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1
European European COCOoperation in operation in
SScience and cience and TTechnologyechnology
COST is supported by the EU RTD Framework Programme ESF provides the COST Office through an EC contract
2
What is COST?• Inter-Governmental Organisation
• longest running European instrument for scientific cooperation
• founded in 1971, Ministerial Conference (Brussels), by 19 states
• covering all scientific areas • Europe & beyond
• European Commission (FP7 ‘Cooperation’: 210 M€ - 250 M€)
• 34 COST Member States & 1 Associate State (Israel)
• International Organisations & Research Institutes in non-COST Countries (i.e. USA, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, India…)
• Funding instrument: "COST Actions“ (=projects)• 200 running COST Actions, duration 4 years, 50 new actions p.a.
COST Actions consist in networking ongoing or starting R&D operations, each financed at national level!
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COST Member States
The 27 EU Member States1
EFTA Member States AELE Iceland Norway Switzerland
Candidate Countries Turkey Croatia FYR of Macedonia
(FYROM)2
Other Countries Serbia and Montenegro2
COST Co-operating States Israel
1 - from 1 January 20072 - Not Associated to FP
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Why is COST of interest for researchers? funding of new, innovative and interdisciplinary scientific
networks open to all researchers of a signatory country ‘bottom-up’ principle (no pre-defined priorities, no work
program) - flexible new reciprocal support schemes facilitate exchanges between
COST and non-COST countries contacts: 30,000 researchers involved in COST Actions research itself financed by member states leverage effect: networked research projects value:
~2 billion € annual COST Actions frequently translate into FP projects, or even COST Actions frequently translate into FP projects, or even
influence priorities of EC programs!influence priorities of EC programs!
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COST activities structured in Scientific Domains
• Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences BMB
• Food and Agriculture F & A
• Forests, their Products and Services FPS
• Materials, Physical & Nanosciences MPNS
• Chemistry and Molecular Sciences & Technologies CMST
• Earth System Science & Environmental Management
ESSEM
• Information & Communication Technologies ICT
• Transport & Urban Development TUD
• Individuals, Society, Culture & Health ISCH
+ Plus: Trains Domain Committee for proposals that do not fit in + Plus: Trains Domain Committee for proposals that do not fit in
any of these domainsany of these domains
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How is COST organised? COST Governance
1 representative per Domain per MS
+ 2 experts (pool)
responsible for selection of new
actions and quality control
CSO: 2 representatives per MS (usually persons from Ministries)
main governing body CNC -nominates Action MC members
MS = COST Member State
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Who manages the Actions?
Action’s Management Committees A committee set up for each Action
2 representatives by signatory state – scientists nominated by the COST National Coordinators (upon request)
EU Commission representative as observer Observers from other organisations Supervision and coordination of Action course Scientific coordination at national level Concrete organisation of Action development, budget
planning
8
How is COST Office organised?
COST Domain
Committees &
Science Officers
COST Actions(224)
MC = Management Committee
COST OFFICE
COMMITTEE OF SENIOR OFFICIALS (CSO) COST National
Coordinators
F&A ……….. ……..
WORKING GROUPS (NETWORKS) …… ~30.000 researchers
Scientific Domain
…….
CouncilCOST
Secretariat
Action WGs
MC
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What does COST fund if not research?
‘Eligible’ activities of COST Actions: Science management meetings (MC), working group
meetings (WG) Scientific workshops and seminars Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) Training Schools and Research Conferences (!!!) Evaluations and Studies Printing of Proceedings, final reports, brochures Dissemination, Web site, etc
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Science management meetings & Scientific workshops and seminars
COST covers: organisational costs (room rental, meals etc.)
‘workshop support’ Travel, accommodation and meals of eligible
participants Rule: max. 2 participants per country per Working Group
(WG) and Management Committee (MC) Example: COST Action with 15 signatory countries, Management
Committee + 4 Working Groups 150 participants can be reimbursed!
