COST is the longest-running European framework supporting trans-national cooperation among researchers, engineers and scholars across Europe. It is a unique means for researchers to jointly develop their own ideas and new initiatives across all fields in science and technology, including social sciences and humanities, through pan-European networking of nationally funded research activities. Based on a European intergovernmental framework for cooperation in science and technology, COST has been contributing - since its creation in 1971 - to closing the gap between science, policymakers and society throughout Europe and beyond. As a precursor of advanced multidisciplinary research, COST plays a very important role in building a European Research Area (ERA).
Please click to see COST web site.
Please click to see COST 2023 Annual Report.COST 2023 Senelik Raporu için tıklayınız.
Please click to see COST 2023 Türkiye Factsheet.
Please click for COST Türkiye web site.
Turkey stands as one of the founding members of the Association which has currently 41 member countries.
COST member countries:
Albania, Armenia Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, The Republic of North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
COST anticipates and complements the activities of the EU Framework Programmes, constituting a “bridge” towards the scientific communities of COST Inclusiveness Target Countries. It also increases the mobility of researchers across Europe and fosters the establishment of scientific excellence through including a renewed evaluation and selection procedure aiming at identifying breakthrough ideas and favoring interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects.
COST is a short-cut for Turkish researchers to reach European research groups in a high variety of scientific fields. The platform can be considered as the step between the national level and Framework Programs.
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is an EU-funded, intergovernmental framework with currently 41 Members and 1 Cooperating Member. It has, therefore, a strong reach beyond the European Union. Its main objective is to manage the COST Open Call, dedicated to the creation of pan-European research networks in all science fields.
The COST Association, an international not-for-profit association under Belgian law, is located in Brussels and carries out all activities related to this Open Call. The COST Association integrates governance, management, and implementation functions into a single structure.
The COST Members established the COST Association, in September 2013. Its decision-making body is the general assembly of Members, the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO), other legal bodies are the Executive Board, the Director of the COST Association and the COST Ministerial Conferences, which are organised every five years to gather the support and commitment of the Members’ national governments.
Each Member and the Cooperating Member Israel nominate a COST National Coordinator (CNCs). The COST Scientific Committee (SC) advises the COST Association about the Open Call, its quality and procedures. Further information on can be found on our Who is Who page.
Prof. Salvatore Grimaldi is the President of the COST Association. The interim Vice-President is Prof. John Bartzis. The Director of the COST Association is Dr Ronald de Bruin.
COST budget can cover the following scientific activities:
Action Management Committee (MC) meetings
Working Group (WG) Meetings
Scientific workshops and seminars
Short term scientific visits
Courses and research conferences
Financial support is also provided for activities aimed at disseminating the outputs resulting from action studies.
COST only covers the costs of Action networking activities, and does not provide research support. Research support can be provided in accordance with the procedures of the National Funding Institutions (TUBITAK in Türkiye).
In order to be nominated as a Management Committee (MC) member to an ongoing COST Action, the 2-person MC member quota granted to Türkiye should be available. Two people from each country are allowed to attend MC meetings and expenses covered from COST Action budget.
Working Groups, where the scientific activities of the Actions are carried out, are thematic groups on the sub-scientific subjects of the Action and Working Group members are appointed by the Action Management Committee. There is no limit on the number of Working Group members, and new members are appointed taking into account issues such as the person's expertise and the current budget of the Action. Meeting attendance expenses of both Working Group and Management Committee members are covered from the Action budget.
1. Participation in an ongoing COST Action as a Member of the Management Committee (MC):
Two members from each COST member country can be appointed to any COST Action Management Committee. The nomination process to COST Actions on behalf of Türkiye is carried out by TUBITAK in accordance with the TUBITAK "Rules of Participation in COST Actions".
Finding Appropriate COST Action:
To find relevant COST Actions with your research area, you can access the COST Actions search engine by clicking the link: https://www.cost.eu/cost-actions-event/browse-actions/
It is possible to access the list of all Actions in that field by typing a key-word in the section; "Action or Innovator's Grant Number or Text" in the search engine.
When a suitable Action is found, detailed information about the Action can be seen by clicking on the Action title and accessing the Action page. More information about the Action can be seen with a brief summary of the Action on the COST Action page, the "Action Memorandum of Understanding" can be downloaded by clicking on the "Memorandum of Understanding-MoU" link under the "Action Documents" heading at the bottom of the page, and the Action objectives and Working Groups can also be seen.
The Action approval date can be seen under "CSO Approval Date" on the right side of the page.
The list of researchers appointed as members of the Action Management Committee can be viewed by clicking on the "Management Committee" heading. A maximum of two Management Committee (MC) members from each country can be appointed to an Action. If there are two Management Committee members nominated from Türkiye, no other Management Committee members can be appointed for that Action. (In certain cases, updating the Action web page may take time even if the Management Committee member has been appointed. For this reason, it would be useful to ask the TÜBİTAK COST expert about the quota status before applying for an Action. You can direct your questions to cost.cnc.tr@tubitak.gov.tr.)
Once you find a COST Action which is relevant in terms of Management Committee quota and your research area you may apply with TÜBİTAK rules for COST Action.
2. Participation in an ongoing COST Action as a Working Group (WG) Member:
Each COST Action has a variety of Working Groups to achieve the scientific objectives of the Action. Appointments of Working Group members are made by the Management Committee. There is no limit to the number of researchers to be included in the Working Groups, and new researchers can be included in line with the person's field of expertise and the current budget of the Action.
Information regarding the "Working Groups" of the Actions is given in detail in the "Memorandum of Understanding" documents that can be downloaded from the Action's website. If the researcher identifies a Working Group suitable for his/her field of study, it is sufficient to apply to become a Working Group Member using the application tool in the "Working Groups and Membership" section on the relevant Action's web page. The request will be discussed by the members of the Management Committee and if the researcher is found suitable for the Working Group, the nomination will be done.
TÜBİTAK does not have any authority or responsibility in Working Group nominations.
Expenses of Working Group members for participation in Working Group meetings are also covered from the Action budget.
Researchers who serve as Working Group and/or Management Committee members in a COST Action can apply for the 2515 COST Action Members R&D Support Program. Click for detailed information about 2515 COST Support Programme.
How to Propose a new COST Action
Proposals for new COST Actions can be submitted to our annual Open Call via e-COST, our dedicated grant management tool. Once the deadline (collection date) has been reached, all applications are evaluated based on clear criteria.
COST Actions are bottom-up and can be on any topic, however they must fulfill certain criteria in order to be approved, such as including researchers from at least seven COST Member countries, half of whom come from our Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC).
Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, the decision for funding a proposal is taken by the COST Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) within eight months from the collection date. Successful proposals are approved to become COST Actions and can expect to kick-off within three months after approval.
The Open Call
Participants are invited to submit COST Action proposals contributing to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.
The Open Call Action proposal submission, evaluation, selection and approval (SESA) procedure is fully science and technology-driven and will ensure a simple, transparent and competitive proposal evaluation and selection process, reflecting the bottom-up, open and inclusive principles of COST.
Participants planning to submit a proposal for a COST Action will need to refer to the SESA guidelines and the Open Call Announcement on the Documents and Guidelines page.
The shortlist of proposals selected by the Scientific Committee is submitted to the COST Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) for approval.
Proposals are evaluated and selected on a competitive basis, taking into account the available funds for the particular Open Call collection. COST reserves the right to involve observers to assess and provide feedback on the evaluation and selection process.
COST SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSION (STSM) GRANT
Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) are institutional visits aiming to support individual mobility, fostering collaboration between individuals. The Guidelines for Action Management, Monitoring and Assessment should be followed to ensure the proper implementation of this networking instrument (see www.cost.eu/guidelines_Action_management_monitoring_assessment) .
STSM Eligibility Rules
STSM applicants shall be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or can be employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organisation or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research. The institutions / organisation or legal entity where applicants pursue their main strand of research are considered as Home Institutions. The Host Institution is the institution / organisation that will host the successful applicant.
The following table shows the scenarios available to eligible STSM applicants: Applicant’s Home Institution
STSM Host Institution
Located in a Participating COST Full Member / COST Cooperating Member
Located in another Participating COST Full Member / COST Cooperating Member
Located in a Participating COST Partner Member
Action MC Observer from IPC
Action MC Observer from NNC
The EU Commission or an EU Body, Office or Agency
An Approved European RTD Organisation
An Approved International Organisation
Action MC Observer from NNC
Located in a Participating COST Full Member / COST Cooperating Member
Located in an Approved European RTD Organisation
Located in a Participating COST Full Member / COST Cooperating Member
STSM shall respect the following criteria:
- They shall have a minimum duration of 5 calendar days that includes travel.
