Spreading excellence and widening participation from a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) perspective Peter Whitten DG Education and Culture Mobility workshop by the NCP_WIDE.NET project Brussels, 12 October 2016

Features of the MSCA Excellent research Innovative training/skills enhancement Open to all career stages and nationalities Bottom-up approach (all domains of R&I) Attractive career and knowledge-exchange opportunities through mobility International, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary Promotion of attractive working and employment conditions

MSCA Calls IF ITN RISE COFUND Innovative Training Networks What does it offer? High-quality research training delivered through interdisciplinary networks, industrial doctorates or joint doctorates. Who applies? International networks of research organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors Who is funded? Researchers at doctoral level (less than 4 years of full-time research experience and no doctoral degree) Call details: Opens: 15 September 2016 Closes: 10 January 2017 at 17:00:00 Brussels time Budget: 430M€ IF Individual Fellowships What does it offer? Opportunities to work on personal research projects by moving between countries and possible sectors to acquire new skills. Who applies? Individual researchers together with the host organisations Who is funded? Postdoctoral researchers Call details: Opens: 11 April 2017 Closes: 14 September 2017 at 17:00:00 Brussels time Budget: 248M€ RISE Research & Innovation Staff Exchange What does it offer? The exchanges of staff members involved in research and innovation to develop sustainable collaborative projects and the transfer of knowledge. Who applies? International networks of research organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors Who is funded? Researchers, technical administrative and managerial staff of any nationality and at all career levels Call details: Opens: 1 December 2016 Closes: 5 April 2017 at 17:00:00 Brussels time Budget: 80M€ COFUND Co-Funding of Regional, National & International Programmes What does it offer? Regional national or international programmes to foster excellence in training mobility and career development of researchers Who applies? Organisations funding or managing doctoral or fellowships programmes Who is funded? Researchers at doctoral and postdoctoral level Call details: Opens: 5 April 2017 Closes: 28 September 2017 at 17:00:00 Brussels time Budget: 80M€

Reasons for HEIs to get involved in MSCA Build Links with Research Groups and Industry Worldwide Increase number of research students & staff Attracting Leading & Up-and-Coming Researchers Fund a Sabbatical Abroad (up-skill for ERC) Significant co-financing opportunity through COFUND

Widening in MSCA – State of play H2020 EU-13 countries tend to lag behind but widening not exclusively EU-13 problem. Widening countries tend to apply less and have a higher share of rejected proposals. However, all widening countries have a lot of proposals above threshold and a majority of widening countries have excellent (very high- scoring) proposals not funded due to lack of budget. Brain drain is an issue though all MSCA offer opportunities for nationals to return home and many take advantage of this, e.g. For FP7, 600 of 2000 MSCA fellows in Italy were Italian.

Who should qualify as a widening country for MSCA? One possible indicator produced by JRC: Total MSCA fellows by host country divided by total MSCA fellows by nationality FP7 data (yet to be updated with H2020)

What can be done to close the gap? – at national and institutional level Member States and institutions have a clear and important role to play (c.f. MIRRIS) Increased investment in R&I More attractive research environment Synergies (Structural Funds, MSCA-COFUND, Teaming) Smart specialisation Raising awareness among targeted groups Building partnerships (outside academia and abroad) Seal of Excellence (examples CZ and CY)

What can be done at EU level for MSCA? MSCA intends to strengthen Reintegration Panel (addressing the diaspora) and increase Global Fellowships (mobility outside EU with return to EU) Seal of Excellence Provide support for NCPs, training /mentoring of applicants A possible IF panel for excellent proposals among widening countries (creating a more level playing field)? Open to suggestions? e.g., Why so few COFUND applications from EU-13?