COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is an intergovernmental framework established in 1971 to enable coordination of nationally funded research. It supports networking of researchers through Actions involving meetings, conferences, workshops and other activities. Researchers from COST members, neighboring countries and international partners can participate in COST's 328 running Actions involving over 30,000 researchers annually. COST receives EUR 300 million from the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 to support excellence in transnational cooperation and networking in research and innovation.

1. ESF provides the COST Office
through a European Commission contract
COST is supported
by the EU Framework Programme
Dr. María Moragues Cánovas
Science Officer
EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
COST ACTIONS
“Promotion of Physics in the CEI Countries and Integrating
Access to Research Infrastructures in Europe”
24/11/2014, Sofia, Bulgaria

2. What is COST?
COST is the oldest and widest European
intergovernmental framework for Cooperation in
Science and Technology (1971)
COST has been supporting the networking of
research activities across all 35 Member Countries
and beyond for over 40 years
COST is based on networks called COST Actions.
Currently there are 328 running Actions networking
around 30 000 researchers per year, worldwide.
2

3. COST objectives under H2020
 Joining research efforts and
developing common S&T
programmes
 Build capacity by connecting
high-quality scientific
communities
 Addressing societal
questions
 Strengthening COST’s
Inclusiveness Policy
3
COST aims to enable breakthrough scientific developments
leading to new concepts and products. It thereby contributes to
strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities

4. COST Key Principles
 Supporting excellence
 Being open
 Being inclusive
4
COST Driving Forces
 Fostering new ideas
 Sharing knowledge
 Output orientation
COST Key Features for H2020

5. 5
COST Budget from H2020
EUR 300 million for 7 years coming from two
H2020 work programmes:
 Challenge 6 “Europe in a changing world – inclusive,
innovative and reflective Societies”
 “Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation”
Trans-European networking of nationally
funded research activities.

6. COST Policies under H2020
 Inclusiveness.
 Early stage researchers,
ESRs.
 Gender balance.
 International
cooperation.
 SMEs/industry
participation.
6

7. COST Inclusiveness Policy
Originated from:
 Political context of Horizon 2020.
 Geographical context of the COST Member Countries.
With the aim to:
 Encourage and enable researchers from less research-intensive
countries across the COST Member Countries to
set up and/or join COST Actions and get more intensively
involved in all COST activities.
 Counterbalancing research communities’ unequal access to
knowledge infrastructures, funding and resources distribution.
7

8. 8
COST Inclusiveness countries

9. COST ACTIONs
9

10. What is a COST Action?
10
pan-European, bottom-up science and technology
networks open to researchers, industry and policy
stakeholders
Duration 4 years.
Minimum 5 COST member countries
COST supports the following networking activities:
Meetings, Conferences, Workshops, Short-term scientific exchanges,
Training schools, Publications & dissemination activities

11.  All fields of S&T (including interdisciplinary, new and
emergent fields).
 Any novel and original idea (innovative).
 All partners (public and private, big and small).
 All career stages (young and senior investigators).
 All countries, including COST Near Neighbour Countries
(NNC) and International Partner Countries (IPC) – fostering
international cooperation.
11
COST Actions
COST supports the networking of researchers through
science and technology networks, which are open to:

12. Who can participate?
Researchers affiliated to the following INSTITUTIONS:
 Institutions from COST Countries, Near Neighbour
Countries and International Partner Countries.
 European Commission and EU Agencies.
 European RTD Organisations, including: CERN, EMBL,
ESA, ESO, ESRF, European XFEL, ILL, EFDA JET;
 International Organisations (examples: UNESCO, FAO,
WHO)
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http://www.cost.eu/participate

13. COST Countries
13

14. 328 running Actions
March 2014
Country participation
in COST Actions
14

15. COST Near Neighbour Country
206 participations in running COST Actions across 17 countries
15
 Albania (15)
 Algeria (7)
 Armenia (8)
 Azerbaijan (5)
 Belarus (6)
 Egypt (7)
 Georgia (5)
 Jordan (2)
 Lebanon (5)
 Moldova (5)
 Montenegro (12)
 Morocco (13)
 Palestinian Authority (3)
 Syrian Arab Republic (2)
 Russia (51)
 Tunisia (14)
 Ukraine (46)
March 2014 data

