10 YEARS OF MCAA | Marie Curie Alumni Association

01

The value, past and future of the MCAA: An interview with Claire Morel - MCAA Magazine March 2024

Claire Morel is the Head of Unit in charge of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for the mobility and training of researchers including the development of excellent doctoral programmes, at the European Commission’s Directorate General (DG) for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. Before that, she was the Head of Unit for international cooperation in the same DG, with a particular focus on the international dimension of the Erasmus+ programme and international policy dialogues in higher education and youth issues with various partners of the EU in the world.

02

Travelling back to 2014 - MCAA Magazine March 2024

The perception of time is somehow subjective. Was 2014 just ten years ago, or is it another geological era? Both options may be true, but personally, I would opt for the second one. and highlights the role the Association will play in the future in fostering a change in the research culture and in promoting the actions needed at the political level.

03

MCAA from the Cradle - MCAA Magazine March 2024

Nine years ago, my journey with the MCAA General Assembly began in Porto, Portugal. As the founding vice-chair of the German Chapter and a member of the Policy Working Group, I was part of a dynamic group of nearly 60 researchers. Our enthusiasm was palpable, united by a common goal of transcending traditional academic boundaries. Most of the energy in the meeting came from being aware of the opportunity we had to develop ourselves outside of the typical academic path. We did not discuss much science back then. Our focus was rather on how we could contribute to building a potentially large organisation, how we could leverage our close contact with the Directorate-General for Education and Culture. Our aim was to ensure the voice of researchers would be heard by policymakers, and to open up additional career paths for our members.

04

My Personal reflections after 8 years in the MCAA - MCAA Magazine March 2024

The MCAA is turning 10, a testament to the hard work and motivation of volunteer members who have dedicated an important part of their lives to making the MCAA what it is. Why do this on a volunteer basis? Because of its people and because of what you get to learn and experiment with, which you would not necessarily be able to do elsewhere.

05

The sense of community - MCAA Magazine March 2024

One of the most challenging times in a PhD is the midway mark. You are far enough into the programme that the initial enamorment for your research is gone, and gone too is that sense of novelty and excitement. You are also too early for things to start working, which usually happens just a few months or weeks before the end. There in the middle, experiments are one failure after another, you don’t have enough material for publishing, and yet people are starting to ask you about your thesis.

06

From Board Member to Vice-Chair: Four years serving the MCAA - MCAA Magazine March 2024

I came with my previous board experience as an ordinary Board member during COVID time and decided to take on the challenge as vice chair as this period had been a bit frustrating for all because of the restrictions. Thus, I thought I could give back more to the Association in a second mandate.

07

CoARA Boost: Advancing Research Assessment Reform - MCAA Magazine March 2024

The Agreement on Research Assessment Reform sets out a shared direction outlining changes in evaluating research, scholars and research organisations. to pave the way towards a systemic reform of assessment of research, researchers and research organisations that recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research. It defines the principles, commitments and a timeline for implementing these reforms. Furthermore, it establishes the core values for a coalition of organisations dedicated to working towards these transformations. So far, this initiative gained support from 622 organisations (their number is constantly growing) endorsing the agreement and of them, nearly 600 organisations forming a coalition called CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment).