Conference grants

Call for ITC conference grant

COST Action AI-4-NICU is pleased to announce the call for applications for ITC conference grant

Aims of Conference grants

Help PhD students and early-career investigators (individuals <40 years old) from participating Inclusiveness Target Countries attend international science and technology related conferences that are not specifically organized by a COST Action. Inclusive Target Countries (as of March’22): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey.
Contribute to the visibility of COST as an open, flexible, and inclusive funding programme
Offer a valuable experience in support of career development
Further the scientific aims and objectives of the Action

💰 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 the delegated person(s). Conference Grants do not necessarily cover all the expenses related to participating in a given conference. A Conference Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the selected Grantee.

Max 2 000 EUR for face to face events, including Conference Fees.
Grants are paid by the Grant Holder after the end of Conference and approval of all required report/documentation.
Note: the Action Management Committee (MC) can decide to approve the grant with a lower amount than requested
Must be completed before 01/10/2023

Must deliver a report on the Scientific Report, Certificate of attendance. Programme of the conference or book of abstracts / proceedings, indicating the presentation (oral or poster).
Copy of the given presentation (oral or poster).

Within 30 days after the end of the Conference.
If the Conference ends later than 1/10/23, then the report should be submitted within 10 days.

☑ Assessment Criteria

Contribution to Action objectives and realistic budget planning are the major criteria for the application ranking. Gender, geography, age (e.g. Young Researcher, defined by COST as <40 years of age), and qualifications of the applicant will be taken into consideration when evaluating the proposals. Applications should be in line with the Action objectives and scientific activities as stated in COST Action CA20214 Memorandum of Understanding (https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA20124/)

📅 Key Dates

Call open: 30th March 2023 to 15th September 2023

📝How to Apply

Applications should be submitted according to the procedure detailed below:

Formal registration of the ITC Conference Grant request via the e-COST platform. An eligible applicant submits a request for a Conference Grant by logging into e-COST and clicking on ‘Grant Applications’ and then on the ‘ITC Conference Grants’ button. Alternatively, click  (https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants).

Prepare and upload project proposal using the template that can be downloaded from the eCOST platform (see ‘Download Grant Application template’). This form includes details on the (i) conference and accepted contribution; (ii) relevance of the conference topic to the COST Action; and (iii) motivation and expected impact.

Include a full CV, with publication list. 
Complete the online application form on the e-COST portal (see https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants) and upload all the requested documents.
More details can be found at https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf

Ranking criteria will include assessment of:

The evaluation of ITC Conference Grant applications and selection of ITC Grantees is performed by the Action’s Grant Awarding Coordinator and AI-4-NICU Grant Evaluation Committee, on behalf of the Management Committee (MC) of the AI-4-NICU COST Action.

The selection of applicants is based on the scientific relevance of the ITC Conference Grant application, which must clearly fit in the Action’s scientific objectives.
The selection also takes into account the COST policies on promoting gender balance, enabling Young Researchers (under 40 years old) and broadening geographical inclusiveness.
The applicants will be notified of the application results within 20 working days of the application deadline.

Application, approval, and payment procedures are managed through the e-COST portal.

📖 Reporting

After the Conference: Immediately after the completion of Conference (within 30 days after the end date of the Conference, or within 10 days after the end date if end date is later than 1/10/23), the Grantee is required to upload a scientific report to the e-COST platform (applicant is notified) and the host approval containing:

Scientific Report: Following template https://www.cost.eu/ITC_conference_grant_report_template
Certificate of attendance.
Programme of the conference or book of abstracts / proceedings, indicating the presentation (oral or poster).
Copy of the given presentation  (oral or poster).