Research community calls on EU leaders to preserve MSCA’s core research mission and bottom-up nature

The signatories urge policy makers to not change Europe's proven MSCA model, but instead to strengthen it and expand its impact, emphasising that MSCA is, first and foremost, a research programme.

As the EU's only programme dedicated to supporting researchers from doctoral candidates to emerging research leaders, it plays a unique role in strengthening Europe's research talent and long-term research and innovation capacity. While MSCA is widely recognised for promoting international mobility, the statement stresses that its value goes far beyond mobility by enabling researchers to pursue excellent research, build international networks and contribute to strong research environments across Europe.

Moreover, preserving MSCA's bottom-up, research-field agnostic nature is essential to maintaining its success. By remaining open to all scientific disciplines, the programme enables Europe not only to respond to today's challenges but also to anticipate future ones by supporting new ideas wherever they emerge.

The statement further argues that, if there is a need to develop targeted research, training and mobility actions addressing predefined strategic priorities, these should be pursued through dedicated instruments under Pillar II of the EU’s tenth R&I framework programme (FP10) or other programmes, rather than by changing the nature of MSCA or other instruments under Pillar I.

Download the joint statement

"MSCA is, first and foremost, a research programme. Its success comes from investing in excellent researchers through a bottom-up approach that is open to all research fields. As Europe shapes the next Framework Programme, preserving these defining features is the best way to strengthen research talent and Europe's long-term competitiveness. If targeted actions are needed to address strategic priorities, they should be developed through dedicated instruments without changing the nature of MSCA," noted EUA Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot.

Background

The joint statement builds on EUA's and fellow research and innovation stakeholders' advocacy on FP10 and follows the previous joint statement on ‘No directionality in MSCA, published in June 2025.

The statement is co-signed by CESAER, the Coimbra Group, EU-LIFE, the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN), the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), Aurora, the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASSH), the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU), the European University Association (EUA), the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc), the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), Science Europe, the Dutch SSH Council and the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA).