The aim of this Specific Programme is to stimulate, in quantitative and qualitative terms, the human potential in European science and technolgy by responding to researchers' demands in training, mobility, and career development, working within universities, research organisations, or companies.

This programme is implemented via Marie Curie Actions support the hiring of researchers and staff mobility entailed in carrying our a specific project within a given field under the European Union.

Marie Curie Actions comprise five categories covering various aspects and stages of the research career:

• Initial training is designed to improve young researchers' career perspectives in both public and private sectors within a transnational framework: it includes Initial Training Networks (ITNs).
  
  
• Life-long training aims to support experienced researchers in improving or acquiring new skills via inter/multidisciplinary and/or intersectoral mobility. In turn, it comprises includes three activities: Intra-European Fellowships (IEF), Reintegration Grants (RG), and Co-Funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND).
  
  
• Industry-academia favours partnerships between companies, in particular SMEs, and public research institutes, thus increasing knowledge transfer through mutual understanding. It is implemented via Industry-Academy Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP).
  
  
• International Dimesion, under the People Sepcific Programme, is an attempt to improve research quality in Europe by attracting research talent from outside Europe and foster mutually beneficial research collaborations with third countries. Its implementation is carried out through International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF), International Incoming Fellowships (IIF), and International Research Staff Exchange Schemes (IRSES).
  
  
• Researchers' Night involves various actions related to research dissemination and support services for research mobility; it comprises the following Marie Curie Actions: Researchers' Night and Support for Euraxess-services Network.