16. International Partner Countries
519 participations in running Actions across 27 countries
16
March 2014 data

17. HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
http://www.cost.eu/participate
17

18. OPTION 1
SHORT TERM STRATEGY
Would you like to join an existing
COST Action?
http://www.cost.eu/participate/join_action
18

19. 19
COST Actions are Open!
You can join any Action that is running:
 AS A MC MEMBER:
By contacting your CNC in order to be one (of the
maximum two) MC members representing your Country.
 AS A WG PARTICIPANT:
By contacting you respective MC member and or the
Action Chair and participate in the Working Groups.

20. 20
How to Find a running Action?
http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/all_actions

21. 21
How to Find a running Action?
Description of
the Action
Objectives,
Working
Groups, etc…

22. OPTION 1
SHORT TERM STRATEGY
Would you like to join an existing
COST Action?
SOME EXAMPLES
22

23. 23
40 Actions Approved by CSO
13-14 November

24. 24
TD1401- Fast advanced Scintillator Timing
 S&T topic: High Energy physics (calorimetry, scintillators, Photodetectors,
etc.)
 Objectives: to establish an interdisciplinary network that brings together experts
from different fields of interest in order to develop photon instrumentation with
an unparalleled timing precision of < 100ps, bridging separate fields of
science/disciplines to achieve breakthroughs that require an interdisciplinary
approach.
http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/TDP/Acti
ons/TD1401

25. 25
TD1403- Big Data Era in Sky and Earth Observation
 S&T topic: Astronomy and Earth Observation
 Objectives: to enhance ability of conducting big-data analysis in Earth
Observation and astrophysics, with a noticeable societal impact as the topics are
engaging to wider public. The Action puts special emphasis on enhancing the
skill-set of future scientists
http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/TDP/A
ctions/TD1403

26. Objective: To gather theory activities in the field of spectroscopy to supply outstanding high
level and up-to-date support for demanding and sophisticated spectroscopy experiments
using advanced large facility or laboratory radiation sources performed within academic as
well as industrial fundamental and applied research.
26
MP1306 MODERN TOOLS FOR SPECTROSCOPY ON ADVANCED
MATERIALS: A EUROPEAN MODELLING PLATFORM
• WG1 Correlation ground and excited electronic state
• WG2 Spectroscopy description and implementation
• WG3 Time-resolution femtoseconds spectroscopy
• WG4 Platform integration of codes and cloud facility
• WG5 Experiment test and push theoretical models
Proponent: Hubert Ebert <hubert.ebert@cup.uni-muenchen.
de>
Interested Countries : 14
AT, CZ, CH, ES, FR, HU, IT, NL, PL, RO, SE, SI, UK
Proposer : DE
NON-COST : JP

27. 27
MP1302 NanoSpectroscopy
• WG1 Systems design and nanofabrication
• WG2 Physical processes and modelling
• WG3 Improving spectroscopic techniques
• WG4 Textbook on optical nanospectroscopy
Proponent: Monika Fleischer <monika.fleischer@uni-tuebingen.de>
Objective: Develop UV/Vis/NIR/Raman nanospectroscopy techniques with (ultra-)
high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution and sensitivity, application to novel
(hybrid) (in)organic nanomaterials, and modelling of light-matter-interaction and
energy flow at the nanoscale.

