COST Action FA1406 (2015-2019)

What are STSMs?

Short Term Scientific Missions

Short-term scientific missions (STSMs) are exchange visits between researchers involved in PHYCOMORPH, allowing scientists to visit an institution or laboratory in another COST country. They are aimed at fostering collaboration, sharing new techniques and infrastructure that may not be available in other participants' institutions or laboratories. STSM are intended especially for young researchers. 

Application

The Applicant should be a Master 2 trainee, PhD student or post-doctoral fellow working in an institution of a COST Country having accepted the MoU of the Action. This institution shall be actively participating in the COST Action.

The Applicant is responsible for obtaining the agreement of the host institution, before submitting his/her application.

The application for STSM should be done via e-cost (https://e-services.cost.eu/stsm).

After filling out the online form,  the automatically issued formal STSM application form should be sent by the applicant (together with the CV, full workplan, list of publications, letter of support from the home institution) to the STSM coordinator and the future Host institution of the STMS. 

The STSM coordinator commicates the applications to the Core Group which assesses them, according to the criteria given by the Management Committee in line with the Action objectives. Wherever possible, these criteria should be made known in advance to potential Applicants. 

The STSM coordinator informs all the Applicants about the outcome of the assessment and communicate the names of the successful applicants to the Grant Holder.

When back from the STSM, the successful Applicants must send their scientific report to the STSM coordinator.

Home and Host institutions

  • Can be either public or private
  • Must be from a home institution in a COST participating country to a host institution in another COST participating country or to a formally approved host institution in a non-COST country.
  • Must be from a formally approved home institution in a Near Neighbour country to a host institution in a COST participating country.

Duration

Minimum of 5 working days; maximum of 6 months (for Early Career Investigator; less than PhD + 8 years).

Financial support

The financial support is a contribution to the costs of the STSM and may not necessarily cover all the costs. The grant should normally cover only travel and subsistence.

The financial contribution for a STSM will be a fixed grant based on the Applicant's budget request and the evaluation of the application by the STSM assessment committee.

An amount of EUR 60 to 90 for the daily allowance in particular for longer stays and EUR 300 for the travel is recommended but not obligatory. The total of a STSM shall normally not exceed EUR 2 500 up to 3 months (or EUR 3 500 for Early Stage Researchers – longer than 3 months).

In any case the costs associated with the STSM must not exceed the limits set in the rules for reimbursement by COST.