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

 Call for STSM Grant Period 4 

  • Application period: January 10, 2025 –September 1, 2025, 23:55
  • Grant activities period: January 15 2025–September 30, 2025, 23:55
  • With one evaluation session every month

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 the 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 packages (accommodation, meals) are limited to the number of visit 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/2023/11/Annex-I-level-A-Country-and-Organisations-Table-Version-1.7.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:

  • Application shall be submitted online in e-COST using dedicated forms available. In this regard, applicants are informed that their application can be accessed by the holders of leadership positions and any evaluation committees in the Action for evaluation purposes.
  • Applicants must upload their CV in their e-COST profile. This information will be visible to the holders of leadership positions and any evaluation committees in the Action for evaluation purposes.

The content of the application for STSM Grant shall include:

  • Title
  • Start and end date (within the active Grant Period)
  • Budget requested by the applicant;
  • Information about the host institution and contact person.
  • Location of host institution must be in a different country than the country of affiliation of the applicant;

Should also to be uploaded to e-COST the following documents:

  • 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;

  • Confirmation of the host on the agreement from the host institution in

receiving the applicant;

  • Break-down of the requested budget.

Once the application has been completed according to the COST requirements, submit it to the e-cost system. Upon evaluation and approval by the Action Chair of your STSM grant in the e-cost system you will receive a formal notification.

Reporting and claim for payment of the grant:

  • Once the activity has ended, the grantee submits the required reports and relevant documentation in e-COST within 30 days after the end date of the activity or 15 days after the end of the Grant Period, whichever date comes first;
  • Claim the payment by submitting the report via e-COST;
  • The required report/documentation for claiming a STSM Grant is: Report to the Action MC on the work developed, main achievements of the STSM and planned future follow up activities.

 

Mandatory Acknowledgements:

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

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/2024/11/COST-094-21-V2.0-Annotated-Rules-for-COST-Actions-Level-C.pdf  and in the Travel Reimbursement Rules (https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2024/10/Travel-Reimbursement-Rules-2024-2025.pdf