CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR SHORT-TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS (STSM) 

Second Call for STSM Grant Period 3 (01/11/2023-30/01/2024)

 – Application period: May 06, 2024 – September 1, 2024, 23:55

 – Grant activities period: May 26, 2024 –September 30, 2024, 23:55

 – Proposed evaluation sessions: May 22, 2024; June 25, 2024; July 25, 2024; September 10, 2024.

If you want to prepare your application, please read the information published here

 

Eligibility rules:

  • The STSM applicant must be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or can be employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organization or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research;
  • An STSM applicant must specifically contribute to the research coordination and capacity building objectives of the Voices COST Action for which they are submitting a STSM application;
  • The visit location takes place in a country different from the candidate’s country of residence and different from the country of the candidate’s primary affiliation;
  • The visit duration is minimum 5 calendar days that includes travel;
  • The STSM visits must fit into the Grant activities period and all administration must be completed in said grant activities period.

Expenses covered:

  • Travel expenses from home to visiting location and back (bus, coach, train 2nd class, and plane economy);
  • Visa fees for the visiting country including expenses to obtain the visa;
  • Caution: costs related to personal security, health, taxation, social security, and pension matters are not covered;
  • Accommodation and food;
  • Regardless of actual travel dates, subsistence lumps sums (accommodation, meals) are limited to the number of visiting days plus two travel days, and at most one meal is eligible on each travel day;
  • The maximum amount of an STSM Grant is 4000 EUR;
  • Specific provisions have been made to encourage the application submission by researchers from ITC countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion Island and Saint Martin (France), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain). Currently, see Annex I: https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2022/11/Annex-I-level-A-Country-and-Organisations-Table-Version-1.4.pdf .  STSM applicants with an affiliation in an institution in an ITC country can request a pre-payment of 50% of grant. This is payable under 2 conditions: that the GH has sufficient funds to cover 50% of the grant in advance and that the host confirms to the GH that the mission has started.

Application Procedure:

  1.  Complete the STSM grant application form in the e-cost system and upload needed supporting documents (*) (https://e-services.cost.eu/) on page https://e-services.cost.eu/stsm. Consult the Grant Awarding User Guide https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf  as needed.
  2. Once the application has been completed according to the COST requirements, submit it to the e-cost system.
  3. Upon approval of the Core Group, the Action Chair pre-approves your STSM grant in the e-cost system, and you receive a formal notification.

(*) Application form (template available on e-COST) describing: Goals, description of the work to be carried out by the applicant, expected outcomes and description of the contribution to the Action MoU objectives; Curriculum Vitae; Confirmation that the host organisation agrees to receive the applicant; Letter of agreement or recommendation from the applicant’s home organisation, signed by the head of the organisation or the immediate superior/scientific advisor; Break-down of the requested budget.

Mandatory Acknowledgements:

STSM grant holders must properly acknowledge their financial support in a scientific report and any additional research documentation, which is a direct result of the STSM visit.

After the STSM

  • At most 30 calendar days after the last day of STSM visit, STSM grant holders must upload a scientific report (2 pages) to the e-cost system.
  • This scientific report must be aligned with the template provided in the e-cost system.
  • This e-cost report must be sent to the VOICES Grant Awarding Committee (to add GAC e-mail address).

Failure to produce the above documentation in time may result in the cancellation of the candidate’s STSM grant!

More information is provided in the Annotated Rules https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2022/12/COST-094-21-Annotated-Rules-for-COST-Actions-Level-C-V1.3.pdf