Open Call: ITC Conference Grants (closed)

ITC Grants

ITC Conference grants support participants under the age of 40 from inclusive target countries (ITCs) and near neighbor countries (NNCs) who can apply for an ITC Conference grant to attend international science and technology conferences on the topic of our action (excluding conferences organized by the action).

Chair of ITC grant committee Aleksandra Djukić-Vuković

Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Belgrad
Belgrade – Serbia

Definitions

Young Researcher and Innovator – An individual (researcher or innovator) under 40 years old from ITCs and NNCs.

Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion Island and Saint-Martin (France), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain), Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Near Neighbor Countries (NNC) – Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, the Faroe Islands, Jordan, Kosovo1 , Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine2 , [Russia]3 , Syria, and Tunisia.

  1. This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
  2. This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
  3. As of 6 May 2022 until further notice, measures are taken to suspend cooperation with Russia for the execution of the COST Actions and COST activities.

Important Documents for Applicants to read

“Grant Awarding User Guide” – It provides the complete procedure for making an application and can be found under Documents for running a COST Action here.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Conference Grants are exclusively reserved for young researchers and innovators under 40 with a primary affiliation in an institution located in an ITC or NNC (“Annotated COST rules” (https://www.cost.eu/funding/documents-guidelines/).
  2. The applicant must make an oral/poster presentation at the conference in question and must be listed in the official event/conference programme.
  3. The main subject of the oral presentation / poster presentation / speech at the approved conference must be on the topic of the EuroMicropH and must acknowledge COST and the EuroMicropH Action.
  4. Award of the Conference Grants will require pre-approval by the ECI Committee appointed by the MC.
  5. In order to apply, applicants need to:
    • Set up an eCOST account if they do not already have one
    • Fill the form for ITC Conference Grant applicants
    • Attach their CV
    • Attach a copy of abstract or poster submitted to the Conference
    • Attach a copy of the acceptance letter from Conference organizers
    • Provide a short description of the applicant’s involvement in EuroMicropH and importance of the work and relevance for the achievement of EuroMicropH goals
    • Attendance Type (face to face or virtual)

Evaluation and Selection of Applicants

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • The topic of the conference, and the work to be presented at the conference, must be clearly related to the EuroMicropH COST Action.
  • It must be clear from the application how it will support the EuroMicropH in achieving its scientific objectives.
  • Young researchers and innovators who participated in STSMs are encouraged to apply for ITC Conference grants to present their results at the Conferences, if they are coming from ITC or NNC countries.
  • Note that no more than one participant will be supported to attend the same Conference.
  • The application should be sent for pre-approval at least 45 days before Conference start.
  • For reporting and financial reasons, it is advisable not to apply for ITC Grants for Conferences taking place in dates that are less than 40 days from the end of GP (16th October 2023).

Financial Support

A Conference Grant is a fixed financial contribution which takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the outcome of the evaluation of the application by an appointed Committee.

Conference Grants do not necessarily cover all of the expenses related to participating in a given conference. A Conference Grant is an Action contribution to the overall travel, registration fee, and accommodation and subsistence expenses, printing of scientific poster and overall effort of the selected Grantee. The financial contribution for each Conference Grant will follow these criteria:

  • Up to a maximum of EUR 2 000 per grant for face-to-face conference;
  • Up to a maximum of EUR 500 per grant for virtual conferences.

The decision of the Awarded grant will be made by the ECI Committee and will reflect the duration and location of the Conference and the actual conference fee (face-to face or virtual)

  • Payment is done after the approval of the scientific report submitted by the applicant, after the Conference.

Approving ITC Conference Grants for Payment

The Grantee has 30 days from the end of the activity, within 15 days from the end date of the Grant Period (16th October 2023) or within a shorter timeframe as per Grant Holder/ Grant Awarding Coordinator’s request to meet reporting deadlines to submit a scientific report and supporting documents.

Grantee should submit:

  • a scientific report following the template provided in e-COST on the outcome of the presentation of the accepted contribution, in terms of grantee’s visibility, including the establishment of new contacts for future collaborations
  • the certificate of attendance,
  • the programme of the conference or book of abstracts/proceedings indicating the oral/poster presentation of the grantee,
  • copy of the given presentation.

These documents are submitted in e-COST for the decision by the ECI Committee (or Action Chair or Vice-Chair). Payment of the Grant is subject to the submitted scientific report with supporting documents being approved.

Experience with ITC grants

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ITC grantee: Sara Salazar, PhD student of BIOTECnico program, BSRG on Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal

"I am very grateful as a PhD student for the relevant collaborations formed within COST action community that was so beneficial for my work. COST action also provided valuable financial support that allowed me to present my work to the community at an important scientific meeting."

Miroslav Ducic

Miroslav Ducic, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad Serbia

"Participation in this COST action gives me a great opportunity to upgrade my work and collaboration with many colleagues. The financial support helped me to present my work and to be a participant in an important scientific meeting."

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Styliani (Stella) Roufou, PhD, University of Malta

FoodSim 2022 (KU Leuven, Belgium)

I am very grateful as a PhD student for the opportunity to participate in this conference given to me by this COST action. I have met people from different fields, and it helped me to expand my network/ideas. My presentation helped other students in their research, which justifies the importance of pH in microbiology society (and beyond).

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Caglar Akcay, Department of Forestry, Forestry Vocational, Duzce University, Duzce, Türkiye

6th International Congress on Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology (ICABB)

With the grant support I received from the COST action CA18113, I had the opportunity to attend an important scientific conference in my working area. I met many scientists in the conference and we agreed on developing new projects and possible future collaborations. It was a very useful experience in terms of following the latest developments in science world and setting up new networks.

Finished ITC Grants

You received an ITC grant funded by EuroMicropH, please tell us about your experience.