MSCAdvocacy: a new project to foster international cooperation in MSCA

30.05.2022
How can Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the EU flagship programme for researchers’ mobility and training, be aligned with research and innovation activities of other nations and regions in order to achieve their full potential?

How can Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the EU flagship programme for researchers’ mobility and training, be aligned with research and innovation activities of other nations and regions in order to achieve their full potential?

In June 2022, the European Commission (EC) has launched a new project named ‘MSCAdvocacy’ that offers a range of services to policy makers, research institutions, individual researchers, innovators and multipliers to help facilitate international collaboration within Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Horizon Europe.

The initiative supports the ’Global Approach to Research and Innovation’ which reconfirms Europe’s commitment to a level of global openness that is needed to drive excellence, pool resources to achieve scientific progress and develop vibrant innovation ecosystems.

Providing policy support

An important aspect of fostering international cooperation is the alignment of policy frameworks between partner countries and regions, knows project coordinator Johanna Füllmann at DLR Projektträger. Hence, MSCAdvocacy will offer help assessing cooperation trends, opportunities and challenges to support the design of consistent formal cooperation mechanisms that enable efficient international collaborations.

MSCAdvocacy has a lot to offer in terms of consultations and services, Füllmann continues. “The international team of consultants has many years of experience with MSCA cooperation mechanisms and funding in third countries. We are well connected in the global research and innovation landscape, and hence we are confident to be able to provide the actors involved in the policy dialogue with the individual and country-specific support they need to optimally benefit from MSCA.”

A digital hub bundling cooperation opportunities

Moreover, MSCAdvocacy will strategically promote cooperation opportunities to bring together international researchers, academic and non-academic institutions and innovators. It will work closely together with local stakeholders and multipliers, e.g. National Contact Points (NCP), National Erasmus+ and Euraxess Offices, to raise international awareness of funding opportunities under MSCA. Furthermore, the initiative aims at hosting promotional MSCA events as well as training to ensure good visibility of specific MSCA collaborations opportunities in the respective countries and regions. “The aim of this offer by MSCAdvocacy is to support multipliers in their work and to build synergies, for example by offering an MSCA training for NCPs in a partner country, or an application workshop for researchers at an event hosted by a Euraxess office”, explains coordinator Füllmann.

Focus on synergies with other EU initiatives

Another important objective of MSCAdvocacy is to create synergies between MSCA and other relevant EU initiatives, such as the Enterprise Europe Network, or funds, particularly Erasmus+.

Developing talents, advancing research: advantages for countries involved

For partner countries and regions, the alignment promises to strengthen existing international cooperation with academic or non-academic organisations through greater efficiency due to similar policy frameworks, knows Füllmann from the consortium’s long-standing experience in MSCA funding advice.

Organisations benefit from the internationalisation and the capacity of their researchers to conduct research abroad, as this will likely increase their global reputation. Efficient cross-border collaboration will give their researchers access to new tools, research facilities or equipment, and improve the capacity to bid for other research funds.

For researchers, efficient MSCA mechanisms offer better access to the newest research facilities and infrastructures, both in Europe and third countries, with a positive impact on research knowledge, professional skills and competences, as well as access to data samples for field research, that are not available in their home countries.

The people behind MSCAdvocacy

The offers are provided by a consortium of consultancies specialised in strategic policy support, promoting research, education and innovation and bringing together key stakeholders and partners on European and international level. “The MSCA strongly contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by equipping researchers with new knowledge and skills through mobility across borders”, says project coordinator Füllmann. “Our international and interdisciplinary team is very much looking forward to support researchers, organisations, decision makers and multipliers ensuring that the maximum benefit is tapped from the programme.”

How to reach out to MSCAdvocacy

MSCAdvocacy’s digital information hub including all contacts is currently built under this link: www.mscadvocacy.eu

E-Mail: mscadvocacy@dlr.de

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