COSTEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology

Dr Karina Marcus – Science Officer

Vilnius, 23 May 2019

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Outline

What are the COST Actions and how toparticipate in them?

How to prepare a successful proposal?

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COST (CO-operation in Science and Technology)is the longest-running European frameworksupporting cooperation among researchers,engineers and scholars by enabling them tojointly develop their own ideas and new initiativesacross all fields in science and technology,including social sciences and humanities.

What is COST?

What are COST Actions?

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COST Actions’ strengths and key features

All countries

Open to

All career stages

All Partners

All fields of S&T

COST Countries

Global cooperation

Trans-, multi,-

interdisciplinarity

Young and experienced

researchers

Academia, public

organisations, SME

NGO, Industry,

International Organisation

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COST Member Countries

• 38 COST Members

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,

Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,

Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,

Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the

Republic of North Macedonia

• 1 Cooperating Member Israel

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Flexible and light administration

adaptable research and activities, light reporting

Output and impact oriented

open science, wide sharing of knowledge and results, openaccess, open innovation

Additional Action Features

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COST Actions

Memorandum of

Understanding

Network

4 years

Min 7 countries

Research coordination

and capacity building

activities€ ~500 000 euros

over lifetime

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Networking tools

Management

Committee meeting

Working Group

meeting

Training Schools

Conferences

Dissemination Scientific missions

Research

coordination

&

Capacity

building

activities

Financial rules: see Vademecum

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COST Action Structure

WG1

WG2

WG3

WG4

WG5

WG6

MANAGEMENT

COMMITTEE

(MC)

GRANT HOLDER

(GH)

COST

Association

Administration

Horizontal groups

WG leaders

Action Chair

Vice Chair

GH Scientific Rep.

STSM coordinatorScientific Com. Manager

Leadership Positions

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COST Policy

Excellence and

Inclusiveness

Geographical coverage

GenderEarly Career Investigator

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COST aims to:

Connect “pockets of excellence“ in S&T operating from

diverse locations in Europe

Encourage and enable researchers from less research-

intensive countries to get more involved in all COST

activities

Counterbalance research communities unequal access to

knowledge infrastructures, funding and resources

distribution

Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Excellence and

Inclusiveness

Geographical

coverage

Gender

Early Career

Investigator

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COST Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC)

• EU 13Bulgaria

Croatia,

Cyprus,

Czech Republic

Estonia

Hungary

Latvia

Lithuania

Malta

Poland

Romania

Slovakia,

Slovenia

• EU Candidates and Potential CandidatesAlbania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

North Macedonia

Montenegro

Moldova

Serbia

Turkey

• EU countries targeted by

the European CommissionLuxembourg

Portugal

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Early Career Investigators (ECI) andGender Balance

Encourage ECIs* and underrepresented gender to engage in active participation and take-up leadership roles.

E.g. leadership roles in the Action (e.g. Grant Holder, WG Leader) and/or benefitting from COST networking tools, in particular STSMs, Training Schools and ITC Conference Grants.

*Early Career Investigators up to 8 years from PhD degree

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Early Career Investigators (ECI) andGender Balance

Encourage ECIs* and underrepresented gender to engage in active participation and take-up leadership roles.

E.g. leadership roles in the Action (e.g. Grant Holder, WG Leader) and/or benefitting from COST networking tools, in particular STSMs, Training Schools and ITC Conference Grants.

*Early Career Investigators up to 8 years from PhD degree

Engage as participant of a running COST Action

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Find the Action in your field of interest on theCOST website

Read the project plan (MoU) – identify yourpotential contribution

Browse the Action’s own website – check theiractivities

Identify the opportunities to join the Action andyour contact person

Engaging in an running COST Action

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Join an Action as…

As a Management Committee (MC) member

(contact the COST National Coordinator)

As a Working Group (WG) participant (contactthe WG leader)

As a participant in Action activities: Short TermScientific Mission, ITC Conference grant,Training school, Workshop/Conference,…(Check the Action’s website, contact thenational MC member)

