Programme details

Substantial resources have been earmarked in order to enhance research in Europe. 17.5 billion euros will be made available to researchers and research organisations over the four years of the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme for Research and Development. On taking a closer look, the budget for researcher mobility and training is significant - amounting to nearly 10% of the total budget, some 1.58 billion euros.
The goal is to create a European Research Area. Europe has given a strong signal by making this choice : it is determined to set up a European research area capable of successfully competing with the United States and Japan.

Goal of Marie Curie Actions

The European Commission launched the « Marie Curie Actions » in December 2002 to give researchers an opportunity for training, mobility and career development.
These actions should encourage our researchers to come back to Europe and reverse the brain drain trend that we have observed in several fields.

Benefits

Researchers now have a brand new series of schemes called the Marie Curie Actions, open to scientists from all countries and of all ages. The programme is extremely broad and covers a wide variety of actions - fellowships, participation in conferences, the financing of transnational research teams, and training networks.
In addition, the programme covers all scientific sectors, including social sciences. The actions target universities, research laboratories and companies - including small businesses - active in research in the Members States, the applicant and the associate states.

Examples

A first exaple of the Marie Curie Actions are Training Networks, such as the CAUAC network in the Netherlands. CAUAC stands for Cold Atoms and Ultraprecise Atomic Clocks.
For a second example, we are going to Montpellier, France. Bojin Maximov Bojinov is carrying out research under a Marie Curie fellowship. For Bojin Maximov Bojinov, this a great opportunity for his own research on DNA imprints in plants.

Conclusion

As was mentioned before, mobility tends to prevent brain drain to places outside Europe. If these brains stay in Europe, European research will be more competitive and attractive.
The mobility of researchers is one of Europe's research priorities. It is a key element in helping to achieve the European Research Area's goal, namely to develop Europe into the world's most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy.