The MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 General Introductory Training, organised under the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project by TÜBİTAK Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) National Contact Points, was held on 12 February 2026 in Ankara in a hybrid format. Bringing together stakeholders from the Turkish Research Area, the event attracted strong interest with a focus on researcher mobility and intersectoral collaboration, gathering over 50 in-person participants and nearly 150 online attendees.
The event was opened by Dr. Burcu B. Göğüş Doğan on behalf of the TÜBİTAK MSCA National Contact Points. In her opening remarks, she emphasized the role of the MSCA Staff Exchanges programme in strengthening the European Research Area and highlighted the strategic importance of participation from Türkiye. Dr. Tuğba Arslan Kantarcıoğlu and Şeyma Sayımlar, also serving as TÜBİTAK MSCA National Contact Points, actively contributed to the event by engaging with participants and playing a key role in the coordination and moderation of the sessions.
During the training, participants were provided with a comprehensive overview of the 2026 Call logic, eligibility conditions, evaluation approach, and the novelties introduced this year. Throughout the day, particular emphasis was placed on proposal development, with dedicated sessions on structuring the “Excellence,” “Impact,” and “Implementation” sections of Part B, supported by practical examples and interactive exercises.
The thematic expert of the event, Mr. Jesús Rojo, led the technical sessions, addressing research and innovation objectives, methodology design, international and intersectoral collaboration, dissemination and impact strategies, as well as common strengths and weaknesses observed in proposals. Participants gained hands-on insights into strategic proposal writing and consortium planning.
Networking breaks and dedicated Q&A sessions enabled participants to engage directly with the MSCA National Contact Points and experts. The training concluded with strategic recommendations and practical guidance for preparing competitive MSCA Staff Exchanges proposals.
With its strategic focus and practice-oriented structure, the MSCA Staff Exchanges 2026 General Introductory Training stood out as an important capacity-building activity, supporting universities, research organisations, industry representatives and SMEs from Türkiye in enhancing their participation in the programme.
You may access the training materials here.
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