To qualify for an IAPP, your proposal must include one or more universities/ research centres and one or more enterprises. On the business side, participation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is encouraged. So getting them involved could count in your favour.

All of the partners get together and propose a project based on a joint cooperation programme. The industrial partners must be operating on a commercial basis. In other words, they must be companies that earn most of their money by competing in the marketplace. But they may include incubators, start-ups, spin-offs, venture capital companies, etc.

Cross-border cooperation is another must. To be valid, an IAPP project proposal must come from partners in at least two different EU Member States - or else at least one Member State plus one Associated Country. Partners from Third Countries can also join in, but only if enough EU members or associates are represented in the partnership too.

Proposals from all scientific and technological research fields of interest to the EU are welcomed by the IAPP team. Your project should promote a strategic research partnership, which can be co-ordinated by either an industrial or an academic participant.

It should also highlight longer-term cooperation. And it should make full use of all the skills and synergies available in the partnership. But there is one exception: research areas covered by the EURATOM Treaty cannot be funded.

Successful IAPP project proposals receive 100% funding for labour costs. If your project is chosen, you will be funded for 4 years.

This is to support:

• Exchange of know-how and experience through two-way or one-way secondments of research staff between the industrial and academic partners
• Recruitment of experienced researchers from outside the partnership, for involvement in the transfer of knowledge and/ or the training of researchers
• Networking, workshops and conferences involving external researchers as well as the partners’ own research staff.

Strong strategic partnerships are what the IAPP programme is all about. It is looking for long-term, targeted knowledge sharing and staff mobility between the public and private sector partners.

The best IAPP proposals are selected in an open competition. Selection is through transparent, independent peer review, based on excellence using a series of predetermined criteria.

Proposals are submitted in reply to a call for proposals. Calls can be found and proposals submitted through the Participant portal. You can find a list of open Marie Curie Actions calls and useful advice under "Apply now" section of this website.

• People Work programme 2013(346 KB)  English (en)
• Guide for applicants (common part)(99 KB)  English (en)
• Guide for applicants - IAPP(2 MB)  English (en)