EU - Horizon 2020 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

General Info

MAIN OBJECTIVES

The objective of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is to support the career development and training of researchers in all scientific disciplines. The MSCA implements a bottom-up approach grants to researchers at all stages of their career, from PhD candidates to highly experienced researchers, and encourages worldwide, cross-sector and interdisciplinary mobility.

Download the MSCA work programme (for 2018-2020).

TYPES OF ACTIVITIES

• Individual Fellowships (IF)
• Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
• Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges (RISE)

Individual Fellowships (IF) - European Fellowship (EF) mode:

See an overview of the programme below.

The IF funds individual fellows who already have a doctorate or equivalent research experience. They help Experienced Researchers (ERs)¹ to advance their careers and gain new skills through advanced training, international mobility, and optional intersectoral secondments. The IF are held in Member States and are open to researchers either coming to Europe or moving within Europe. The proposal is to be built around a concrete plan of training-through-research with the supervision and support of a supervisor at a host organization. The fellows are required to dedicate 100% of their working time to their project and cannot work on another project at the same time.

There are three types of EF that are suitable for academic organisations:

• Standard EF (ST) - for researchers moving into or within Europe
• Reintegration (RI) - for researchers who wish to return and reintegrate into a longer term research position in Europe
• Career Restart (CAR) - for researchers who wish to resume research in Europe after a career break

The Global Fellowships (GF) mode of the IF is based on a secondment to a third country and a mandatory 12 month return period to a European host. Further to explicit instructions received from the Weizmann top management the RGP will not endorse submissions to the Global Fellowship (GF) mode under the IF action in which the Weizmann Institute would serve as the host institution for the return phase.

Innovative Training Networks (ITN) - European Training Network (ETN) mode:

See an overview of the programme below.

The ITN offers support for competitively selected doctoral training programmes for Early-Stage Researchers (ESR's ²). These programmes will be implemented by European partnerships of universities, research institutions, and non-academic organisations located in Europe and worldwide. As defined by the programme, the recruited ESRs will be involved in individual and personalized research projects.

Further to explicit instructions received from the Weizmann top management the RGP will endorse submissions to the European Training Network (ETN) mode only of the ITN action, in which the ESRs will be enrolled in the PhD track at the Feinberg Graduate School (The EID and EJD modes will not be endorsed).

If the ITN proposal is successful, you will be required to recruit a fellow who will be enrolled in the PhD study track at the FGS. Please take note to verify that the proposal does not contain any foreseen requirements, concerning the selection and recruitment and the PhD track registration and studies of the fellow, which Weizmann/FGS may not be in the position to fulfil. If approved for funding, the proposal will serve as the technical annex of the grant agreement to which the project’s partners will be legally committed. Please send the proposal to the EU Desk, for review, at least two weeks prior to the call deadline and if required, contact the FGS Academic Secretary, Dr. Ami Shalit, for guidance on how to best accommodate the relevant specific aspects of the proposal to the FGS regulations.

The recruitment of proposed excellent young researchers in the framework of this programme must receive a priori consent of the FGS Dean. It is important to emphasize that the project is not intended for all PhD students and that only outstanding candidates will be approved.

Guidance for fellow eligibility and recruitment strategy requirements (for PIs of successful proposals)

Research and Innovation Staff Exchanges (RISE):

RISE supports the short-term mobility of research and innovation staff at all career levels including administrative and technical staff. This action promotes international and inter-sector staff exchanges within partnerships of universities, research institutions and non-academic organisations both within and beyond Europe. Academia-to-academia exchanges are permitted within worldwide partnerships.

IF-EF and ITN-ETN Overview:
Information on the EU contribution is available via the 'Financial Info' tab

<sup>1. Experienced Researchers (ERs) - shall, at the deadline for the submission of proposals, be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience
2. Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) - shall, at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet have been awarded a doctoral degree
3. Member State (MS) - one of the 28 European countries
4. Associated Countries (AC) - non-EU countries that are associated to Horizon 2020 (e.g. Israel)
5. Long-term residents - researchers who spent a period of full-time research activity of at least 5 consecutive (without breaks in research) years in one or more Member States or Associated Countries
6. Third Countries - countries which are neither EU Member States nor associated to Horizon 2020 (e.g. US)</sup>