63%
1.800
1
3.000.000 €
IRSES***
170
110
30
65%
1.400
5 -10
275.000 €
IAPP
350
70
65
20%
350
3 -4
900.000 €
Total
6.260
1.425
717
* ITN (budget for 2 years)
** Duration of fellowships varies from several months to 4 years
*** IRSES: These figures do not take into account fellowships paid by third country
6.480
Marie Curie Actions
Mobility Pattern
1400
1200
Number of Fellows by host country
1000
RG
800
ITN
IOF
IIF
600
IEF
IAPP
400
200
0
UK DE FR ES NL CH
IT
IL
EL AT BE SE PT
IE DK TR PL CZ
FI NO HU
IS RO
SI BG CY
Marie Curie Actions
Nationality of Fellows
700
600
500
400
IAPP
IEF
IIF
IOF
ITN
RG
300
200
CY
AR
JP
BR
IR
DK
SK
CA
AU
CH
UA
FI
BG
CZ
RO
IE
SE
HU
AT
RU
BE
US
PT
TR
NL
CN
IL
UK
EL
PL
IN
DE
FR
ES
IT
0
MX
100
Lessons learned
The impact of the Programme has been most
significant in relation to:
• International research training experience,
involving most excellent institutions worldwide
• Development of appropriate skills for the needs
of both the public and private sector
• Impact on quality of Research training in Europe
(research work complemented by structured
training, supervision arrangements, etc)
• Impact on Working & Employment Conditions of
researchers
• Impact on funding bodies (through COFUND)
• Impact on the promotion of The European
Charter for Researchers
Overview of an Evaluation
Submission
Full Proposal
Proposal
forms
Eligibility
Individual
reading
Evaluators
Criteria
Consensus
Panel
Evaluators
Evaluators
Criteria
Criteria
Proposals in
suggested
priority order
Finalisation
Final ranking
list
Rejection list
Before writing a proposal:
Read!
1.
2.
3.
Work Program: objectives of the action and evaluation criteria
Guide for applicants: practical cases but also the criteria are a bit more
detailed
Rules for submission of proposals, and the related evaluation, selection and
award procedures (for knowledge only)
Writing a proposal: a few practical
points
1)
Think about an innovative research project that suits your needs
2)
Find the suitable hosts/partners for the project
3)
While writing the application, keep in mind:
- Objectives of the scheme
- Consider carefully all the evaluation criteria (do not undervalue
training / impact criteria…) and the sub-criteria
- Remember that you have to convince the evaluators
- Make sure that the host (partners) are involved in the writing of
the application (it feels when it is not the case)
- Be clear, concise and realistic; presentation is also important
- Make the evaluator’s life easier.
- do not wait for the submission
4)
Have the application read by a third person
Information
• Information People programme
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/home_en.html
• Information Marie Curie Actions:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions
• THE EURAXESS PORTAL
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index_en.cfm
• Registration of experts:
http://cordis.europa.eu/emmfp7/
Thank you
for your attention!
ekokoz@certh.gr