This study aims to understand how the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions can contribute to a more balanced brain circulation between countries and regions in the European Research Area. In particular, the study objectives are:
- explain the mobility flows across the ERA and beyond;
- identify and explain the strengths and weaknesses of these mobility flows in the context of ERA objectives;
- propose how researchers’ mobility can become more balanced and what the MSCA can do about it;
- draw recommendations on how can a more balanced brain circulation contribute to more attractive research careers.
The analysis takes a particular interest in the mobility to/from the Widening countries that experience the brain drain more significantly than other ERA counterparts. To address this problem, the European Commission has established a three-year pilot for Widening Fellowships (WF). The Evaluation of the WF is also one of the goals of this study.
Given that MSCA mobility flows is a widely discussed topic and the main trends are already known to most of the stakeholders, in answering the study questions, we focus on the pressing and yet unanswered questions. These unanswered questions are addressed through thematic and geographical case studies. Other analytical methods used in the study are interviews, targeted surveys, desk research and stakeholder workshops.