The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) fund excellent research and innovation and equip researchers at all stages of their careers with new knowledge and skills through five different actions: Doctoral Networks (DN), Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF), Staff Exchanges (SE), COFUND, and MSCA and Citizens. Costs under these actions are reimbursed on the basis of lump sum and unit contributions, the latter covering costs for recruited researchers, seconded staff members as well as institutional costs. The current rates were established in 2020 in the Decision of 11 March 2021 authorising the use of lump sum and unit contributions for MSCA under the Horizon Europe Programme.

The above-mentioned Decision requires the Commission to closely monitor the lump sum and unit contributions to ensure that they respect sound financial management and co-financing principles, do not contribute to double financing and remain sufficiently competitive and attractive to excellent researchers and institutions. Thus, the objective of this study is to carry out a mid-term review of the MSCA lump sum and unit contributions, and to recommend updated eligible researcher and institutional unit contributions for each Marie Skłodowska-Curie action. (from the abstract of the study)

Based on the conducted analysis, the study proposes 10 recommendations for the MSCA funding system (p.86) among others:

• Increase researchers’ living and mobility allowances in Doctoral Networks and Postdoctoral Fellowships by 18%, in line with the HICP inflation rate for Belgium in 2021-2023.
• Introduce more frequent updates of the MSCA Country Correction Coefficients (CCC) and consider a shorter time span of 3 years for determining the MSCA CCCs. Revise CCCs calculation methodology to take into account accommodation costs in associated and third countries.

Update: as of the 2024 MSCA calls changes to the CCC and allowances have been implemented, i.e. included in the Horizon Europe MSCA 2023-2025 work programme (17 April 2024).