ESF provides the COST Office through a European Commission contract COST is supported
by the EU Framework Programme
Prof Tatiana Kovacikova Head of Science Operations COST Association
COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Brussels, 24 November 2014
OUTLINE
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• COST in Horizon 2020
• COST POLICIES
• COST ACTIONS
• HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
What is COST?
COST is the oldest and widest European
intergovernmental framework for Cooperation in Science and Technology (1971)
COST has been supporting the networking of
nationally funded research activities across all 35 Member Countries + 1 Cooperating State and beyond for over 40 years
COST is based on networks called COST Actions.
Currently there are 328 running Actions networking around 30 000 researchers per year, worldwide.
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COST objectives under H2020
Joining research efforts and developing common S&T programmes
Capacity building
Addressing societal questions
Strengthening COST’s Inclusiveness Policy
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Enabling breakthrough scientific developments leading to new concepts and products.
Jointly contributing to strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities.
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COST Budget from H2020
EUR 300 million for 7 years coming from two H2020 work programmes:
Challenge 6 “Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective Societies”
“Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation”
For trans-European networking of nationally
funded research activities.
COST CURRENT POLICIES
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Inclusiveness
Originated from:
Political context of the Innovation Union (Horizon 2020)
The intergovernmental context of the COST Member Countries
With the aim to:
Encourage and enable researchers from less research-intensive countries across the COST Member Countries to set up and/or join COST Actions and get more intensively involved in all COST activities
Counterbalancing research communities’ unequal access to knowledge infrastructures, funding and resources distribution
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COST Inclusiveness countries
Early Stage Researchers
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To address the difficulty in developing independent
careers and to establish their first research group under their own responsibility
ESR = ˂ 8 Years PhD*
COST Strategy Support
ESR
*PhD or equivalent experience
Gender balance
With the aim to:
Encourage and enable under represented gender to be
intensively involved in all COST activities.
Networking the way to gender equality in science and
technology.
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Facilitate/ encourage industry/SME participation
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Contribution to
the Innovation Union
COST ACTIONs
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All fields of S&T (including interdisciplinary, new and emergent fields)
Any novel and original idea (innovative)
All partners (public and private, big and small)
All career stages (young and senior investigators)
All countries, including COST Near Neighbour Countries (NNC) and International Partner Countries (IPC) – fostering international cooperation
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COST Actions
COST supports the networking of researchers through science and technology networks, which are open to:
NETWORKING TOOLS
Management Committee Meetings
Working Group Meetings
Scientific
Workshops & Seminars Training Schools
Short Term Scientific Missions
(STSMs)
Dissemination &
Publications
COST Action – duration 4 years
Minimum 5 COST member countries
Average budget 150.000 EUR per year (24 partners)
COST Networking Facilities
COST Actions – 2014
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Who can participate?
Any researcher, engineer or scholar affiliated to the following INSTITUTIONS:
Institutions from COST Countries, Near Neighbour Countries and International Partner Countries.
European Commission and EU Agencies.
European RTD Organisations limited to: CERN, EMBL, ESA, ESO, ESRF, European XFEL, ILL, EFDA JET.
International Organisations (examples: UNESCO, FAO, WHO, EFI, CABI, MARIE CURIE FELLOWS ASSOCIATION, EUROPEAN CENTER FOR WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY).
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http://www.cost.eu/participate
COST Countries
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COST Near Neighbour Country
206 participations in running COST Actions across 17 countries
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Albania (15)
Algeria (7)
Armenia (8)
Azerbaijan (5)
Belarus (6)
Egypt (7)
Georgia (5)
Jordan (2)
Lebanon (5)
Moldova (5)
Montenegro (12)
Morocco (13)
Palestinian Authority (3)
Syrian Arab Republic (2)
Russia (51)
Tunisia (14)
Ukraine (46) March 2014 data
International Partner Countries
519 participations in running Actions across 27 countries
19 March 2014 data
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
http://www.cost.eu/participate
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OPTION 1
SHORT TERM STRATEGY
Would you like to join an existing COST Action?
http://www.cost.eu/participate/join_action
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COST Actions are Open!
You can join any Action that is running:
AS A MC MEMBER:
By contacting your CNC in order to be one (of the
maximum two) MC members representing your Country.
AS A WG PARTICIPANT:
By contacting you respective MC member and or the Action Chair and participate in the Working Groups.
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How to Find a running Action?
http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/all_actions
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How to Find a running Action?
Description of the Action
Objectives, Working
Groups, etc…
OPTION 2
LONG TERM STRATEGY
Are you already in contact with other
researchers and you would like to submit a COST Action proposal?
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Make your own COST proposal What do you need?
An idea on any Science and Technology topic that needs networking support
At least 5 colleagues from 5 different COST countries
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COST New Open Call
Proposals can be submitted as of January 30th, 2015 through the online submission tool (e-COST):
http://www.cost.eu/participate/open_call
Next collection date March 24th, 2015
New Proposal Template as well as the Guidelines for
submitting COST Action proposals and evaluation criteria available in January 2015
Call open to all fields of Science and Technology
Proposals should include researchers from a minimum of five countries
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COST New SESA Procedure
SESA – Submission, Evaluation, Selection and Approval
‒ Fully Science and Technology-driven
o Open to all science and technology fields, focusing on excellence
o No prior categorisation of Action proposals
o Equal opportunities to succeed for all scientists and topics
‒ Ensuring a competitive evaluation and selection of proposals in line with the bottom-up, open and inclusive nature of COST
‒ One-stage submission based upon a proposal of up to 15 pages
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Three Steps Approach
1. Evaluation
Peer review: each proposal anonymously and remotely evaluated by three independent External Experts in the science and technology field(s) indicated by the proposers
Consensus-oriented, using on-line collaborative tools
2. Revision
Driven by Review Panels checking the quality of the independent External Experts evaluation outcome and resolving potential
differences in their opinions
Ad hoc Review Panels composed of active scientists nominated by the COST National Coordinators to a pool of experts
3. Selection
Driven by the Scientific Committee, identifying, among the list of proposals presented by the RPs, those that respond best to COST
OPTION 3
Become a COST EXPERT
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Become a COST Expert!
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As a COST Expert, you will have the opportunity to:
• Contribute to the evaluation of COST Open Call proposals;
• Participate in the assessment of Action results and outcomes;
• Be invited to take part in the assessment of COST strategic activities..
New experts can express their interest via the COST Expert online registration
form (www.cost.eu/experts)
An updated Curriculum Vitae with a list of publications is required to demonstrate competence in specific areas of expertise.
More on COST Experts:
www.cost.eu/participate/experts.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Prof Tatiana Kovacikova
tatiana.kovacikova@cost.eu
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COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology Avenue Louise 149
1050 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 (0)2 533 3800 F: +32 (0)2 533 3890 office@cost.eu
www.cost.eu
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