The MSCA trace their origins back to 1996. Initially launched under the name "Marie Curie Actions," the European Commission established the programme to support the mobility, training, and career development of researchers across Europe.
The programme was rebranded as the "Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions" in 2014 with the launch of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, to continue addressing the changing needs of the research community.
MSCA under Horizon Europe
Following feedback from various stakeholders, there are a number of changes to the MSCA under Horizon Europe (2021-2027), compared to the previous programme Horizon 2020 (2014-2020). The budget for the MSCA under Horizon Europe is €6.6 billion.
Some of the main changes include
- streamlined actions
- harmonizes rules
- stronger emphasis on supervision
- greener MSCA
To reflect this evolution, the actions have also changed names. See table below to compare.
| Horizon 2020 | Horizon Europe |
|---|---|
| Innovative Training Networks (ITN) | Doctoral Networks (DN) |
| Individual Fellowships (IF) | Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) |
| Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) | Staff Exchanges (SE) |
| Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND) | COFUND (no change) |
| European Researchers’ Night (NIGHT) | MSCA and Citizens |