30 Years of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions - and what it means for Plymouth

A programme that changed European research

Since 1996, the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions have supported over 150,000 researchers across Europe, including 23 Nobel Prize winners. The programme has been a cornerstone of European research, fostering mobility across disciplines, sectors and countries, and helping to make Europe one of the most attractive places in the world to do research.

Voyage of Discovery is funded through this programme, and we are proud to be part of its 30th anniversary year.

European Researchers' Night: research across a continent

Every September, European Researchers' Night takes place simultaneously across Europe — events in 40 countries and more than 460 cities, all at once, bringing science and society closer and inspiring the next generation of researchers. Voyage of Discovery is Plymouth's contribution to that Europe-wide celebration.

Horizon Europe - the world's largest research programme

Horizon Europe (2021 to 2027) provides €95.5 billion for research and innovation. The programme is built around five missions that address some of the most pressing challenges facing our world:

  • Adaptation to Climate Change - supporting at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030

  • Cancer - working to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and solutions to live longer and better

  • Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030

  • 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030

  • A Soil Deal for Europe - 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030

Voyage of Discovery connects directly to four of these five missions -through the research of our participating scientists and through the communities we engage.

Horizon Europe in numbers

€95.5 billion — Total Horizon Europe budget (2021 to 2027)
€1.9 billion — Funding received by UK organisations since 2024
4,479 — UK projects funded
7,431 — UK organisations involved

From 2021 to 2024, the UK was unable to participate in Horizon Europe following Brexit, which required the UK to renegotiate its inclusion in the programme. UK participation was confirmed in January 2024. The figures above reflect participation from that point.

What EU research funding means for Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall

EU research funding is not abstract — it is working here, in this region, on challenges that matter to the communities, coastlines and landscapes of the South West.

~€50 million — Total Horizon Europe funding to Devon, Plymouth and Cornwall
€11.5 million — To Plymouth-based researchers
€5.69 million — To the University of Plymouth

This investment is funding research into our ocean, our soil, our cities and our communities. It is supporting researchers like Dr Jenny Gales, whose EU-funded Antarctic expedition you can experience tonight in the dome, and Dr Thomas Davies, whose AquaPLAN project is studying how light pollution is affecting marine life in our rock pools and coastal waters.

EU funding is making a difference here. Voyage of Discovery makes that visible.