Call for STSM Grants

Carefully read all the information below before applying.

COST Action CA19105

CALL FOR SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSION (STSM) GRANTS

What is STSM?

STSMs are exchange visits aimed at supporting individual mobility, strengthening existing networks, and fostering collaboration between COST Action Participants.

STSMs should specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of the Action (detailed in the Memorandum of Understanding MoU), whilst at the same time allowing you to learn new techniques, gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in your own institutions/organisations. You can visit an institution or laboratory located in a different country than the country of your affiliation.

Who can apply?

This networking activity offers a valuable experience for Young Researchers and Innovators as well as for the already established researchers in supporting their career development: STSM is available for PhD students (engaged in an official research program), or a postdoctoral fellow or anyone employed by or affiliated to an institution, organisation or legal entity that has within its remit a clear association with performing research.

Applications submitted by Young Researchers and Innovators (under 40 years of age) and applicants from the Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC)* will be prioritised.

*Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Republic of Serbia, and Turkey.

Your Home institution must be located in a Participating COST Full Member, COST Cooperating Member, Near Neighbour Country, or recognised European R&D Organisation. STSM Host Institution must be located in another participating COST Full Member, COST Cooperating Member, Partner Member, Near Neighbour Country, IPC/Third State.
For definitions on the COST countries, please visit the COST Country and Organisations Table.

What can you apply for?

The STSM is a fixed grant and covers travelling, accommodation and subsistence expenses, implementation of the project, delivery of the report to the COST Action MD and overall effort. Remember: STSM does not cover the cost of your research materials.

You can apply for a maximum of 4000 €, with the average amount per grant being 2000 €. Please use the template-budget to prepare and justify the requested amount.

Note that if your grant is awarded, it will be paid only after you complete your STSM. Therefore, you must have approval and prior financial support, e.g., from your home institution.

IMPORTANT: You can request up to 50% pre-payment of your approved STSM grant. The exact amount of the pre-payment depends on the available funds’ ad must be approved by the Grant Holder. Approved pre-payment can be paid at any moment before or during the duration of the STSM.

When can you apply?

Calls for STSM applications will be opened four times during this grant year:

  • 1st call will be open from 10th of December 2021 till 15th of January 2022, with two grants provided under this call. Results will be revealed 25th of January.
  • 2nd call will be open from the 15th of January till the 20th of February 2022, with four grants provided under this call. Results will be revealed 2nd of March.
  • 3rd call will be open from the 15th of March till the 30th of April 2022, with five grants provided under this call. Results will be revealed 10th of May
  • 4th call will be open from the 15th of May till the 30th of June 2022, with four grants provided under this call. Results will be revealed 10th of July.

However, if you find a possibility for an STSM that must be carried immediately can apply out of the calls. The application will be evaluated within one week from its submission. Upon acceptance, positively evaluated applications will be supported within the available budget.


Please follow us on our social media channels to be kept up to date.
Webpage: https://www.epilipid.net
https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA19105
Twitter: @EpiLipidNet

How can you apply?

STEP 1

You must carefully read the funding rules detailed in Annex 2 of the Annotated rules for COST Actions

STEP 2

You must create an account at https://eservices.cost.eu. This will require providing the details of the bank account where the grant will be lodged if your STSM application is approved and the STSM is completed.

STEP 3

Create your application online at the https://eservices.cost.eu by clicking on the Grant Applications tab. Then, select Short-Term Scientific Mission grant from the “Apply for new grant” page and click “Continue”.

STEP 4

You must contact the Host institution where your research is planned to be conducted and obtain the written agreement invitation letter that you can perform the activities detailed in the STSM work plan on the agreed dates and that a Host supervisor will support you.

STEP 5

The following information is encoded in the online form:

  1. Applicant name
  2. Primary affiliation:
  3. Type: Please type Short-Term Scientific Mission.
  4. COST Action: Please select from the list CA19105 – Pan-European Network in Lipidomics and EpiLipidomics.
  5. Grant period: Please select “2021-11-01 to 2022-10-31”
  6. Title: Please provide the title of your STSM
  7. Amount: Please provide the amount you are applying for based on your estimated budget.
  8. Bank account
  9. Start date: Start and end date within the active Grant Period 2021-11-01 to 2022-10-31
  10. End date: The STSM visit should finish before the 15th of September If your visit cannot be completed before these dates, please contact your STSM Coordinator to consult the dates and ensure that the reporting requirements will be met.
  11. Host institution name
  12. Host institution city
  13. Host institution country
  14. Host institution URL
  15. Host contact person name
  16. Host contact person email

After encoding the form by filling all the sections mentioned above, you also need to upload the actual application template completed, which shall be previously downloaded from the application page.

You need to upload additional supporting documentation, which is listed below.