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COST Networking Tools: Meetings

Internal Meetings: Management Committee (MC), Core Group (CG) and

Working Group (WG) Meetings

Workshops and Conference: serve the Action’s objectives and act as a

showcase for the activities of the Action

Dissemination Meetings: to showcase an Action at relevant conference in

the field (oral presentation); max 2 participants are eligible to be

reimbursed per Grant Period

MC, CORE GROUP, WG MEETINGS, WORKSHOP and CONFERENCES

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COST Networking Tools: STSM, ITC Conference Grant, TS

Exchange visits fostering collaboration, contributing to the scientific objectives

of the Actions and allowing participant to learn new techniques, to have

access to data/instruments/methods not available in their own institution.

SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS

TRAINING SCHOOLS

Provide intensive training on a subject that contributes to the aim of the Action

(new or emerging subject)

If applicable, offer familiarization with unique equipment or

know-how in one of the laboratories of the Action

ITC Conference Grant

PhD Student and ECI based in a participating ITC Countries to attend a

conference and giving either an oral or poster presentation.

Supporting activities for COST Action

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Initiative developed to support the COST Action networks, which offers:

Trainings

Workshops

Mentoring

Webinars

Online modules

COST Academy

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https://www.cost.eu/academy/

COST Leadership Workshop

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Leadership roles

Action Chair (AC)

Action Vice-Chair

Working Group Leaders

Grant Holder Scientific Representative

Short Term Scientific Mission manager

Science Communication manager

And other horizontal activities

At least 1

ITC

participant

in

leadership

position

All elected

at the 1st

MC

meeting

CORE GROUP

to prepare

MC decisions

Engage as proposer of a COST Action

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COST Open Call

Collection every 9 months

Next: 5 September 2019 –

12:00 CET

One stage online submission of proposals

eCOST account

Who?Main proposer

(and secondary proposers)

40 – 45 Actions approved

per collection

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Proposals

Eligibility!

COST Excellence and

Inclusiveness Policy

Specific objectives

Technical Annex

1. S&T excellence*

2. Networking Excellence

3. Impact

4. Implementation

General features

Network of proposers

Anonymous*

Min ITC

Format

Peaceful purpose

English

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Online submission tool (e-COST)*

*www.cost.eu/ecost

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Open Call for proposals – Technical Annex

Sections Sub-sections

1. S&T EXCELLENCE 1.1 soundness of the challenge

1.2 progress beyond the state-of-the-art

2. NETWORKING

EXCELLENCE

2.1 added value of networking in s&t excellence

2.2 added value of networking in impact

3. IMPACT 3.1 impact to science, society and competitiveness,

and potential for innovation/breakthroughs

3.2 measures to maximise impact

4. IMPLEMENTATION 4.1 coherence and effectiveness of the work plan

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Evaluation - SESA

3 independent external experts

Technical Annex

Step 1: External remote evaluation

Step 2: Revision and quality

check by Review Panels

Step 3: Selection by the Scientific

Committee

COST policy and objectives

Step 4: Approval by COST

committee of Senior Officials -

Results 7-8 months after submission

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Evaluation criteria - step 1

S&T EXCELLENCENETWORKING

EXCELLENCEIMPACT IMPLEMENTATION

- Soundness of the

Challenge

- Progress beyond

the state-of-the-art

- Added value of

networking in S&T

Excellence

- Added value of

networking in Impact

- Impact to science,

society and

competitiveness, and

potential for

innovation/ break-

throughs

- Measures to

maximise impact

- Coherence and

effectiveness of the

work plan

Total marks for

the section:

15 points

Total marks for

the section:

15 points

Total marks for

the section:

15 points

Total marks for

the section:

5 points

Total marks awarded: 0-50 points

Overall threshold: 34 points

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Read the official announcement

Read the SESA Guidelines

Online registration and submission (e-COST)

Technical Annex template

Helpdesk: opencall@cost.eu

Open Call for proposals – how-to

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