The Marie Curie Fellowships scheme has had massive success, and has benefited from greater than expected budget increases between successive Framework Programme. For FP7, the EC has built upon the fellowship types available in FP6, although in some cases there has been a shift in emphasis. For this reason, researchers who applied in FP6 are strongly advised to read the relevant documentation for FP7 to ensure that they are still eligible to submit an application/proposal and that they fully understand the subtle changes that have been made.
The Marie Curie Fellowships have been split into 5 headings, each of which aims to respond to specific problems within particular areas of the European research community.
Activities under the Industry-academia pathways and partnerships heading aim to stimulate movement of staff between industry and academia and to increase knowledge sharing through joint industry-academia research partnerships in longer term co-operation programmes. A particular focus is placed on activities involving SMEs, although activities might include traditional manufacturing industries.