Scholars CribObtaining a research fellowship extends beyond monetary rewards and funding. A comprehensive fellowship program assesses your overall development.
You obtain vital experience through cross-border knowledge exchange and sector mobility. You network widely with like-minded scholars, and you eventually gain employable skills that lead to advances in your field of study.
If you’re looking for a PhD award to help you pursue your ambitious goals, the Marie Curie Fellowship may be for you.
This guide will provide you with information on the program’s funding, eligibility requirements, and application process, allowing you to better understand the grant and submit a successful fellowship application.
Marie Curie Scholarship: What You Should Know?
The Marie Curie PhD award is granted by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), a research assistance group established by the European Union.
Read Artificial Intelligence Scholarships for International Students 2024
The program provides well-paid fellowship opportunities at leading research institutions around Europe. It also provides valuable experience working in both academic and non-academic industries.
In addition to funding, the Marie Curie Individual Fellowships promote communication, dissemination, and public involvement to foster independent thinking and leadership skills.
Every researcher goes through a series of trainings, seminars, and workshops designed to broaden their research competencies.
At its core, the Marie Curie Fellowship seeks to deliver the following:
- Take a multidisciplinary approach to individual research and innovation.
- Empower scholars to address current and future difficulties in their fields.
- Allow researchers to be exposed to both academic and non-academic fields.
- Transform theoretical information into tangible products and services.
- Develop research experience and abilities that can be applied across industries and sectors.
Finally, the objective is to help researchers transition from academically focused to better suited for employment in the public and commercial sectors.
Marie Curie Fellowship Activities & Training Program
The fellowship ensures that its activities are not restricted to monetary transactions. Instead, it approaches research holistically and with a focus on results.
Therefore, even though researchers in different subjects strike off on distinct tangents, they all go through a series of general activities that include the following:
Career Development Plan
Each individual researcher collaborates with their supervisor to create a career development plan that describes their research aims.
It also designs their training program to match their job goals. A career development plan, in addition to these main objectives, includes a schedule for research publication and conference participation.
- Researchers can expand their network by attending conferences and participating in other networking events.
- Participate in workshops.
- Participate in network gatherings.
- Collaborating with individual researchers.
- Meeting with participating organisations and recipients to better understand their goals.
After the training term, each researcher must plan a networking event to share their research findings and form strong ties with other researchers.
Public Engagement
Once you’ve successfully published your research, it’s time to promote it. The Marie Curie fellowship enables you to present your work in public, generating awareness about the study you have conducted. This not only spreads the word, but it also helps people comprehend the implications of your research for society.
Public involvement platforms include conferences, talks at schools and universities, and participation in research festivals.
One such notable event is the European Researchers’ Night (NIGHT), which takes place in September around Europe. The event is organized to encourage young brains to become interested in academia and pursue a successful career there.
Marie Curie Fellowship Eligibility
The Marie Curie Fellowship welcomes PhD applications from all subjects, regardless of nationality. Beneficiaries and partner groups pre-assign projects for each training network. Prospective students should explore projects that interest them and submit an application.
The eligibility requirements for most projects are as follows:
- Relevant Master’s degree or comparable certification demonstrating your suitability for pursuing a doctorate.
- Transcript of grades.
- CV highlighting past professional experiences and publications.
- Cover letter stating why you are the best candidate for the project.
- A letter of recommendation or two contact references.
- Certificate of linguistic proficiency, if required by the discipline.
Marie Curie Fellowship Funding
The majority of your expenses are covered during the course of your project. The money covers the entire cost of accommodation and travel. Aside from that, you receive a monthly living allowance.
Depending on your financial situation, you may also qualify for ‘Family Allowance’ and ‘Mobility Allowance’.
Monthly Living Allowance
Beneficiaries pay your living allowance in monthly installments. The allowance varies depending on the country where you will study and work. However, for fellowships beginning in 2020, this can be as much as €4,880 per month.
Mobility Allowance
The mobility allowance covers charges such as travel and other related expenses. For fellowships beginning in 2020, this might be up to €600 per month.
Family Allowance
Applicants with a family are eligible for a €500 per month family stipend, regardless of whether the family moves with them.
Having a family is demonstrated by one of the following:
- Marriage Certificate.
- A formal partnership status is equivalent to that of marriage in another region or country.
- Dependent children.
Marie Curie Fellowship Successful Application: Getting Started
The fight for a PhD grant is quite tough. Submitting a well-written proposal is insufficient to cut. What you need to understand are the European Commission’s priorities and the evaluators’ thinking philosophy.
Structure of Application
The proposal has two parts: an administrative form (Part A) and a research proposal (Part B).
Part A: Administrative and Summary Forms (Completed Online)
- I) General information: Write the proposal title and project abbreviation. For this part, you should include project-related keywords as well as a 2000-character abstract.
- II) Administrative data of participating organizations.
Provide contact details for the host department and the supervisor. Also, provide your own details, as well as your researcher ID, if applicable.
III) Budget automatically calculates the budget based on project duration, researcher costs, and host institution details.
- IV) Ethics Assessment: A Self-Declaration. It requires applicants to complete an “ethics issue table.”.
Part B: Proposal Forms (Download template from portal and upload.)
- I) Excellence.
Shed light on the quality, uniqueness, and credibility of your study. It should begin with an introduction, a description, research objectives, and an outline of the action. You should also mention the research process and approach.
Explain how your study will contribute to growth in your field. Investigate the mutually beneficial opportunity that you and your host organization will enjoy.
- II) Impact: Evaluate the impact of your project on your research career and the European economy and society.
Your proposal should also show how your idea can help progress research and make the research profession more popular with the general public.
III) Implementation
This section focuses on task and resource allocation with project deliverables and milestones.
Scholars Crib
