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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

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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

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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)

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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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Info on running Actions: www.cost.esf.org

How to join a running Action?

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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

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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

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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