STEP 6

DOWNLOAD from the e-COST platform the Grant application template.

The application form includes such information as:

  1. Applicant name
  2. Details of the STSM: Title and Start and end date
  3. Goals of the STSM: Purpose and summary of the STSM (max. 200 words)
  4. Working plan: Description of the work to be carried out by the applicant (max. 500 words)
  5. Expected outputs and contribution to the Action MoU objectives and deliverables: Main expected results and their contribution to the progress towards the Action objectives (either research coordination and/or capacity building objectives) and deliverables (max. 500 words)

STEP 7

You need to upload supporting documentation:

  1. STSM grant Application (based on the e-COST template from STEP 6)
  2. Confirmation of the Host on the agreement from the host institution in receiving the applicant. The template of the letter of invitation from a senior Researcher at the Host institution is available here (letter of invitation template).
  3. Letter of Support from your Home institution (letter of support template).
  4. Budget (template-budget);
  5. Letter of motivation with a detailed explanation about how the STSM will contribute to the Action CA19105 aims (the objectives are outlined in the Action’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and how the STSM will impact your career (template-letter-of-motivation).

All submitted forms and documents should be downloaded and sent to Julia Kuligowski, your STSM Coordinator: julia.kuligowski@uv.es and Joanna Godzien, Grant Awarding Coordinator: joanna.godzien@umb.edu.pl

How are applications evaluated?

The STSM Coordinator, together with members of the Committee, will evaluate applications according to the COST principles of Excellence, Inclusivity and Balance.

The successful applicants will be notified on the day of the results announcement or within one week of sending the application in case of applications are submitted out of the call.

Results for the 1st call will be revealed 25th of January.
Results for the 2nd call will be revealed 2nd of March.
Results for the 3rd call will be revealed 10th of May
Results for the 4th call will be revealed 10th of July.

The Committee constitutes of:

Prof Agnieszka BARTOSZEK – PolandDr Gerasimos SYKIOTIS – Switzerland
Dr Eduarda SILVA – Portugal
Prof Maria Isabel MEDINA MENDEZ – Spain
Dr Ahmet Tarık BAYKAL – Turkey
Prof Johan SWINNEN – Belgium

The Committee will evaluate each application according to its:

  1. Contribution to the EpiLipid Net Goals (the objectives are outlined in the Action’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) [0-3 points];
  2. Relevance to advancing the current state of the field [0-3 points];
  3. Feasibility of the proposed project (including the budget) [0-3 points];
  4. Impact of the visit for the applicant’s career [0-3 points];
Applications will be ranked according to the score obtained. In the case of equal scoring, geographic and/or gender balance will be considered.

What next?

The Grant Holder sends you a grant letter to sign and return if your application is awarded. NOTE: The STSM should not be started until this letter has been signed and returned.

Then you start your STSM: you go abroad, learn a lot at the Host institution, gain new experience, meet other researchers and establish long-lasting collaborations.

What happens after the STSM?

You must submit your scientific report within 30 days from the end of your STSM or 15 days after the end of the Grant Period (2022-10-31), whichever date came first.

One day and ten days after your STSM end, you receive a reminder to upload the report. This email will contain the link to the template report you must follow.

The report form includes such information as:

  1. Applicant name
  2. Details of the STSM: Title and Start and end date
  3. Description of the work carried out during STSM: Description of the activities carried out during the STSM. Any deviations from the initial working plan shall also be described in this section (max. 500 words).
  4. Description of the STSM main achievements and planned follow-up activities: Description and assessment of whether the STSM achieved its planned goals and expected outcomes, including specific contribution to Action objectives and deliverables or publications resulting from the STSM. This section will also describe agreed plans for future follow-up collaborations (max. 500 words).

Apart from the report, you must submit a confirmation letter of successful STSM by the Host (letter of confirmation template).

STSM Coordinator and Action Chair approve your final report, and then the Grant Holder executes payment to you.

For detailed information, please see the relevant sections of the Annotated rules for COST Actions, which is replacing the former Vademecum or contact Julia Kuligowski, your STSM Coordinator: julia.kuligowski@uv.es

Contact persons

Julia Kuligowski (julia.kuligowski@uv.es)

STSM Coordinator

Joanna Godzien (joanna.godzien@umb.edu.pl)

Grant Awarding Coordinator

CA19105 – Pan-European Network in Lipidomics and EpiLipidomics

CSO Approval Date: 24 March 2020
Start Date: 13 October 2020
End Date: 12 October 2024
EpiLipidNET aims to build and maintain a multidisciplinary pan-European network of researchers, clinicians and enterprises working in the field of lipidomics and epilipidomics to boost a hub of research excellence, advanced knowledge and technology transfer, to promote high level of training for young researches and facilitate clinical translation.