The European Commission has announced the results of the 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges call, committing €97.7 million to support international research cooperation
Altogether, 81 projects have been selected to strengthen knowledge transfer, foster innovation, and build long-term partnerships between academic and non-academic organisations across Europe.
The funding will support collaborative research and staff mobility across a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Strong competition and selective funding
Interest in the 2025 MSCA Staff Exchanges call was high. The European Research Executive Agency (REA) received 363 project proposals; 360 of these were deemed eligible and evaluated.
After a lengthy assessment process, 81 were selected for funding, bringing the success rate to 22.5%. With the 2025 Staff Exchange attracting so much interest, this level of competition shows the strong demand for international research collaboration and the high threshold required to secure MSCA funding.
Research across different disciplines
The selected projects span a wide range of scientific fields, demonstrating the programme’s commitment to supporting frontier research without disciplinary boundaries.
Key research areas include cancer diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and interventions targeting the gut microbiota. Other projects focus on innovations in water management, regenerative treatment technologies, and strengthening agricultural resilience.
Technological development is also a major focus, with funded initiatives advancing robotics, artificial intelligence-driven diagnostics, and next-generation communication networks. In parallel, several projects address societal challenges, including workforce empowerment, diversity strategies, active citizenship, and healthcare design.
Engineering and information and communication technologies account for the largest share of funded projects at 23.5%. Environment and geosciences follow with 17.3%, while life sciences and social sciences and humanities each represent 16.1%. Chemistry accounts for 9.9%, with physics, mathematics, and economics making up the remainder.
A key feature of the MSCA Staff Exchanges programme is its emphasis on collaboration across sectors and borders. The 81 selected projects involve 1,093 organisations based in 95 countries, spanning EU Member States, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and non-associated countries worldwide.
Among participating organisations, there are 313 non-academic entities and 157 small and medium-sized enterprises. The projects are coordinated by organisations in 21 different countries, with Italy leading at 15 coordinated projects, followed by the United Kingdom with 13, Greece with 8, Türkiye with 7, and Germany with 6.
Next steps for applicants
REA has informed all applicants of the evaluation results through the Funding and Tenders Opportunities Portal. Successful applicants have received detailed instructions on preparing grant agreements, which must be finalised before projects can begin. The earliest project start dates are expected in summer 2026, while proposals placed on the reserve list may still be funded if additional grants become available.
A full list of funded projects and coordinating organisations will be published on CORDIS and CIRCABC once grant agreements are signed.
