A reciprocal agreement between the European Union (EU) and China will help researchers to spend time in each area. The deal will lift barriers such as restrictive visa conditions and will improve recognition of qualifications, says European Commission (EC) spokesman Dennis Abbott. Researchers from both areas will be funded by the EC's Marie Curie Actions; the programme is seeking a 50% budget increase in its next round of funding, beginning in 2014, to a total of nearly €7 billion (US$9.7 billion), says Abbott. The amount will be confirmed on 30 November. Since 2007, some 550 Chinese researchers have received Actions grants to work in Europe, but far fewer EU researchers have gone to China.