Short-Term Scientific Missions and ITC Conference Grants

EuroProofNet can provide two kinds of grants:

Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) – see past STSMs
Inclusiveness Target Country Conference Grants (ITCG) – see past ITCGs

Upcoming deadlines

1st May 2024: submission deadline for STSM and ITCG proposals between May and September 2024.

Application web sites

Excel sheet to compute your grant estimation

STSM
ITCG

What is an ITCG?

ITC Conference Grants are given to young (<= 40 years old at the time of the conference) researchers affiliated in an Inclusiveness Target Country or Near Neighbour Country to present a work related to EuroProofNet in a high-level conference fully organized by a third party, i.e. not organized nor co-organized by EuroProofNet. Reimbursement rules are the same as for STSMs.

What is an STSM?

A Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) is a research visit of an individual researcher from a country participating in the Action in a different country also participating in the Action. We encourage STSMs as they are an effective way of starting and maintaining collaborations.

The procedure for proposing an STSM is described in Annex 2 of the Annotated Rules.

The main points about STSMs are:

Proposals should be submitted by the deadlines.
An STSM must be between two different countries which are participating in the Action.
The typical duration is one or two weeks. We favor short missions so that more people can get funded.
A beneficiary of an STSM is reimbursed after his/her mission if the conditions below are satisfied.
The total cost of the mission cannot exceed EUR 4000 (this is a hard limit).

Eligibility

Check the eligibility rules to know whether you can get an STSM.

Reimbursement rules

The beneficiary of an STSM will be reimbursed only of his/her travel expenses plus a daily allowance depending on the host country for each day of his/her stay, if the conditions described here are satisfied. Therefore, the amount awarded to a beneficiary of an STSM is only indicative and the final amount will be based on reimbursement rules and receipts available.

See reimbursement rules for more details.

Documents to provide for STSMs

Proposals must be made through the e-COST system (you need to add a bank account on your profile first). The following documents must be uploaded:

The application form provided by e-COST which requires:
- Details of the STSM (title and dates)
- Goals of the STSM (max 200 words)
- Working plan (max 500 words)
- Expected outputs and contribution to the Action MoU objectives and deliverables (max 500 words). Clearly indicate the main WG it contributes to.
A letter from the host confirming that he or she will receive the applicant.
A quote for the travel in euros (screen capture).

Be careful to check flight/train tickets that you can modify or cancel for free or at little cost (possibly by taking some insurance).

Documents to provide for ITCGs

Proposals must be made through the e-COST system (you need to add a bank account on your profile first). The following documents must be uploaded:

The application form provided by e-COST which requires:
- Details of the conference (title and dates)
- Details of the presentation (title, abstract)
- Relevance wrt EuroProofNet objectives (max 500 words)
- Expected impact (max 500 words)
Acceptance letter/mail from the conference organizers.
A quote for the travel in euros (screen capture).
The cost of the conference registration fees.

Be careful to check flight/train tickets that you can modify or cancel for free or at little cost (possibly by taking some insurance).

Selection criteria

The criteria according to which funding will be decided are in order:

importance with regard to the research coordination objectives
inclusiveness target countries
age
gender
team with low resources
balance over the action life time between people, teams, countries and working groups.

Preparing your mission

If your STSM proposal is accepted, you are responsible to buy the necessary flight/train tickets and accommodation by yourself, at your own name and address, as soon as possible to get the best price. Be careful to take flight/train tickets and accommodations that you can modify or cancel for free or at little cost (possibly by taking some insurance).

The final price of your ticket should not be significantly bigger (>10%) than the one given in your proposal. In case of significant increase, you should ask confirmation from the chair beforehand. Finally, you should communicate the final cost of your flight or train ticket to the chair as soon as possible.

Advance on mission costs

This facility is not available at the moment.

During your mission

Keep your tickets and accommodation bills, as well as the receipts of every meal (lunch and diner).

Reimbursement rules

To be reimbursed, a short scientific report, following this template, signed by the host must be submitted through the e-cost system along with the travel tickets and meal receipts, within 2 weeks after the end of the STSM. See the reimbursement rules for more details.

Date changes and cancelation

In case you need to change the dates of an accepted STSM, you have to inform the STSM coordinators as soon as possible and provide new dates so that the STSM ends by the end of September.

In case you need to cancel an accepted STSM or ITCG, you need to inform the STSM coordinators as soon as possible.

Acknowledgements in publications

In publications partly elaborated thanks to the STSM, you have to acknowledge EuroProofNet and COST as follows: “This publication is based upon work from COST Action EuroProofNet, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, www.cost.eu)”.

More questions?

For any question, please contact the two coordinators for STSMs: Simona Prokić (University of Belgrade, Serbia) AND Ambrus Kaposi (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary). Please, contact them both in case one is not available.

If you have questions concerning reimbursements, please contact the Grant Holder.

Attributed grants