THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC) supports top researchers from anywhere in the world, working in Europe to push the frontiers of knowledge. Researchers themselves identify topics and directions of their projects. This ensures that funds are channelled into the newest and most promising scientific endeavours, with the sole criterion: scientific excellence.
- Benefits for researchers:
- grants for ambitious, self-defined projects;
- allows ground-breaking, high-gain/high-risk research;
- creating his/her own research team;
- long-term financial stability of the project;
- visibility in the global R&I community.
THE MARIE SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE ACTIONS (MSCA) support researchers from all over the world at all stages of their careers, with a focus on their training, skills and career development. The MSCA also support institutions through excellent doctoral and postdoctoral programmes and collaborative projects. They also foster cooperation beyond academia, notably with industry and SMEs.
Benefits for researchers and organisations:
- new knowledge and skills in and outside academia;
- increased career prospects and employability;
- innovation-oriented mindset, to convert ideas into products and services;
- networking and increased visibility in the European R&I community;
- international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral experience and exposure;
- access to leading organisations, top experts and their teams.
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES (RIs) are facilities that provide resources and services to conduct research and foster innovation. They can be single-sited, distributed or virtual. The EU action for RIs supports the development, upgrading and consolidation of excellent pan-European RIs, while optimizing their use to address major scientific and societal challenges. It enables access to digital resources and massive data processing too, by supporting the implementation of the European Open Science Cloud of which Research Infrastructures are central elements.
Benefits for researchers:
- trans-national and open access to top scientific tools and infrastructures;
- cooperation with leading partners from industry;
- availability of customized services;
- trainings on management and exploitation of advanced infrastructures.