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On 7 November 2024—in honour of Marie Skłodowska Curie’s birthday—the MSCAdvocacy project, in collaboration with the Western Balkans Info Hub powered by the POLICY ANSWERS, hosted an engaging online event titled “MSCA Success Stories from the Western Balkans”.
Over the course of 90 minutes, participants were inspired by 13 compelling success stories showcasing the achievements of researchers from the Western Balkans involved in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).
Stephanie Demart from the European Commission’s DG EAC opened the event by highlighting the significant progress made in the region. Under Horizon 2020, over 150 participations (involving more than 80 organisations were recorded. Midway through Horizon Europe, there have already been 75 successful participations involving 63 distinct organisations. Despite these achievements, there remains ample opportunity for growth and increased participation—a key goal of this event.
Elke Dall, the event’s organiser and moderator, emphasised that this gathering was not an information session about different MSCA project types or their evolution from Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe. Instead, it focussed on showcasing how these diverse programmes foster mobility, networking and knowledge exchange.
The speakers shared insights into the factors that contributed to their success, the positive impacts of their MSCA involvement, and valuable advice for prospective applicants. The event aimed to illuminate the wide-ranging opportunities and benefits that MSCA funding offers to researchers in the Western Balkans. Overall, the experiences presented underlined the significance of collaboration, training, adaptability, and support in achieving success in research projects.
Highlighted impacts from the successful MSCA projects include:
- Networking and job opportunities: MSCA projects offer diverse networking opportunities and job prospects (as highlighted by Ornela Bardhi (Albania) describing her experiences from CATCH ITN)
- STEM education initiatives: MSCA projects develop STEM education and showcase innovative educational approaches (as highlighted by Samira Smajlovic’s (Bosnia and Herzegovina) who developed an STEM educational board game the MEDNIGHT project)
- Research enhancement: MSCA projects improve research capabilities as well as management and coordination competences (as Ljiljana Mihajlović-Lalić (Serbia) emphasised the importance of persistence in coordinating projects like MET-EFFECT to enhance research capabilities)
- Global collaboration: MSCA project’s build strong global networks and communication (as Ljupco Eftimov and Bojan Kitanovikj (North Macedonia) highlighted when outlining their GETM4 project)
- Interdisciplinary approaches: MSCA projects support the use of interdisciplinary methods and societal involvement (as highlighted by Biljana Basarin (Serbia) who addresses climate change in the ClearClimate project)
- Creation of comparable international databases: international collaborations are fostered through comparative approaches and the creation of databases (as highlighted by Miron Sopic’s CardioSCOPE project which created a unique database for coronary artery disease patients).
- Innovative training: MSCA projects support interdisciplinary innovative training approaches (as Ivo Djidrovski (North Macedonia) highlighted when describing the in3 Innovative Training Network).
- Adaptability in research: MSCA projects strengthen the participants skills and flexibility (as Federica Pompejano (Italy) stressed when describing her research on rural architecture during her Postdoctoral Fellowship (MaMo))
- Innovation with industry participation: Balanced consortia involving academic and industry stakeholders are crucial for developing innovative solutions (as Goran Stojanovic and Lazar Milic (Serbia) pointed out when outlining their projects gaitREHub and SALSETH)
- Mentorship for young scientists: MSCA mentorship is preparing young scientists for the EU labour market (as emphasised by Marija Gavrovic-Jankulovic (Serbia) discussing her work on allergenicity prediction through the ALLPret project)
- Additional projects and success stories: New projects are created in MSCA as well as other funding programmes (shared in slides by Eltjana Shkreli (Albania) who secured two related projects on mountain issues after the implementation of the CLOE project)
Gordana Vlahović, the National Contact Point (NCP) for MSCA, and Dalibor Drljaca, former NCP and MSCA expert, concluded with advice on the significance of networking, innovation, overcoming biases, and taking risks to seize future opportunities.
The event also featured a welcome address by Ornela Bardhi, Board Member of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) and former chair of the MCAA Western Balkans Chapter. She provided valuable insights into the MCAA, which has evolved since its foundation in 2012 into a vibrant network of over 22,000 members. Membership is free for all past and present beneficiary of MSCA funding, offering a wealth of resources aimed at connecting researchers, supporting career development, and advocating for their interests. Ornela highlighted the MCAA Western Balkans Chapter, established in 2019. With over 100 members, this chapter was recognised as the ‘Best European Chapter’ in 2020, reflecting its commitment to fostering collaboration and excellence among researchers in the region.
The full recording of the event is available here: https://youtu.be/b6k4o4Qvp3s?si=5coH3GtsnL1qH9gV
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Success story CATCH ITN (ITN). Ornela Bardhi, Albania
Ornela emphasised the consortium diversity as a success factor in her MSCA project which provided her with access to data, networking opportunities, and job prospects. She now works in Finland at an organisation she collaborated with during her project. She advices future participants to remain open-minded and avoid isolation.
