Abstract

This Pecha Kucha presentation provides insight into the 10 most common pitfalls researchers and research administrators and managers (RMA) encounter when preparing, managing and follwing up a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Grant with an outlook onto strategic institutional capacity development. The focus of this talk is on the most popular of the MSCA, namely the postdoctoral fellowships (PF), doctoral networks (DN) and Cofund projects.
The MSCA application schemes mirror society's expectations in terms of future employment chances for researchers and cross-cutting issues. Proposers and institutions are thus required to tackle these in a convincing way which demands up-to-date and fast response in the rapidly changing research environment, often with limited resources of the supporting staff at institutions. Furthermore, the MSCA continue to be one of the most competitive (a cut-off score above 95% for DN has been the norm in the recent years; for Cofund the cut-off score was 92.4% in 2022), yet one of the most popular funding instruments with nearly 7000 submissions for the PF in 2022 within the European funding framework. Thus, institutions need to strategically develop their investments accordingly.
However, as the programme continues to develop organically, and as very junior RMAs are often assigned to support MSCA grantees as the MSCA often mistakenly are perceived as 'easy way into Horizon Europe', the knowledge turnover is fast and needs continuous updates with regards to best practice and useful resources. The presentation will thus explain the most common challenges throughout the lifetime of an MSCA grant, and the best tactics to overcome them. Showcasing best practices and easily accessible resources will give input for beginners, intermediate and even experienced RMAs and form a basis for the development of a viable institutional capacity building strategy for the MSCA. The presentation consequently aims at supporting RMAs with strategic insight so that they can make the most of supporting their staff and projet managers.
Lessons learned:
• Before preparing an MSCA Grant - what do we need to prepare?
• During the preparation of an MSCA Grant - where do I find the best resources?
• After the start of an MSCA Grant - How can I best navigate through the lifetime of the project?
• After the end of an MSCA Grant – next steps to take?
• How to best invest resources into a sustainable institutional strategy for the MSCA?
The presentation in the Pecha Kucha format allows for a concise and entertaining, yet impactful and audience-engaging input.

The speaker has more than 15 years experience in the MSCA in various roles such as MSCA National Contact Point (Switzerland), coordinator of two MSCA NCP networks (MSCA-NET and Net4Mobility); a Cofund (Empapostdocs-II), manager of an ITN (MOQS) and sits on two External Advisory Boards of Cofund projects. In her function as consultancy owner of the company OxygenEUm, she advises institutions on strategic capacity development for the MSCA and gives hands-on grant writing and management workshops on the MSCA. She is member of the MCAA and the French ITN/DN research manager groups and can thus draw on a wide level of know-how and experience regarding grant preparation and management. As part of the coordination team of the current MSCA NCP project, she is actively involved in the implementation of the policy aims of the MSCA.