The Coimbra Group, together with EU-LIFE, YERUN and other European associations, has released a joint statement urging the European Commission to maintain the bottom-up, open structure of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme. This comes in response to proposals to introduce more top-down direction by focusing project calls on predefined topics for the 2026–2027 Work Programme. The signatories, which include 17 leading research and innovation organisations, emphasise that MSCA’s strength lies in its flexibility and support for all research fields, driven by scientific excellence and researchers’ initiative. They warn that imposing thematic restrictions would limit opportunities for early-career researchers and harm innovation.
Research associations urge EU to preserve MSCA’s bottom-up approach
