Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: No to Directionality!
24 June 2025
Coimbra Group, together with EU-LIFE and YERUN, is launching a joint statement urging the European Commission to preserve the bottom-up and non-prescriptive structure of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The statement is currently supported by 17 leading research and innovation organisations.
The call responds to a recent proposal, in discussion with the member states, to introduce directionality in the MSCA 2026–2027 Work Programme by steering project calls toward predefined areas. Coimbra Group and the other signatories stress that MSCA’s success lies in its openness to all fields and topics, driven by researchers’ initiative and scientific excellence. Imposing thematic restrictions risks narrowing the scope of innovation and limiting opportunities for early-career researchers.
“Bottom-up is the essence of the MSCA actions and Coimbra Group has always been very clear about this, for instance in its recommendations to the Commission on the future orientations of MSCA in early 2024.” said Emmanuelle Gardan, Director of Coimbra Group. “There is no need to put energy into changes and new features in a programme that everyone is happy with – that is both popular and works well according to ALL stakeholders – with one exception, the continued low success rates. In a nutshell, do not change a winning a concept!”
MSCA in its current state already delivers significant contributions to strategic areas even before any political prioritisation is envisioned. More than 1,000 ongoing projects focus on artificial intelligence, backed by nearly €1 billion in EU funding under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Over 170 projects address quantum technologies, and thousands of MSCA researchers are involved in work related to the EU Missions.
Also notable is that the demand for MSCA continues to grow, while the budget has seen only marginal increases between funding cycles. While the primary message is about preserving MSCA’s model, the signatories also encourage a significant funding boost in the next Framework Programme (FP10) to match the programme’s expanded impact and address the structural challenges that research careers face.
The joint statement is currently supported by: YERUN, Coimbra Group, EU-LIFE, ALLEA, Aurora Universities Network, CESAER, EASSH, ECIU, EUA, Eurodoc, Initiative for Science Europe (ISE), LERU, MCAA, PolSCA, SPARC Europe, The Guild, UNICA.
Any other organisation wishing to support this initiative is welcome to help raise awareness by sharing the statement.
Download the full statement:
