Current grant period: March-October 2023
Deadline application 9 April 2023
First starting date 1 May 2023
Last ending date 1 October 2023
Short term scientific missions (STSMs)
Short term scientific missions (STSMs) are a chance for researchers to visit other participating research institutes and to benefit from the technology, datasets, expertise and methods used by the host that are not available at the home institution.
The aim of the missions is to facilitate collaborations among research groups involved in WATSON that provide mutual benefits, such as joint publications (acknowledging WATSON and the COST program) and the perspective of attracting additional funding. A STSM should directly contribute to the objectives of at least one of the Working Groups (WG) within WATSON.
Applicants are encouraged to contact WG leaders prior to their application to discuss their mission and to familiarize themselves with the priorities of the WG. We encourage Stakeholders to contact the WG leaders and advertise potential host STSMs within the network.
To be eligible for reimbursement, the 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, organisation or legal entity which performs research related to WATSON and is actively contributing to fulfilment of its the main objectives. STSMs funding is not available for exchanges between institutes within the same country. STSM grants (i.e., as COST funds) cannot be spent on the preparation of proposals for funding from any source.
The selection of successful STSM application is based on the scientific scope of the proposed mission, and how the mission supports WATSON in achieving its scientific objectives. Priority will be given to projects supporting the development of new collaborations between the applicant and host and applicants who are Young Researchers and Innovators (a researcher or innovator under the age of 40) and/or come from less research-intensive COST Member Countries and inclusiveness target countries (ITCs; see countries in green here: https://www.cost.eu/who-we-are/members/).
A STSM applicant is required to prepare and submit:
- Application form including:
⋅ Short description and motivation of the mission (1 page)
⋅ Relevance to overall WATSON COST objectives and WG activities (~1/2 page)
⋅ Expected outcome (~1/2 page)
- Support letter of the host institute.
- Support letter of the home institute if the applicang is a PhD student or post-doctoral fellow.
- Short Curriculum Vitae (1 page) with list of publications.
All documents must be sent by email to the STSM coordinator Dr Tamara Jakovljević (tamaraj@sumins.hr) and vice coordinator Dr Pilar Llorens (pilar.llorens@idaea.csic.es) before the deadline of the current call. As stated above, preliminary contact with the appropriate WG leader is strongly recommended.
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Eligibility and quality of the proposal and relevance of the suggested activities of WATSON.
- Even distribution of STSMs among different working groups (WG).
- Compliance with COST guidelines with regard to geographical inclusiveness, gender balance.
- Priority to support ECIs.
Upon acceptance, the grantee will receive an acceptance letter with information about the level of the financial support. The grantee has to return this acceptance letter with his/her signature prior to the start of the mission. The grantee will receive a payment request form at the same time.
After completion of the STSM, the grantee is required to submit a short scientific report to the STSM coordinators within four weeks. This report should contain the following information:
- Purpose of the visit and description of the work carried out during the visit, indicating the first and the last day of the STSM;
- Description of the main results obtained and expected publications/articles or any future work/collaboration (if applicable);
- Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission (with signature of the local supervisor and/or head of the Department).
Upon approval of the scientific report by the STSM coordinators and the Action Chair, the grant will be paid directly to the grantee or the organizing institute, as requested in the application.
Committee members
Grantees
Grant period: March – October 2021
- Borriero Arianna
- D’Amato Concetta
- Ferraris Stefano
- Karlović Igor
- Kuebert Angelika
Grant period: March – October 2022
- Nagode Klara
- Farlin Julien
- D’Amato Concetta
- Nigro Matteo
- Durodola Oludare
- Dordoni Marlene
- Jakovljevic Tamara
- Muñoz Gálvez Francisco Javier
- Ala-aho Pertti
- Hssaisoune Mohammed
- Farlin Julien
- Verdone Matteo
Grant period: March – October 2023
- To be announced