Success story IMforFUTURE (DN) MEDNIGHT (MSCA and Citizens). Samira Smajlovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Samira Smajlovic moved to Croatia for her doctoral studies in MSCA. She became vice-chair of the MCAA Western Balkans Chapter and is now involved in the MEDNIGHT project. She highlighted an educational board game developed to engage children in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as part of outreach efforts.
Success story MET-EFFECT (SE). Ljiljana Mihajlović-Lalić, Serbia
Ljiljana shared her journey of persistence through multiple applications before achieving her success: now she is successfully coordinating a Staff Exchange project. The project has led to enhanced recognition of her team, expanded research capabilities and generated new applications. Her advice for future participants includes building a strong consortium and effective communication while enjoying the process.
Success story GETM4 (SE). Ljupco Eftimov and Bojan Kitanovikj, North Macedonia
Both speakers emphasised that the success of their project stems from a strong network of experienced partners across four continents. They utilised new research methodologies, fostered cross-country collaborations and facilitated knowledge transfer between higher education institutions. Their key advice includes rigorous planning, open-mindedness, focussing on impact and effective communication of results.
Success story ClearClimate (SE). Biljana Basarin, Serbia
Biljana coordinates this project aimed at developing interdisciplinary approaches to climate change research by integrating social and natural sciences. She stressed the importance of societal involvement in addressing climate issues and encouraged participation in Staff Exchanges for learning from leading researchers and develop solutions relevant for society.
Success story CardioSCOPE (SE) and MAACS (PF). Miron Sopic, Serbia
Miron succeeded due to international contacts, training in EU project writing and persistence. The currently running projects lead to a unique database of coronary artery disease patients and fostered international collaboration, resulting in spin-off projects like the COST Action AtheroNET. In his MAACS Postdoctoral Fellowship, he emphasised the importance of specific training in proposal writing, transferable skills and research methods. His advice included the importance of clear research questions.
Success story in3 (ITN). Ivo Djidrovski, North Macedonia
As a PhD student in the in3 Innovative Training Network, Ivo credited the project’s success to its interdisciplinary environment, high-quality training, and adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Success story MaMo (IF). Federica Pompejano, Italy
Federica was the first incoming MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow to Albania. She focused on the impact of communism on rural architecture and planning. She highlighted the importance of being adaptable to diverse research contexts and encouraged seeking guidance and peer review rather than working alone.
Success story gaitREHub (SE) and SALSETH (SE). Goran Stojanovic and Lazar Milic, Serbia
Goran and Lazar emphasised the importance of a balanced consortium of academic and industrial partners and focussing research on concrete problems to develop innovative solutions for specific target groups. They also exemplified the development of new tools and products, such as an electromagnetic pump for oil delivery during a visit to the University Malaya.
Success story ALLPret (DN). Marija Gavrovic-Jankulovic, Serbia
Marija shared her experience with the ALLPreT project, which focusses on allergenicity prediction for novel foods. She highlights the innovative training programme that prepares young scientists for the EU labour market through mentorship and skills training. The multidisciplinary consortium she works with, enhances collaboration between academia and industry while addressing technical challenges.
Success story CLOE (COFUND). Eltjana Shkreli, Albania
Due to audio connection issues, we were unable to hear her success story directly. However, the moderator provided a brief overview of her project. Notably, Eltjana has secured two additional projects focussing on mountain issues—MOUNTAINSCAPE and TRAMONTANA—leveraging her network.
Closing recommendations. Gordana Vlahović, National Contact Point (NCP) for MSCA, Serbia
Gordana congratulated the successful grantees and encouraged future applicants to strive for excellence in their portfolios. She emphasised the importance of mobility and networking with individuals from diverse sectors who can challenge and refine your ideas. Additionally, she endorsed the solution-oriented approach presented by Goran, suggesting that proposals should focus on potential impacts for end users. She also highlighted that innovation encompasses not only groundbreaking advancements but also incremental improvements to services and technologies that enhance our lives. It is crucial for applicants to thoroughly study the programme’s context, guidelines, and requirements.
Closing recommendations. Dalibor Drljaca, former NCP and MSCA expert, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dalibor shared his insights and expresses appreciation for the participants. He stressed the importance of overcoming fears, biases, and stereotypes while navigating the complexities of the programme. Being open to acquiring new skills and embracing different cultures is essential. He noted that resources available through events like this one, local NCPs, and the MCAA network can significantly support applicants. Ultimately, he encouraged everyone to take risks: “And if you don’t try it, you will not know if you can do it.”
MSCAdvocacy and POLICY ANSWERS thank and congratulate all the participants of this event!