Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges and COFUND focus of EKT event

The open calls for funding of the Staff Exchange and COFUND Actions, the last two Actions of Horizon Europe's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme for 2023, were the focus of an online Info Day organised by the National Documentation Centre (EKT) and the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) on the 18th of October, 2023.

The Info Day was organised by the two National Contact Points for Horizon Europe's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation and the European Research Executive Agency.

The event was attended online by more than 150 representatives of research institutions, universities and academic institutions, businesses and other organisations not only from Greece and Cyprus, but also from other countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, USA, Canada, etc.

Participants were given details about the ongoing funding calls that will accept applications until February 2024 and the benefits that organisations and businesses can reap, while the proposal submission process, eligibility criteria and conditions for participation were presented with advice and good practices also being given to candidates.

The workshop began with a welcome speech by Dr Evi Sachini, Director of EKT, who referred to the impact of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and their decisive contribution to the excellence of the European research community, while she also referred to EKT's many years of experience in mobility programmes for scientists and the services the organisation provides for the Greek research and innovation ecosystem.

Dr Vasiliki Exarchou and Eleftheria Lykouresi from the European Research Executive Agency gave a detailed presentation of the Staff Exchanges Action. They referred to the criteria for submitting proposals, the conditions and categories of funding, while advice was given for the successful writing of proposals. Particular emphasis was placed on the explanation of the interdisciplinarity, the type of possible synergies and partners, the benefits of participants and procedural issues regarding potential beneficiaries. Finally, they answered questions asked by participants about this action (which has an application date of 28.02.2023). IS THIS DATE CORRECT OR SHOULD IT BE 28.02.24?c

The COFUND Action (Co-financing) of MSCA was presented by Alexandra Pedersen, COFUND Call Coordinator from the European Research Executive Agency, with extensive reference to the objectives, the structure of the participating organisations, the funding conditions, the duration, as well as the differences in the Call for Action compared to previous ones. She said new cost categories have been added to include additional needs of researchers. She closed by answering participants' questions about COFUND (which has an application date of 8.02.24).

The event continued with speeches by the National Contact Points. Henry Scott from EKT and Dr Angelos Dantos from RIF, presented the activities of their organisations, which support the research, academic and business communities of Greece and Cyprus. As they and other representatives from the European Research Executive Agency mentioned, National Contact Points are available to help candidates submit a proposal for funding, answer their questions and provide guidance throughout the process, from proposal preparation to funding.

The two organisations, EKT and RIF, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of encouraging Greek and Cypriot institutions to submit joint research proposals to Horizon Europe, exchange information and organise joint activities. The aim is to inform and create collaborations and synergies between the Greek Cypriot scientific and research community.

The event was coordinated by Dr Nancy Megremi, National Contact Point for MSCA Actions, from EKT, and Dr Ioannis Theodorou, National Contact Point for MSCA Actions, from RIF.

Participants also took part in interactive surveys in which they were asked what information about the Staff Exchanges and COFUND Actions they have, whether they have received funding from projects of these Actions, whether they know about the services of the National Contact Days, etc.

It is worth noting that, as stressed during the workshop, the right to submit proposals to these Actions does not lie with individual researchers and professionals from any field, but with international consortia of universities, research institutes, businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises and other non-academic organisations. Opportunities for individual researchers arise indirectly from the Actions.

You can watch the video of the event here and the presentations of the speakers here.

For the MSCA you can contact the National Contact Points at EKT, Dr Nancy Megremi (amegremi@ekt.gr) and Henry Scott (hscott@ekt.gr).

EKT as National Contact Point for Horizon Europe

EKT is the National Contact Point for Horizon Europe, specifically for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under Pillar 1 of the programme and for the clusters ‘Health’ and ‘Digital, Industry and Space’ under Pillar 2. It supports organisations, businesses, academics and research institutions all the way: from identifying funding opportunities to drafting and submitting proposals, implementing projects and exploiting research results. In addition, it contributes to the recording and analysis of Greece's participation in European research and innovation programmes.

With combined value-added services, EKT supports the Greek research and business community to distinguish itself and grow internationally. As coordinator of the Greek node of the Enterprise Europe Network, the largest business support network in the world, it provides services complementary to those of the National Contact Points, acting as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for business information on European issues, for finding business partnerships abroad, for technology transfer and innovation services, for intermediating international technological collaborations, for access to European funding and finding partners to participate in research proposals.

RIF as National Contact Point for Horizon Europe

The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) is the national body responsible for supporting and promoting research, technological development and innovation in Cyprus. It was founded in 1996 at the initiative of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, under the original name Research Promotion Foundation. Since then, the Foundation has developed a rich activity at national, European and international level focusing on the development of national research programmes, and the representation of Cyprus in European and international programs and organizations. Since 2007, the Foundation has expanded its range of responsibilities, incorporating in its activities the support and development of innovation in Cyprus.

RIF is also responsible for coordinating Cyprus' participation in European research and innovation activities, such as the EU Framework Programmes, the COST Programme, the EURAXESS Network, the Enterprise Europe Network, etc. Since 1999, RIF has hosted a central system of Cypriot National Contact Points for EU Framework Programmes, including Horizon Europe. In addition, RIF offers high quality services for the national research and business community, such as information and guidance during the preparation of project proposals (information events, training seminars, workshops, preliminary and full proposal checks, mock interviews, etc.), as well as during the management of funded projects.

Further information

For more information, interested parties can contact the MSCA National Contact Points for Horizon Europe in Greece:EKT Dr Nancy Megremi (e-mail: amegremi@ekt.gr , tel. 2102204993), Henry Scott (e-mail: hscott@ekt.gr, tel. 2102204918)

Interested parties can contact the MSCA National Contact Points for Horizon Europe in Cyprus:

Dr. Ioannis Theodorou (e-mail: itheodorou@research.org.cy, tel: 22205038), Dr. Angelos Dantos (e-mail: antantos@research.org.cy, tel: 22205033).