SME Participation in the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: Key Facts and Figures

The EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are a flagship funding programme for researcher training and career development. While often associated with universities and research institutes, SMEs form a significant and growing part of the MSCA ecosystem. Since 2014, more than 2,650 SMEs have participated, gaining access to international talent, R&D partnerships, and dedicated funding streams . This article compiles the key facts and figures on SME involvement across the main MSCA schemes.

Overall SME and Company Participation (Since 2014)

Since 2014, MSCA has involved more than 5,100 companies, of which over 2,650 are SMEs . The programme has engaged more than 8,700 organisations from over 130 countries in total .

Under Horizon 2020 (2014–2020) specifically, MSCA supported 4,700 companies, including 2,200 SMEs . A more recent European External Action Service (EEAS) factsheet reports that MSCA has funded more than 4,000 private-for-profit organisations, of which 2,300 are SMEs, and has placed 7,500 researchers outside academia .

Non-academic sector funding: Approximately €602 million has been allocated to research in the non-academic sector under Horizon 2020, with over €250 million specifically designated for SMEs .

Recent Figures Under Horizon Europe (2021–2027)

An April 2026 analysis found that Horizon Europe projects include at least 7,474 SME participants across all pillars. Within MSCA specifically, there were 1,251 SME participants as of mid-2024, making it one of the programme parts attracting the most SMEs .

In a recent MSCA Staff Exchanges call (2026), the European Commission awarded €97.7 million to 81 projects involving 1,093 organisations in 95 countries, including 313 non-academic organisations and 157 SMEs .

Main MSCA Schemes That SMEs Engage In

SMEs participate across several MSCA actions, each with a different model of engagement:

Scheme	Description	SME Relevance
Doctoral Networks (DN)	Multi-beneficiary consortia training doctoral candidates through partnerships across sectors and countries .	SMEs join as full beneficiaries, co-supervising PhDs and hosting secondments.
Staff Exchanges (SE)	Short-term international, inter-sectoral staff exchanges between academic and non-academic organisations .	SMEs host and send staff; 157 SMEs participated in the latest 2026 call .
Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF)	Individual fellowships for postdoctoral researchers, including options in the non-academic sector .	SMEs can host fellows, e.g., via the European Postdoctoral Fellowships non-academic pathway.
COFUND	Co-funding of regional, national, and international doctoral and postdoctoral programmes .	SMEs benefit indirectly through co-funded programmes that include industry placements.
Choose Europe for Science pilot	A new pilot under Horizon Europe to attract top non-European researchers with the option to include non-academic partners.	SMEs participate as hosting organisations; the pilot is still in its early stages.

In earlier schemes (ITN/IAPP, predecessors of DNs and SEs), SMEs accounted for more than 50% of all business participants .

International Mobility Requirements That Benefit SMEs

A core design feature of MSCA is mandatory international, inter-sectoral, and interdisciplinary mobility. This directly benefits SMEs:

• Doctoral Networks require researchers to work in at least two different countries and often spend secondments in the non-academic sector, including SMEs .
• Staff Exchanges require secondments between countries and between sectors, meaning researchers from universities go to SMEs abroad and vice versa .
• All actions require researchers to move to a new country (the "MSCA mobility rule"), giving SMEs direct access to international talent.

This cross-border, cross-sector design means SMEs gain new R&D capabilities, international networks, and potential IP without needing to establish their own overseas laboratories.

Real-World Example: The SERENADE Doctoral Network

SERENADE (Sensors and Eco-fRiendly food-grade matErials for smart packagiNg And food wastE reduction) is an MSCA Doctoral Network funded under Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101072846) .

• Coordinator: The Spanish division of BSH Appliances, a major European home appliance manufacturer .
• Focus: Developing sensor-based and eco-friendly packaging solutions targeting food waste at the end of the food supply chain — households, retailers, and supermarkets .
• Approach: Combines gas sensor systems, food-grade materials, and smart packaging technologies across three technological pillars .
• International Dimension: The consortium brings together universities, research institutes, and companies from multiple European countries, offering doctoral candidates cross-sector training with secondments in both academia and industry. Participating academic partners include Saarland University (Germany), among others .
• Why It Matters for SMEs: BSH Appliances coordinates the network, and the broader consortium includes SMEs that contribute sensing technology and materials know-how, giving them access to PhD-level R&D talent and long-term innovation partnerships .