28. • WG1 Observations and modelling of compact stars.
• WG2 Physics of strong interaction, theory and experiment.
• WG3 Gravitational-physics theory and observations.
Objective: provide an innovative connection between the micro- and macrophysics of
compact stars; explore the behavior of matter and spacetime under the most extreme
physical conditions, not accessible to laboratory experiments.
28
MP1304 NewCompStar:
exploring fundamental physics with compact stars
Luciano Rezzolla <rezzolla@aei.mpg.de>

29. MP1210 The String Theory Universe
Objective
Fundamental, forefront research exploring the role played by String Theory in Particle Physics, Cosmology and Condensed Matter Physics.
WG1 Equilibration & thermalisation, emergence of canonical states
WG2 Thermodynamic and information theoretic relations for general quantum systems
WG3 Implementations: from classical to quantum thermodynamic experiments
Interested Countries : 15
BE, BG, CH, DE, DK, EL, ES, FR, HU, IL, NL, PT, SE, UK
Proposer :IT
NON-COST : ZA
Silvia Penati <Silvia.Penati@mib.infn.it>

30. Objective
To develop the physics and the
scientific community for Inertial
Confinement Fusion at the time of NIF
(National Ignition Facility) ignition.
WG1 Study of fast ignition and fast electron
transport
WG2 Study of the shock ignition Approach to
ICF
WG3 Study of Plasma and Laser Diagnostics
WG4 Secondary sources of particles and
radiation
WG5 Astrophysics in the laboratory
MP1208 Developing the Physics and the
Scientific community for Inertial Confinement
Fusion at the time of NIF ignition
Dimitri Batani <batani@mib.infn.it>
Interested Countries : 16
BE, BG, CH,
CZ, DK, GR,
ES, HU, IL, IT,
PL, PT, RO, RS,
UK
Proposer : FR

31. OPTION 2
LONG TERM STRATEGY
Are you already in contact with other
researchers and you would like to submit a
COST Action proposal?
31

32. 32
Make your own COST proposal
What do you need?
 An idea on any Science and Technology topic that needs
networking support
 At least 5 colleagues from 5 different COST countries

33. 33
New features highlights:
Action Proposal Evaluation and Selection
You benefit from a one-stage submission:
 Proposal up to 15 pages
 Open to all fields of science and technology
 The scientific organisation carries out a three-step
procedure:
 Evaluation
 Revision
 Selection

34. 34
New features highlights:
Action Proposal Evaluation and Selection
 Evaluation
 Driven by renowned international experts, based on
excellence, impact and implementation criteria
 Peer review: each proposal anonymously and remotely
evaluated by three independent External Experts in the
science and technology field(s) indicated by the proposers
 Consensus-oriented, using on-line collaborative tools

35. 35
New features highlights:
Action Proposal Evaluation and Selection
 Revision
 Driven by Review Panels reporting to the Scientific
Committee, quality checks and resolution of eventual
discrepancies
 Review Panels composed of active scientists nominated
by the COST National Coordinators to a pool of experts
 Ad hoc Panels created according to the actual needs of
the proposals submitted to each Collection Date.

36. 36
New features highlights:
Action Proposal Evaluation and Selection
 Selection:
 Selection Driven by the Scientific Committee (SC),
reporting to the CSO.
 High-level experts, one per COST Member Country.
 The SC selects the top-ranked proposals to be
recommended for approval by the CSO. CSO

37. COST Open Call
 The new Open Call will be published on the
COST website in November 2014.
 Proposals can be submitted as of January
2015.
 Collection date March 2015.
 Stay tuned for COST updates:
www.cost.eu/opencall

38. OPTION 3
Become a COST EXPERT
38

39. Become a COST Expert!
39
As a COST Expert, you will have the opportunity to:
• Contribute to the evaluation of COST Open Call proposals;
• Participate in the assessment of Action results and outcomes;
• Be invited to take part in the assessment of COST strategic activities..
New experts can express their interest via the COST
Expert online registration
form (www.cost.eu/experts)
An updated Curriculum Vitae with a list of publications
is required to demonstrate competence in specific
areas of expertise.
More on COST Experts:
www.cost.eu/participate/experts.

40. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
ATTENTION.
IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE
CONTACT
Dr María Moragues Cánovas
Science Officer
maria.moragues@cost.eu
40

41. COST – European Cooperation
in Science and Technology
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F: +32 (0)2 533 3890
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