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European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research

abbreviation: COST
type: government agency
location: Brussels, Belgium
WWW: www.cost.eu

description

COST is one of the longest-running instruments supporting co-operation among scientists and researchers across Europe. COST now has 35 member countries and enables scientists to collaborate in a wide spectrum of activities in research and technology.

Cooperation between European scientists and Australian colleagues is set to get a lot easier, thanks to two new schemes between COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), the Australian Academy of Science and New Zealand. Each scheme will provide for travel grants to support the travel and subsistence costs of European scientists travelling to Australia or New Zealand, and scientists from those countries going to Europe.

This agreement will help alleviate some barriers facing international engagement, such as a lack of funding for travel, and provide opportunities for face-to-face cooperation, which is so essential for effective and productive research collaboration.

The scheme

DIISR’s ISL programme provides funding through the Australian Academy of Science for Australian researchers, who are official members of a COST Action, to undertake short term scientific missions to participate in the activities of the COST Action. Funding is available to support up to 10 visits per year (FY 2007–2008 and 2008–2009).

Australian researchers travelling to Europe may receive a grant in aid of up to A$5,000 for a short mission, covering a return airfare of up to A$2,500 and daily living allowances. Daily living allowances are provided at the rate of A$200 per day or a maximum of A$2,500 per month, whichever is the smaller amount and for a minimum of 5 days but not exceeding 3 months.

Priority areas of interest to Australia in COST Actions fall under the five broad themes of medical and health research; agriculture, biotechnology and food; nanotechnology; information and communications technology; and environment and climate change.

Applicants must be official members of a COST Action and be Australian citizens or permanent residents residing in Australia at the time of application.

To become an official member of a COST Action, Australian researchers need to contact the Chair of the relevant COST Action to make a formal request for participation as a non-COST country institution.

COST Actions

COST does not fund research activities, but provides resources to cover the extra cost of doing research at a European level. The goal of COST is to boost cooperation between nationally-funded research. COST stimulates research by bringing researchers together in “Actions” they proposed on a particular subject, with no specifically targeted research themes. COST is multidisciplinary and supports a wide range of scientific/technical cooperation.

The objectives set by the participants of a COST Action are implemented through a series of joint activities funded by COST. These activities include science management meetings, scientific workshops and seminars, short term scientific missions, training schools and research conferences, evaluations and studies and dissemination.

More information about AAS funding is available from www.science.org.au/internat/europe/cost.html.