The European Commission is inviting bids for the final tranche of Marie Curie fellowship grants allotted under the current seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7, 2007-13). Some €227 million, the highest single amount made available through the Marie Curie Actions fund, will be awarded to around 1 000 experienced researchers this year. The application process runs until 14 August 2013.

Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for the Marie Curie fund, said: “In times of budgetary rigour, public spending must be directed to policies that generate the most benefits for citizens and the European economy. Our Marie Curie fellowship grants ensure support for excellent research in areas like healthcare, which can result in breakthroughs that transform the lives of millions. Recent Marie Curie beneficiaries have carried out ground-breaking research aimed at tackling Hepatitis C and malaria, for instance.”

Marie Curie individual fellowships support the mobility of researchers within and beyond Europe – as well as helping to attract the best foreign researchers to work in the EU. “The prestige of the Marie Curie Actions and the excellent package they offer motivated my application. They enabled me to work in London and to establish a large network of international collaborations,” commented Armando Arias Esteban from Madrid, who did a two-year intra-European fellowship at Imperial College.

Individual fellowships will continue to be provided under the new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions as part of the Horizon 2020 programme, which starts in 2014.

To apply please visit http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/funding

Details at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-223_en.htm