COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Their Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.
ETN has a running COST Action that provides funds for organising meetings, training schools, short term scientific missions, conference grants and virtual mobility grants. Here we give an overview of the funds you can apply for.
Virtual Mobility Grants:
Virtual Mobility Grants (VMG) allow scientists to continue and expand cooperation in a virtual setting. These activities may include surveys, courses, workshops, preparation of protocols, virtual mentoring and a range of other activities that do not necessarily require personal presence. These grants are like “virtual STSMs” and also offer the opportunity to perform at least part of a potentially cancelled STSM virtually.
Virtual Mobility Grant Call 2022
Short-Term Scientific Missions:
STSM facilitates Researchers whose home institution is located in a Participating COST Full Member or COST Cooperating Member Country to go to an institution, organisation or research centre in another participating COST Country to foster collaboration and to perform empirical research. Participation of “Early Career Investigators” (ECI) in STSM is particularly encouraged, here considered as an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate (full-time equivalent). PhD students are also eligible to partake in STSMs. Find out more below.
Note that as of 17 January 2023, we are no longer accepting applications for STSMs! We have so far supported the completion of 14 missions, with a few more to be completed before the end of the grant period!
ITC Conference Grants:
ITC Conference Grants are aimed at supporting ECI and PhD students from Participating ITC (Inclusiveness Target Country) to attend international science and technology related conferences on the topic of the Action, that are not organized by the COST Action (see a list of potential conferences here). The call for applications will open in March/April 2022, but please send your expression of interest at any time to etn-stsm@lifewatch.be.
See an example of a successful ITC grant report here.
What previous successful grant holders have to say:
"My STSM (COST Action 18102 – ETN) took place at the Wageningen University and Research facilities, during March 2020 (just before the massive pandemic outbreak). This grant allowed me to perform successfully fish experiments in swim-tunnels and validate accelerometers with swimming speed and tail beat frequency in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). During my stay, I learned how to use new technology and devices from specialists, strengthened existing collaborations, built new ones, and made new friendships and enjoy the country. As icing on the cake, we got this work published in a peer-reviewed journal, opening the doors to future projects and collaborations." - Dr. Pablo Arechavala-Lopez, March 2020
"Through ETN I got into contact with Pedro Afonso from IMAR-DOP, and discussed the potential of an eel telemetry project. Last October, I went for 2 weeks to the isle of Flores where Pedro, Robert Priest and I tagged eels to study their movement and habitat use with acoustic telemetry in the streams full of cobbles, pools and waterfalls. The field work came very close to a documentary-style jungle walk, with canyoning and bushwhacking (with an opinel!) ourselves a way to and through the streams. It was hard with very long days but completely worth it. This would have not been as fun without the cool company of the eel dream team being Pedro, Robert and the amazing Pedro Mercolini (and many others)." - Dr. Pieterjan Verhelst, October 2021