invited experts
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Short Term Scientific Missions Aim: promote researchers mobility within an Action’s
scientific objectives Means: by allowing a scientist to go to a laboratory in
another COST country to learn a new technique or to make measurements using instruments and/or methods not available in their own laboratory
Target group: junior researchers, but also others Mobility: from one COST country to another within the
Action (add. agreements with Australia, New Zealand..) Duration: between 5 days and 3 months (financial
contribution will normally not exceed 2,500 €)
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Training Schools and Research Conferences
Aim: dissemination of the scientific and technical results from COST Actions activities and intensive training in a new emerging subject in one of the laboratories of the Action with unique equipment or know how
Means: by supporting the organisation of training schools and conferences
Duration: 3-5 days up to a maximum of 2 weeks, Lecturers: max. 5, reimbursement under usual COST
rules (travel, accommodation, meals) Students: max. 30 students get some financial support
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Example COST Action budget 1 year
Meeting travel costs 70.000 EUR Workshop support 3.000 EUR STSM 3.000 EUR Publication 4.000 EUR Sub-total 80.000 EUR Secretariat max. 15 % of expenses 10.000 EUR1
(each Action has to choose one institution as Grant Holder to take care of administrative issues)
TOTAL 90.000 EUR
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COST Open Call
call continuously open, 1-2 “Collection Dates” per year 2 stage selection process
1. pre-proposals are first collected 2. about 75 full proposals are invited
assessment of pre-proposals by the Domain Committee (1 expert of the scientific domain concerned per country)
assessment of full proposals by an External Experts Panel (peer review)
ca. 50 projects will be selected per year 25 projects per collection date
Next collection date: 28 March 2008, 17:00 !!Next collection date: 28 March 2008, 17:00 !!
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Preliminary proposals
Short: approx. 1,500 words, language: English Online submission process (rules on COST web) Indicate Domain (see COST web) / Trans Domain Minimum criteria for eligibility:
Proposal conform to template 5 or more COST member states interested Proposal seeks funding for research? (yes –
reject) Obvious duplication with currently or recently supported COST
Actions or other funding schemes (yes – reject)
Anonymous – evaluators do not get information on participating institutions (different to FP!)
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Pre-proposal preparation (1)
A. Background: WHY: Current state of the art, relevant research in FP,
comparison of European situation to USA, Canada… REASONS for COOPERATION: objectives, expected
results and means to achieve them, including practical applications (so that non-expert in the field pictures),
COMPLEMENTARITY with ongoing or planned research in FP, EUREKA, ESF…
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Pre-proposal preparation (2)
B. Benefits: Benefits of research – social, scientific, technologic
C. Objectives, deliverables and expected scientific impact: Expected impact of the action, identify possible ‘users’
of the results Distinguish ‘aims’ and means how to achieve them Do not specify scientific problems here
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Pre-proposal preparation (3)
D. Scientific Programme and Innovation: Main research tasks – structure of work plan How they will to achieving the objectives Innovative elements of the proposal Open and flexible framework (other countries and
scientists can enter the action) Organisational matters (working groups etc) in the next
section
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Pre-proposal preparation (4)
D. Organisation: How the action will be coordinated / arranged Why is COST the best framework (compared to EC,
EUREKA…) Advantages of obtaining COST support for research
coordination
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How to win the first round?
Keep always in mind that you have to demonstrate the advantages of using COST funding for coordinatingcoordinating the research efforts of several countries, investigating in your area (research funded by member state)!!
Hint: in the pre-proposal stage, convince the Domain Committee!! – each participant should contact DC delegate from his country and brief on the proposal (contacts on website)
21
Full proposal selection process
While pre-proposal should convince Domain Committee, full proposal requires sound scientific approach
Use template provided at COST website (length of proposal ca. 15-20 pages)
Assessment by External Expert Panel (5 experts from COST pool (database) of experts or other institutions), consensus meeting – list of recommended proposals
Proposers invited to present full proposals in front of the Domain Committee
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Timeline: from proposal to the end of an Action
CSO approves draft CSO approves draft MoUs of selected MoUs of selected
projectsprojects
Full Proposal(4 months)
Dissemination(years)
time
5 countries sign MoU5 countries sign MoU
Preproposal(2 months)
Implementation(4 years)
MonitoringEEPs assess EEPs assess Full proposalsFull proposalsDCs assess DCs assess
pre pre proposalsproposals
Assessment
Evaluation
1st MC Meeting1st MC Meeting
DCs finalize list of DCs finalize list of selected projectsselected projects
Call Call deadlinedeadline
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What is the chance of winning a COST Action?
Number of proposals
Eligible proposals 406406Approved proposals 2525
(= 16 %)(= 16 %)
Eligible Proposals 475475Approved proposals ? (25)? (25)
Mar
ch 2
007
Sep
t.
