Frequently Asked Questions

There are currently more than 23,000 registered MCAA members, and the number is growing daily. Find more information about our member base here.                                
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The MCAA is an international non-profit association based in Brussels, Belgium, under Belgian law. The Articles of the Association define the government of the MCAA, in particular, the election of the 11-member Board to represent the interests of the Association as a whole.

MCAA is a global network of people who benefit from or have benefited from the European Commission's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funding. Membership is free. We offer a wide range of services exclusively to our members, from training and events to micro grants and mentoring support, and are constantly developing more.

The MCAA membership is open to researchers at different career stages (early-stage, experienced, and individual fellows), project supervisors, project coordinators, and staff members who have been or are currently involved in projects funded under the various European Commission Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) or earlier programmes promoting the international mobility of researchers.
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​To become a member of the MCAA, you must provide information about yourself, details of your MSCA project, and your role within the project. We verify this information before we grant the membership.

Anyone who currently benefits or has previously benefited from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funding (whether researcher, project supervisor, coordinator, or staff member) can become a member of the MCAA. If this applies to you and you wish to become a member, please complete the registration form.

The MCAA membership is free.

You must complete all mandatory fields in the registration form to apply for membership—the system should prompt you if you haven’t done so. Once your registration form is submitted, the system will send you an automatic email acknowledging the receipt of your details into the system and asking you to share a copy of any official document that proves you have benefited from the MSCA. When we’ve verified these details, your registration will be approved, and you will receive a second automatic email confirming your membership and providing further instructions. The MCAA will contact you if there are problems verifying your information. Registrations that don’t provide proper information (e.g. that include fake names or lack project details) will be deleted.

Our events are generally aimed at our members, but some are open to non-members. Details are provided in each case.

The MCAA General Assembly is open only to MCAA members and, in some cases, invited guests. Only logged-in MCAA members can view the registration details and forms. We usually hold the MCAA General Assembly in conjunction with our Annual Conference, which tends to be open to all interested participants, including non-members.

The MCAA does not provide scholarships. However, our members can apply for microgrants to receive economic support for conference travel and attendance, for example.

The MCAA cannot provide research funds nor subsidise educational programmes.

The MCAA exists to assist and support its members but has no input into or influence on the grant review or selection process of the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme. Thus, the MCAA does not provide advice or assistance to candidates for MSCA funding.
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If you interested in MSCA funding for extending your research, we recommend you consult the following official sources of the European Commission: 
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​General information on MSCA
Calls for proposals
The Research Enquiry Service
The Research Enquiry Service FAQ
National Contact Points (NCP)

The MCAA has limited resources and concentrates on actions that benefit its members and the Association. Any request for support needs to be justified in terms of visibility and advantages to the MCAA and its members. The Association might support events clearly targeted at high-level research or communicating research to the broader public. The MCAA cannot support fundraising events for charities or the like.

The Chapters and Working Groups are national/regional and thematic interest groups within the MCAA, open to members free of charge. They offer the opportunity to connect with fellow members interested in collaborating at a more local level or around specific topics. By promoting and participating in these groups, members can contact and interact with each other, thus strengthening their network of contacts and increasing their knowledge. The official Chairs of the Working Groups and Chapters are entitled to participate in all MCAA Board meetings as non-voting members. Read more about our Chapters and Working Groups.

You must first log in to our website as an MCAA member. Select the Working Group or Chapter you wish to join, then click on the “Join Group/Chapter” button on the page of the Working Group or Chapter you are interested in. The Working Group or Chapter administrators will admit you or explain any issues regarding your request. 
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​You can be a member of more than one Working Group and Chapter.

Chapter and Working Group members can post messages, reply to others on the Chapter/Group pages, and privately message other group members. However, only the group administrators can edit the main content of a given Chapter/Working Group page.

If you want to start a new regional or national Chapter or thematic Working Group, we suggest you initiate a new discussion within one of the existing online groups to explore how many members would be interested in joining or actively participating in them. We recommend you begin by creating an interest group instead of a Chapter or Working Group. If there is enough interest and people are willing to join and run the new group, it may be feasible to set up a Chapter or Working Group. 
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If you have questions or want to discuss the creation of a new Chapter or Working Group, please write to management@mariecuriealumni.eu. 

Please look at the Working Group guidelines for information regarding their setup and management.

Please look at the Guidelines for Group Administrators for more information.