The objective of MSCA-NET is to facilitate the transnational co-operation between National Contact Points (NCPs) for the MSCA in order to achieve a consistent and harmonized level of NCP support. Next to developing support for the facilitation of daily challenges for all NCPs, we put the focus on lowering the entry barriers for new NCPs and offer particular support services for Widening and Third Country NCPs. This will in turn simplify the access of potential MSCA applicants all over the world, in particular from Widening and Third Countries. We thus contribute to the decrease of the R&I gap between EU Member States/Associated Countries and Widening/Third Countries. We aim at a higher quality and quantity of applications from non EU-Member States/Associated Countries. We will achieve our goals by a wide array of measures: Career Development Support for NCPs in the form of Trainings, Twinnings and Mentoring; the development of a tool box for both NCPs and the scientific community; and strategic capacity development and the creation of synergies with and among MSCA stakeholders. This includes systematic outreach to the non-academic sector. The project is structured into 5 Work Packages and has 27 Beneficiaries and 4 Associated Partners from all levels of experience and among all Horizon Europe country groups. The baseline for our support services to NCPs is a benchmarking exercise whose results will be fed into the various relevant tasks. We ensure the expected project impact by strategical monitoring of the project actions and well planned communication, dissemination and exploitation measures such as the development of an innovative project dashboard. The project's outcomes will be fed back to policy developers and stakeholders within clearly defined processes in order to guarantee a sustainable impact on a wider level. MSCA-NET will run for 36 months and has an overall budget of 1'870'357 Euro. The action is under the coordination of Euresearch in Switzerland.

Narratives of a “better life” that can become reality elsewhere have always been shaping human migration. The image or idea of a “promised land”, however, might not be real, and newcomers are often faced with obstacles and challenges. Certain narratives and perceptions of Europe influence migration aspirations and false images can not only lead to problems when the image does not hold true, but it might also even lead to security threats or risks to migrants. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to understand and investigate narratives about Europe, how these can lead to problems and threats, how they are distributed, and, in the next step, find ways to react and counteract them. Perceptions of Europe are formed in the country of residence, and they are based on a multitude of sources. Social media and new communication networks, in addition, have increased the scope and the intensity of distribution of such narratives; furthermore, so-called filter bubbles and echo chambers can lead to isolated misperceptions that are not corrected. Due to new communication technologies, false or incorrect claims become life on their own, raising expectations or disapproval. At the same time, however, these technologies and communication networks might also provide a channel to set an exaggerated image straight and promote a more realistic narrative. It is, therefore, the aim of the PERCEPTIONS project to identify and understand the narratives and perceptions of the EU abroad, assess potential issues related to the border and external security in order to allow better planning and outline reactions and countermeasures. For that purpose, the project will conduct research on the narratives and the myths that are circulating about the EU in countries West- and Central Mediterranean areas. Based on the research insights, the consortium will develop a PERCEPTIONS framework model including policy recommendations and action plans.

FUTURE4PRIMA will reinforce and enlarge collaborations between R&I national funding institutions in the fields of sustainable agri-food systems and water management in the Mediterranean, as has been done within the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), establishing a new PRIMA (“PRIMA2”). The project extends PRIMA activities across widening countries and beyond, especially towards third countries bordering the Mediterranean. It will ensure the leveraging of resources, pooled towards shared priorities addressing emerging challenges in the region and seeking complementarity with activities and policies with those of the Framework Programme and relevant European Partnerships and EU Missions. The proposal paves the way for extending the thematic focus of PRIMA to complementary fields only partially targeted in H2020 and Horizon Europe’s (HE) current and planned EU Partnerships and Missions and will add an integrated management approach of resources, including ecosystems, energy and health, to PRIMA’s original goal of sustainable water management and agri-food systems, accelerating the European Green Deal’s (EGD) objectives and globally, to the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will also build capacities to stimulate the uptake of R&I results aligning this process with real market and social needs. The consortium will promote relations among governments, enterprises, researchers and citizens for ensuring a sound sustainability and longevity well beyond the span of the project.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the EU’s flagship funding programme for researcher training, are complex and highly competitive within Horizon Europe. MSCA National Contact Points (NCPs) face numerous calls and applicants, which is particularly challenging for newcomers, widening, and third-country NCPs. RADIANCE aims to enhance transnational cooperation among MSCA NCPs and professionalize their services across Europe, with a focus on widening and third countries. The project will improve MSCA support services through targeted tools, training, and resources, ensuring consistency across Europe and beyond. RADIANCE aligns with the call's scope by boosting researcher coaching quality, equipping over 160 MSCA NCPs with tailored tools to better advise the scientific community. The project combines innovative tools like AI with traditional methods, offering activities such as benchmarking, workshops, brokerage events, training, twinning, mentoring, and self-guided learning, supported by a personal skills development plan, documents, videos, and e-learning material. It strengthens research capacity by supporting MSCA NCPs, facilitators, the scientific community (especially in widening and third countries), and stakeholders like the European Commission (EC), the Research Executive Agency (REA) and the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) through mutual knowledge transfer and collaboration. We also foster synergies with various initiatives, such as Euraxess or the Horizon Academy with a focus on long-term sustainability of the project’s impact. RADIANCE will achieve its goals through five Work Packages (WPs): WP1 (Coordination and Communication), WP2 (Capacity Building), WP3 (Project Life Cycle), WP4 (Digital Tools), and WP5 (Synergies and Support to widening and third countries). Governed by a Steering Committee, the project has a budget of €1'998'132.50 and will last 36 months. It unites a consortium of 20 beneficiaries and 6 associated partners.

The EU-Africa PerMed project has the final objective of integrating African countries into ICPerMed activities as a means to contribute to the implementation of Personalised Medicine (PM) in the the global context, fostering joint PM projects and programmes between Europe and Africa, and strengthening bilateral EU-AU science, technology and innovation (STI) in health. On the long run, incorporating African countries in the global PM research agenda can contribute to shorten existing health disparities between developed and developing countries, as well as facilitating access of African countries to new tools and technologies that have the potential make health care more efficient and equitable. The specific objectives set for the project are 1)To identify, contact and engage with relevant health-related organizations in Africa to interact and work with throughout the project; 2)To explore and analyse with relevant stakeholder, the potential for and advantages of collaboration in PM between Africa and Europe, identifying areas of mutual interest; 3)To foster and facilitate the integration of health research funding and policy organisations from AU countries in the ICPerMed consortium and participate in the ERA PerMed funding scheme; 4) To seek synergies and align with activities of ongoing EU-Africa research programmes and other by-regional policy actions (such as EDCTP); 4)To carry out capacity building and training activities addressing relevant PM issues for Africa and 5)To contribute to raising awareness of PM and the benefits of a closer inter and intra-regional collaboration, in order to advance in the implementation of PM. As COVID19 is showing, addressing global health challenges is only possible by building and strengthening international scientific cooperation. EU-Africa PerMed will work towards fostering a stronger global collaboration in PM, and by this, better addressing global health challenges such as infectious diseases and future pandemics.