2007
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How can you participate in running COST activities?
First of all visit the COST website and search for the Domain and Actions of your interest www.cost.esf.org
Depending on your own situation, on the status (signatory or not to this Action) of your country, and on the situation and ‘age’ of the Action there are different ways of joining COST
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How to join running Actions?
If Croatia has NOT signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) / or only 1 MC member is nominated contact the COST National Coordinator (contacts on website)
Croatia: Professor Bozidar BIONDICFaculty of Geotechnical Sciences, University of Zagreb
expect nomination to the Management Committee (MC)
If Spain signed the (MoU) for the particular Action contact the MC Chair or Spanish MC member, cc COST
Scientific Officer in charge (all details on website) if already 2 Spanish MC members, you can participate in
Working Groups or as invited expert to conferences
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¡Thank you for your attention!
Para mas información acerca de COST: www.cost.esf.org
And remember: next collection date is close!And remember: next collection date is close!28 March 2008, 17:0028 March 2008, 17:00
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FPCouncil &
EP Decision
ESF/CSOMoU
EuropeanCommission
CSO
ESF
ESFCOSTOffice
TCs
Actions
Contract Implementation
Consultation
Negotiation
EuropeanResearch
Community
COST- 6th and 7th Framework Programme
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Timeline proposal evaluation
Preliminary Proposals:Preliminary Proposals:Elig
ibilit
y C
heck
Elig
ibilit
y C
heck
Allocati
on
to D
om
ain
s
Allocati
on
to D
om
ain
s
an
on
ym
ised
dis
trib
uti
on
an
on
ym
ised
dis
trib
uti
on
Ele
ctr
on
ic R
ati
ng
Ele
ctr
on
ic R
ati
ng
Au
tom
ati
c R
an
kin
gA
uto
mati
c R
an
kin
g
Norm
alisati
on
of
the
Norm
alisati
on
of
the
ran
kin
g o
f th
e D
Cs
ran
kin
g o
f th
e D
Cs
Invit
ati
on
of
top
75 f
or
Invit
ati
on
of
top
75 f
or
Fu
ll P
rop
osals
Fu
ll P
rop
osals
BMBSBMBS
CMSTCMST
FAFA
FPSFPS
ISCHISCH
ICTICT
MPNSMPNS
TUDTUD
ESSEMESSEM
Collecti
on
Date
Collecti
on
Date
1 week1 week 3 weeks3 weeks 3 days3 days
“CD2” 30-03-2007 16-04-2007 07-05-2007 18-05-2007“CD3” 30-09-2007 11-10-2007 05-11-2007 16-11-2007
30
Timeline proposal evaluation
Esta
blish
men
t of
Esta
blish
men
t of
Exte
rnal Exp
ert
Pan
els
Exte
rnal Exp
ert
Pan
els
Rati
ng
by E
EP
in
pan
el
Rati
ng
by E
EP
in
pan
el
meeti
ng
s in
Bru
ssels
meeti
ng
s in
Bru
ssels
Pre
sen
tati
on
of
pro
posals
Pre
sen
tati
on
of
pro
posals
Ran
kin
g b
y D
Cs
Ran
kin
g b
y D
Cs
Meeti
ng
of
DC
ch
air
sM
eeti
ng
of
DC
ch
air
s
Fin
al Lis
t fo
r ap
pro
val
Fin
al Lis
t fo
r ap
pro
val
Ap
pro
val b
y t
he C
SO
Ap
pro
val b
y t
he C
SO
Dead
Lin
e Fu
ll P
rop
osals
Dead
Lin
e Fu
ll P
rop
osals
10 weeks10 weeks 2 weeks2 weeks
JAF
JAF
2 weeks2 weeks
Sta
rt o
f th
e n
ew
Acti
on
Sta
rt o
f th
e n
ew
Acti
on
2 weeks2 weeks 4 weeks4 weeks
Full Proposals:Full Proposals:
“CD2” 27-07-2007 07-09-2007 27-09-2007 16-10-2007 15-11-2007“CD3” 1-02-2008 29-02-2008 14-03-2008 16-04-2008 15-05-2008
31
Action’s Management Committees A committee set up for each Action
2 representatives by signatory state – scientists/researchers nominated by the COST National Coordinators (upon request)
EU Commission representative as observer Observers from other organisations Supervision and coordination of Action course Scientific coordination at national level Concrete organisation of Action development