What is ITC
Application call is open with a rolling deadline
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
INCLUSIVENESS TARGET COUNTRIES CONFERENCE GRANTS
The exRNA-PATH COST Action CA20110 “RNA communication across kingdoms: new mechanisms and strategies in pathogen control” is happy to announce that the first ITC call is now open.
The grant aims to support Young Researchers and Innovators (under the age of 40) affiliated in a legal entity in an Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) or Near Neighbour Countries (NNC) to establish a strong network and increase their visibility in the research community. Within this call, a grantee receives support for attending and presenting their work at an international well-recognised conference.
ELIGIBILITY RULES
-
- Applicants must be affiliated in a legal entity located in a COST Inclusiveness Target Countries or Near Neighbour Countries. For the up-to-date list of countries, see page 2 of this document: https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2023/07/Annex-I-level-A-Country-and-Organisations-Table-Version-1.6-.pdf
-
- Young Researchers and Innovators are defined by COST as under the age of 40.
-
- The grantee must present an oral or poster presentation of their own work. COST and the the ExRNA-PATH Action must be acknowledged in the presentation.
-
- The main subject of the presentation must be in the topic of the ExRNA-PATH Action. For more information on the ExRNA-PATH objectives, please visit https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA20110/.
-
- The conference must take place before 15 October 2025.
NOTIFICATION OF DECISION
Accordance with application
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Grant Awarding Coordinator:
Oznur Tastan
GA Deputy Coordinator:
Arne Weiberg
Action Chair:
Amy Buck
Working Group Leaders:
WG1 Kriton Kalantidis
WG2 Esther Nolte-‘t Hoen
WG3 Lionel Navarro
WG4 Guy Smagghe
THE PROCESS
HOW TO APPLY
The COST user guide details the whole process and how to navigate the e-COST portal: https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf
- Complete the details in e-COST: https://e- services.cost.eu/activity/grants
- Title of the presentation
- Conference title, date and country
- Budget requested
- Attendance type (face-to-face or virtual)
- Upload the following documentation to e-COST:
- Application form (available on the portal) describing: the relevance of the conference and presentation topic to the Action, the motivation and potential impact on the applicant’s career
- Abstract of the accepted oral or poster presentation o Acceptance letter from the conference organisers
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The conference grant does not necessarily cover all the expenses related to participating in a given conference. The budget contributes to the overall travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses, registration fee and printing of the scientific poster.
The grant covers up to 2,000 EUR for face-to-face conferences, or up to 500 EUR for virtual conferences. The grant award committee will decide on the financial contribution for each application.
MORE INFORMATION
If you have any questions please contact the Grant Holder Manager:
exRNA-PATH@ed.ac.uk
EVALUATION PROCESS
The committee will assess applications received based on the relevance of the presented work to the exRNA-PATH Action, the scientific merit of the proposal and the anticipated contribution to the researcher’s professional development. The committee will also consider the scope of the requested funds.
Upon approval of the application, the grantee receives a Grant Letter from the Grant Holder stating the approved amount and the conditions for receiving the grant.
REPORTING AND PAYMENT
Within 30 days of the end of the conference, the grantee must submit in e-COST:
- Detailed report using the template provided.
- Certificate of attendance.
- Programme of the conference or book of abstracts/proceedings indicating the presentation.
- Copy of the presentation given (oral or poster) which mustinclude acknowledgment of COST and the exRNA-PATH Action.
The grantee will claim the payment of the grant via e-COST. It will be paid by the Grant Holder (The University of Edinburgh) to the grantee after all the required report and documentation have been submitted and approved.
In addition, we may ask you to write a short blog entry to showcase your involvement on our website or in other communication material (e.g. newsletter).
COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.