The 23 fellowships are the highest number that AU has been granted for the past five years, and 14 more than in 2017. With 120 applications, this gives a success rate of 19.2 per cent, which is above average for both Europe (18.2 per cent) and Denmark (18.3 per cent).

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is a development programme under the European Research Council, and it is targeted at researchers with more than four years of experience.

Neither Vice-dean Jes Madsen nor Mikkel Bjerg Kongsbak from the Research Support Office has any clear explanation for this impressive increase 

However, they agree that there is a great deal of effort behind the success, both in the Curie master class events, which the former Science and Technology and the Research Support Office introduced in 2016, and in the hard work put in by passionate individuals at the departments to create the right combinations of research groups and potential fellows.

The master class events are a bit like matchmaking workshops, at which young researchers from all over the world can meet AU researchers from relevant sections to discuss a possible Marie Curie application and get help to complete their applications.

The next master classes will be on 12-14 May.

With reservations for the fact that contracts for the grants are still under preparation, the new fellowships have been awarded as follows: