MSCA researchers selected to showcase EU actions
To mark the 100,000th fellow benefitting from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), 30 researchers have been selected to showcase the EU’s actions dedicated to excellence and worldwide mobility in research.
Since the launch of the programme 20 years ago, the share of female participants has been exceptionally high and 18 of the selected researchers are women.
Tibor Navracsics, European commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport, said: “Celebrating the award of the 100,000th Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship is a great moment to recall the importance of this programme, which supports our brightest and best researchers in tackling the big societal challenges facing Europe.
“Marie Skłodowska-Curie paved the way for future generations of female researchers. On the eve of International Women’s Day, I am especially proud that the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions pay particular attention to gender balance and, with more than 40% of fellowships awarded to female scientists, are the best performing part of Horizon 2020 with respect to gender.”
The 30 chosen researchers represent the 100,000 fellows who have been supported by the MSCA over the past two decades. The group includes 28 European nationals, one from each EU member state, as well as one researcher from Colombia and one from New Zealand. Their research topics cover a wide spectrum, ranging from tackling climate change and groundbreaking research on fighting cancer to the prevention of violent radicalisation.
The 30 researchers have achieved the highest evaluation scores in the 2016 call for proposals for individual fellowships. They competed with 8,916 proposals submitted by other researchers, of which nearly 1,200 proposals were selected for funding.
By enabling researchers to go abroad and supporting co-operation between institutions and industry, the MSCA play a vital part in strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacity.