- STSM need to be carried out in their entirety within a single Grant Period and always within the Action’s lifetime.
STSM Financial Support
An STSM Grant is a fixed financial contribution which takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the outcome of the evaluation of the STSM application. STSM Grants do not necessarily cover all expenses related to undertaking a given mission. A STSM Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the Grantee.
The calculation of the financial contribution for each STSM shall respect the following criteria:
- Up to a maximum of EUR 3 500 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant.
- Up to a maximum of EUR 160 per day can be afforded for accommodation and meal expenses.
The Action Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution) and / or the appointed STSM Coordinator / Committee should consider and can approve differentiated country rates to cover accommodation and meal expenses based on the perceived cost of living in the host country.
Approving STSM For Payment
The STSM Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end date of the mission to submit a scientific report to the Action Chair (or to the Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution) / the appointed STSM Coordinator / Committee and to a senior researcher affiliated to the Host Institution.
Payment of the Grant is subject to a STSM scientific report being approved on behalf of the Action’s MC by the delegated person(s) responsible and by a senior researcher affiliated to the Host Institution. Written approval of the STSM scientific report by the aforementioned persons shall be uploaded in e-COST for archiving purposes.
INCLUSIVENESS TARGET COUNTRIES (ITC) CONFERENCE GRANT
ITC Conference Grants aim to support ECI and PhD students from Participating ITC to attend international science and technology related conferences, event or activity on the topic of the Action that are not organised by the COST Action.
ITC Conference Grant Eligibility Rules
The following eligibility criteria apply:
- Conference Grants are exclusively reserved for PhD students, PhD candidates, and ECI’s with a primary affiliation in an institution located in an ITC participating in the Action.
- The applicant shall make an oral/poster presentation at the conference in question and shall be listed in the official event/conference programme. The main subject of the oral presentation / poster presentation / speech at the approved conference shall be on the topic of the Action and shall acknowledge COST (see Section 10).
- The participation of each applicant shall be pre-approved by the Action MC. ,
Evaluation and Selection
The evaluation of each received Conference Grant application is performed by the Action’s MC. The Action Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution) or an appointed Coordinator / Committee can assume this responsibility if the Action’s MC gives them the mandate to perform this task on their behalf. The person responsible for performing the related tasks into e-COST is referred to as ITC Conference Grant Manager. The evaluation criteria defined by the Action’s MC should be communicated to all potential applicants.
The selection of successful applicants shall be done so in consideration of the scientific scope of the proposed participation and how it will support the Action in achieving its scientific objectives.
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.
The calculation of the financial contribution for each Conference Grant shall respect the following criteria:
- Up to a maximum of EUR 2 500 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant.
- Up to a maximum of EUR 160 per day can be afforded for accommodation and meal expenses.
- Up to a maximum of EUR 500 can be claimed for the conference fees to be incurred by the selected Grantee. Virtual conference fees can be considered eligible provided all other eligibility conditions are fulfilled.
Approving ITC Conference for Payment
The Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end date of the Conference in question to submit either a certificate of attendance or a report to the ITC Conference Grant Manager of the Action and the Action’s Grant Holder.
Payment of the Grant is subject to the submitted certificate of attendance or the submitted report being approved by the ITC Conference Grant Manager. Written approval of the submitted report shall be sent to the Grant Holder for archiving purposes.
Should the ITC Conference Grant Manager apply for a Conference Grant, the mandate for approval or rejection of the request via e-mail is transferred to the Chair or Vice-Chair, as well as the approval of the Conference Grant report. The written approvals shall be sent to the Grant Holder for archiving purposes.
DEFINITION and SCOPE OF AWARD
- COST Action Incentive Award is for to the researcher who is a "Main Proposer" of a COST action contracted by the relevant department of COST.
- The researchers who have applied for the COST Action Award must be serving in the legal entities resident in Turkey.
- In order to be eligible to apply, the contract for the relevant action must be signed at a date following the date on which this Procedure and the Articles entered into force.
- The actions that researchers take as their "Secondary Proposer" during their recommendation are not covered by the Incentive Award.
- The amount of award is 50.000 TL.
