Objectives

The very success of an effective European Research Area depends primarily on Europe maintaining and increasing its supply of highly trained and innovative researchers.

FP7 sets out a specific programme on 'People', with the objective of strengthening the human potential in research and technology in all European countries.

It aims to do this, by stimulating people to enter into research professions, encouraging European researchers to stay in Europe, and making Europe more attractive to the best researchers from the entire world.

This will be done by putting into place a coherent set of Marie Curie actions, addressing researchers at all stages of their professional lives, from initial research training to life long learning and career development.

Highly trained, qualified researchers are needed to advance science and underpin innovation, and to attract and sustain public and private investment in research. With growing global competition, the development of an open European labour market for researchers the diversification of skills and career paths of researchers are crucial. Mobility, both trans-national and inter-sectoral, is a key component of the European Research Area.

Instruments

The Framework Programme Marie Curie Actions play a significant role in increasing the quality and quantity of researchers in Europe, thereby contributing towards the Barcelona and Lisbon objectives. The Actions allow for the training and professional development of researchers of all levels of experience; providing them with a springboard for initiating and launching their research careers, facilitating networking and collaborative working between research groups across Europe, and providing a means for the European research base to be opened to researchers from the rest of the world.

• Initial training of researchers via Marie Curie Networks. The aim is to improve their career perspectives by strengthening the initial training and career development of researchers at the European level and to overcome any fragmentation of researchers' qualifications and prospects.
• Life-long training and career development to support the career development of experienced researchers. This action line will be implemented through both individual fellowships awarded directly at Community level and through the co-financing of regional, national or international programmes.
• Industry-academia pathways and partnerships: Support to longer term cooperation programmes between academia and industrial entities, in particular SMEs.
• The international dimension, to attract research talent from outside Europe and foster mutually beneficial research collaboration with researchers from outside Europe, through international outgoing fellowships, international incoming fellowships, and partnerships to support the exchange of researchers. These actions will be implemented in line with the international activities under the Cooperation and Capacities Programmes.
• Specific actions to support the creation of a genuine European labour market for researchers, and awards to improve the public awareness of Marie Curie actions.

How do the FP7 Marie Curie Actions differ from FP6 Marie Curie Actions?

The budget has increased from 1.8bn€ under FP6 (4 year programme) to 4.7bn€ under FP7 (7 year programme). There is much continuity between the two, though some actions have disappeared as stand-alone actions and been merged into one action or they have become part of a couple of actions as per the table below.  There is no longer support for Excellence Teams under the Marie Curie Actions, though the European Research Council's (ERC) ‘Starting Independent Research Grant’ covers similar aims. The ERC is funded under FP7 and like the Marie Curie Actions, its calls are currently open.

For further details contact the National Contact Point, mcst.info@gov.mt or visit www.mcst.gov.mt or the EU Commission site: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/home_en.html