The undersigned European R&I organisations express their concern that despite its achievements and popularity the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are absent from the Mario Draghi’s report and the Mission Letters for the proposed European Commissioners.

The signatories highlight the MSCA’s essential contributions to Europe’s research, innovation and competitiveness by investing in the next generation of researchers and entrepreneurs. Therefore, we call for the recognition the MSCA deserves, alongside an increased budget to unlock its full potential.

The current funding is insufficient to maintain the programme’s momentum and expand its reach. We therefore urge the European Commission, Parliament and Council to recognise the MSCA’s invaluable contributions by increasing its budget, while maintaining its purely bottom-up research character.

EPSO signed the joint statement of European R&I organisations which was initiated by the League of European Research Universities (LERU). The declaration will be brought to the attention of the European Commission. We call upon all EPSO members to help bring the joint statement to the attention of national ministries and Members of the European Parliament.

EPSO published its own statements on Horizon Europe and FP10, including recommendations such as

  • Preserve and strengthen the European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
  • Add Research Actions in Pillar 2 to create an upwards R&I spiral, a step change in the Framework programme. Make collaborative basic research an intrinsic component …

EPSO and its members look forward to engaging as a major stakeholder with national ministries across Europe, the European Parliament and the European Commission and continues providing scientific input during the discussions with policy makers and other stakeholders on Horizon Europe and FP10.

Read the joint statement ‘We need much more MSCA!’ of 3.10.2024

Read the EPSO statements:

 

Contacts:

Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director, BE

Odd Arne Rognli, NMBU, NO & EPSO President

Alan Schulman, LUKE, Univ. Helsinki, & former EPSO President