EU to provide 328 million euros in funding for 1,630 European researchers

The European Commission (EC) will fund 1,630 postdoctoral researchers in the European Union (EU) with 328 million euros through the latest call for proposals under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme for 2020, the EU executive announced on Monday.

These grants, which are funded through the EU's Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation, have been awarded to projects in a multitude of research areas, ranging from issues such as climate change, health and migration to cancer, oceans and smart cities.

European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, acknowledged that "now, more than ever, we need high-level research skills to predict, detect and tackle global challenges".

Gabriel also recalled that the "Widening Fellowships" pilot programme will award 46 additional fellowships to researchers from European countries under-represented in the MSCAs.