We are inviting ImpleMendez members to apply for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs). Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) aim to support individual mobility and strengthen the existing networks and fostering collaborations by allowing scientists to visit an institution in another participating COST country or an approved Nearby Neighbor Country (NNC) or International Partner Country institution (IPC). You can find out which countries are COST member countries, NNC or IPC from the COST.EU website.
STSMs should contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action. Please refer to our ImpleMéndez Action aims and objectives for further details.
Eligibility criteria
STSMs need to take place according to the following rules:
Be a minimum duration of 5 days and a maximum duration of 90 days.
Carried out in their entirety within a single grant period and within the Action’s lifetime.
The person applying for a STSM and the member proposing to be the STSM host both have to be participants of our Action CA22128 (ImpleMéndez).
Eligibility of grantees will be based on the following criteria:
Scientists (who have preferably not previously received a grant for a STSM) involved in Action CA22128 and either affiliated in a Participating COST Full/Cooperating Member or affiliated in a Near-Neighbor Country. Funding for a STSM can only be given to those members affiliated to COST Member countries or those from Nearby Neighborhood Countries
For more details regarding the regulations related to STSM, please refer to the COST Annotated Rules.
Financial support
Financial support intends to provide a contribution for travelling, accommodation and subsistence expenses, implementation of the project, delivery of the report to the COST Action MC and overall effort.
The financial support is paid in the form of a grant; hence no invoices will be required. The maximum grant amount is 4000 EUR.
Final report of STSM
After the STSM is finished, the grantee is required to submit a short scientific report to the host institution and to the STSM Coordinator within 30 days from the end date of the activity, or 15 days after the end of the Grant Period, whichever date comes first. Please note that the approved STSM will need to have concluded by 31st October 2025.
Failure to submit the scientific report within 30 days will effectively cancel the grant. The STSM Coordinator is responsible for approving the scientific report and informing the Grant Holder that the STSM has been successfully accomplished. After receipt of the approval by email, the Grant Holder will execute the payment of the grant.
Please note that the reimbursement of STSM grantees will be made after the mission is over and the final report is submitted by the STSM grantee. However, STSMs grantees may request up to 50% pre-payment of the approved grant. This amount is subject to availability of funds and approval by the Grant Holder Institution. The request of pre- payment shall be submitted to the Grant Holder Manager (fiona.walsh@dmu.ac.uk).
The final report will be uploaded to the ImpleMéndez Action webpage.
How to apply for an STSM
Please read carefully read the funding and eligibility rules detailed in the COST Annotated Rules.
To apply, log in into e-COST services and click on appropriate application tab. The applicant will need to upload additional supporting documentation for each type of grant.
STSM grant Application (based on e-COST template)
Breakdown of the costs form
Confirmation of the host on the agreement from the host institution in receiving the applicant
Please also submit your CV (in English)
All documents to be submitted by 23.59pm UTC on January 3rd 2025.
We will judge in the first instance whether we can support your interest in a STSM. We will let you know the outcome of this decision by the end on January 2025.
For those successful at that stage we will propose this STSM to the COST funder.
Once the COST funding organization has also agreed the proposal, we will invite you to make a formal application via the COST e-system. We will give that advice at that time regarding the steps to take.
The applications will be assessed by the Grant Awarding Coordinator (Ivar Fahsing, ivarfahsing@gmail.com) in conjunction with advice from the Action Chair (Dave Walsh), Vice-Chair (Yvonne Daly) and the Scientific Communication lead (Kristjan Kask).
The applications will be assessed based on:
• scientific quality and objectives outlined in the Action’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) found at https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA22128/
- feasibility of the approach proposed,
• benefit to the development of the ImpleMéndez COST Action.
The selection will also follow the COST policies on inclusiveness (gender, age, geography). Priority will be given to encourage participation of Young Researchers and Innovators (YRI) in the COST Action activities. An applicant can be considered as being an YRI if they are younger than 40. The list of COST ITCs is available here. While priority is given to these groups and countries, this should not discourage applications from more established researchers and/or those from other COST member countries (i.e. those not designated as ITCs).