The objective of MSCA-NET is to facilitate the transnational co-operation between National Contact Points (NCPs) for the MSCA in order to achieve a consistent and harmonized level of NCP support. Next to developing support for the facilitation of daily challenges for all NCPs, we put the focus on lowering the entry barriers for new NCPs and offer particular support services for Widening and Third Country NCPs. This will in turn simplify the access of potential MSCA applicants all over the world, in particular from Widening and Third Countries. We thus contribute to the decrease of the R&I gap between EU Member States/Associated Countries and Widening/Third Countries. We aim at a higher quality and quantity of applications from non EU-Member States/Associated Countries. We will achieve our goals by a wide array of measures: Career Development Support for NCPs in the form of Trainings, Twinnings and Mentoring; the development of a tool box for both NCPs and the scientific community; and strategic capacity development and the creation of synergies with and among MSCA stakeholders. This includes systematic outreach to the non-academic sector. The project is structured into 5 Work Packages and has 27 Beneficiaries and 4 Associated Partners from all levels of experience and among all Horizon Europe country groups. The baseline for our support services to NCPs is a benchmarking exercise whose results will be fed into the various relevant tasks. We ensure the expected project impact by strategical monitoring of the project actions and well planned communication, dissemination and exploitation measures such as the development of an innovative project dashboard. The project's outcomes will be fed back to policy developers and stakeholders within clearly defined processes in order to guarantee a sustainable impact on a wider level. MSCA-NET will run for 36 months and has an overall budget of 1'870'357 Euro. The action is under the coordination of Euresearch in Switzerland.

The European Researchers' Night in Madrid will bring together researchers to the general public and will increase awareness of the importance and benefits of research and innovation, creating an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen's daily life, and raising young people’s interest in science and research careers. The project will achieve these objectives by means of festive activities to be carried out in the Region of Madrid in the morning and evening of the last Friday and Saturday of September 2022-2023. Pre events and post events will be also organized. The Madrid Night project also includes Researchers at Schools activities throughout the year. In these activities, researchers will be visiting schools, allowing teachers and pupils to engage with them on important topics faced by our societies, such as those included in the missions in Horizon Europe: cancer, adaptation to climate change, healthy oceans, seas coastal and inland waters, climate-neutral and smart cities and soil health and food. Students and teachers will also visit the researchers’ workplaces. The MADRIDNIGHT activities will be addressed to public at large, science-addicts and science-reluctant, children, families, teachers, elderly, people regardless their scientific background with a special focus on families, pupils, and students, with the main purpose of encouraging STEM subjects and science careers, university students and also vocational education and training students. Different activities will be offered focused on the missions in Horizon Europe. The project will involve researchers, benefited by EU funds, especially the MSCA. The activities will point out the transnational and diversity aspects of research, showing the attractiveness of their jobs that can be done everywhere in Europe. Universities, research centres, museums, hospitals, NGOs, foundations and Industry (Spin offs, SME or Large Companies) in the Region of Madrid will be at the core of the project.