Click here for online application
2515 - COST Action Members R&D Support Program aims at funding the R&D projects of Management Committee and/or Working Group Members of Türkiye in ongoing COST Actions. The R&D projects need to be compatible with the Action topic.
Applications can only be made by individuals who serve as Management Committee/Working Group members in Actions.
Click for detailed info.
2515 COST Action Members R&D Support Programme is conducted in line with TÜBİTAK 1001 R&D Support Programme. Please click for more details about 1001 TUBITAK Support Programme rules.
The following documents are used for the monitoring process of projects pnce they are supported.
MURAT TILTAK - COST National Coordinator
Directorate for International Cooperation
Division for Bilateral and Multilateral Relations
Address: TÜBİTAK HQ
Tunus Caddesi No:80
06100 Kavaklıdere / Ankara
TÜRKİYE
P: (+90 312) 298 18 22
E-mail: cost.cnc.tr@tubitak.gov.tr, murat.tiltak@tubitak.gov.tr, uidb@tubitak.gov.tr
Scientists who are currently members of the Management Committee and/or Working Group in a COST Action can apply to the 2515 Program.
The 2515 COST Program is always open to applications and applications can be made at any time. To apply, it is sufficient to be a member of the Working Group/Management Committee in an ongoing COST Action.
Creating a new Action will bring great prestige to your career as it will give you the management of a large-scale international scientific platform. Additionally, you will have the chance to have a say in all activities to be carried out within the scope of your COST Action. For example, you can organize large international workshops at the university/institution/organization where you work, entirely with the COST budget. For detailed information about the conditions for proposing a COST Action, please see http://www.cost.eu/participate/open_call. Additionally, if the COST Action you propose is accepted, you can apply for the COST Action Main Proposer Award offered by TÜBİTAK.
Since COST is not a European Union project, it would be more useful not to think of it as an international project. COST is an international scientific networking activity. While it does not support research, activities such as workshops, management committee meetings, short-term scientific activities, working group meetings, training courses are supported by COST. In this nature, even if you are the manager, the Management Committee, formed by representatives of all countries, makes decisions together regarding the activities in question. In terms of management, there is no additional support that COST pays directly to the individual, but all activities are covered from the Action budget. You can gain benefits such as being the leader of a large international network in terms of initiating and executing the process from Turkey, and being able to carry out international scientific activities with the COST budget in your institution in Turkey. The disadvantage is; The COST Action is a bit of a difficult task in terms of its proposal and execution after it comes into force, but it will be worth the effort.
The new COST Action to be proposed should not be similar to the previous actions, but COST has a flexible attitude regarding similarity. Before making an action recommendation, it would be useful to review the Actions suggested so far at http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/all_actions.
Visits to countries outside Europe are also included in the scope of support. Information about the institutions that can be visited is as follows:
Receiving Institution (Host Institution)
Institutions, organizations and legal entities located in COST Member Countries and COST Cooperating Member Countries
International COST Partner Country (IPC) organizations
Organizations located in COST Near Neighbor Countries (NNC)
European Union Commission and units affiliated to the European Union
International Organizations approved by COST
Science, Technology and Development Organizations based in Europe
COST Cooperating Member: Israel
COST International Cooperating Country: https://www.cost.eu/who-we-are/cost-strategy/international-cooperation/
COST Near Neighbor Countries: https://www.cost.eu/who-we-are/cost-strategy/international-cooperation/
If you are entitled to support, TÜBİTAK has no authority or responsibility regarding the permission you will receive from your institution. However, in order to win COST's Short-Term Scientific Visit, you must first make an agreement with the institution/organization where you will carry out your Short-Term Scientific Visit. You can request permission by contacting your institution with the support letter you will receive from the institution/organization you have agreed with. You can see the Short Term Scientific Visit application process below:
The researcher makes an agreement with the institution/organization to which he will make an international scientific visit.
In order to apply for COST Short Term Scientific Visit (STSM) support, one must find a COST Action compatible with the subject of the scientific visit. (To find the appropriate COST Action; https://www.cost.eu/cost-actions/browse-actions/)
After finding a COST Action that is compatible with the subject of the scientific visit, he/she applies at (https://e-services.cost.eu/stsm). The relevant Action must be selected during the application.
The application is evaluated by Action management. The compatibility of the subject of the scientific visit and the subject of the COST Action is examined.
The evaluation result is notified to the applicant.