2020 Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020)

[PetetheCat]

And so it begins again! Opening a fresh topic for 2020 applicants.

[LAVIN1234@1]

Hope everyone is successful,

[CountZ]

Thanks for the thread, PetetheCat! Good luck everyone!

UPDATE

2020 Statistics:

A total of 11,573 proposals were submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each type of action is shown below:
- Standard European Fellowships (MSCA-IF-EF-ST): 8,927 proposals
- Reintegration Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-RI): 739 proposals
- Career Restart Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR): 669 proposals
- Society & Enterprise Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-SE): 241 proposals
- Global Fellowships (MSCA-IF-GF): 997 proposals

2019 Statistics:

A total of 9,875 proposals were submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each type of action is shown below:
- Standard European Fellowships (MSCA-IF-EF-ST): 7,673 proposals
- Reintegration Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-RI): 667 proposals
- Career Restart Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR): 470 proposals
- Society & Enterprise Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-SE): 210 proposals
- Global Fellowships (MSCA-IF-GF): 855 proposals

2018 Statistics:

A total of 9,830 proposals were submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each type of action is shown below:
- Standard European Fellowships (MSCA-IF-EF-ST): 7,565 proposals
- Reintegration Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-RI): 610 proposals
- Career Restart Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR): 471 proposals
- Society & Enterprise Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-SE): 327 proposals
- Global Fellowships (MSCA-IF-GF): 857 proposals

2017 Statistics:

A total of 9,089 proposals were submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each type of action is shown below:
- Standard European Fellowships (MSCA-IF-EF-ST): 7,145 proposals
- Reintegration Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-RI): 561 proposals
- Career Restart Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR): 352 proposals
- Society & Enterprise Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-SE): 173 proposals
- Global Fellowships (MSCA-IF-GF): 858 proposals

2016 Statistics:

A total of 8,946 proposals were submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each type of action is shown below:
- Standard European Fellowships (MSCA-IF-EF-ST): 7,140 proposals
- Reintegration Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-RI): 528 proposals
- Career Restart Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR): 251 proposals
- Society & Enterprise Panel (MSCA-IF-EF-SE): 111 proposals
- Global Fellowships (MSCA-IF-GF): 916 proposals

UPDATE 2

The increase in applications this year are:
All panels: 17%
ST 16%
RI 11%
CAR 42%
SE 15%
GF 13%

[PetetheCat]

I am wishing us all luck and I am hoping I get different reviewers than last year.

But if I had to create a hypothesis for this coming year it is that the cutoffs will all be higher for funding. More people are likely to apply if we have a huge global recession since there will probably be fewer alternative jobs that pull potential candidates out of the pool for needing fellowship funding. So I'm sure the competition will be fierce.

[CountZ]

It's really troubling that so many people have unfortunately lost their employment outside academia for reasons that are outside of their control. Are you saying that unemployment is affecting post-PhD level people? I haven't heard of many cutbacks at universities yet - have you? I'm not aware of what life is like in the research-oriented private sector right now..

[Kranthi Maniam]

I am wishing us all luck and I am hoping I get different reviewers than last year.

But if I had to create a hypothesis for this coming year it is that the cutoffs will all be higher for funding. More people are likely to apply if we have a huge global recession since there will probably be fewer alternative jobs that pull potential candidates out of the pool for needing fellowship funding. So I'm sure the competition will be fierce.

On a positive note, I would say the remaining fund will be completely utilised this year. So, we can expect the number of proposals to be funded will be more than previous years.

[PetetheCat]

It's really troubling that so many people have unfortunately lost their employment outside academia for reasons that are outside of their control. Are you saying that unemployment is affecting post-PhD level people? I haven't heard of many cutbacks at universities yet - have you? I'm not aware of what life is like in the research-oriented private sector right now..

I'm sure that there must be some cutbacks that will come. There are a wide range of jobs that people with PhDs can do across all sectors. And for sure, universities are going to face financial hardship so the numbers of permanent academic posts will shrink in the next few years I would guess.

[AdinaBabesh]

Best of luck everyone! Keep my fingers crossed!

[Fish20]

Here we are! Let's start working !

[Shapovalov]

Hey folks,
All the best to everyone.

Here's a few unsolicited "tips".

• Read the official Guide for Applicants thoroughly. Most of what you need to know is spelled out there. Trust that more than you trust this forum. There is a fair bit of misinformation here based on guesswork.

• Follow the guide and the official template for writing the proposal. This includes not just what to write, but also where to write it. Reviewers are instructed to expect certain information in certain places.

• Yes, as everyone says, luck does play a big role. The reviewers you get will matter. But then this is not specific to the MSCA IF. This also applies to every other grant your will write in your academic life. This also applies to every paper you will ever submit. So, stop thinking about the luck factor.