Katalin Alföldi , Policy Officer, COST Association IGLO International Cooperation Working Group

1. COST - Promoting and Spreading Excellence Katalin Alföldi, Policy Officer, COST Association IGLO International Cooperation Working Group Brussels, 14 October 2019

2. COST - 45 years proven track record in research collaboration • COST Members Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Republic of Moldova, Montenegro,The Netherlands, TheRepublic of North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, andUnited Kingdom • Cooperating Member Israel • Partner Member South Africa • Near Neighbour Countries Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo*, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine**, Russia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine COST Members COST Members ITCs Other Countries COST Cooperating Member COST Partner Member *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. **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. COST key figures of 2018 COST: The networking tool in the ERA and the pre-portal to other ERA funding schemes

4. Role of COST in the ERA - 3 Strategic Priorities Promoting and spreading excellence 1 Fostering interdisciplinary research for breakthrough science 2 Boosting careers young researchers 3

5. Promoting and spreading excellence

6. How it works? COST Action participants nominated by COST National Coordinators Main proposer Secondary proposers International Partner Countries/ Near Neighbour Countries/ Specific Organisations

7. COST Actions Memorandum of Understanding 4 years Network Min 7 COST Full Members Research coordination and capacity building activities € ~500 000 euros over lifetime

8. What are the networking tools of a COST Action? Management Committee meeting Working Group meeting Research coordination & Capacity building activities Conferences Training Schools Dissemination Scientific missions

9. Implementing COST’s strategic priorities COST Actions Meetings, workshops and conferences, and conference grant Training schools Dissemination activities Short-term Scientific Missions

10. COST Acting as a pre-portal for FP funding

11. COST global networking • Global cooperation is based on an ascertained mutual benefit • COST supports and encourages the participation of international partners coming from non-COST Members in all of its Actions • Near Neighbour Countries • International Partner Countries

12. Near Neighbour Country, NNC • researchers can join any running COST Action based on ascertained mutual benefit • researchers from NNCs are eligible for reimbursement on the costs of their participation in a COTS Action • NNCs can be partners • from the proposal stage where they join the core network and contribute to the elaboration of the proposal as secondary proposals • by joining existing COST Actions following their establishment • by being invited speakers

13. International Partner Country, IPC • researchers can join any running COST Action based on ascertained mutual benefit • researchers from IPCs need to take care of the costs of their participation from their own sources. • IPCs can be partners • from the proposal stage where they join the core network and contribute to the elaboration of the proposal as secondary proposals • by joining existing COST Actions following their establishment • by being invited speakers

14. In all cases the cooperating partners mutually gain access to knowledge, technologies that could lead to further collaboration for seeking funding, reaching out to new markets and developing common projects.

15. How to engage with COST? • As participant of a running COST Action • As (secondary) proposer of a COST Action • Become an external evaluator https://www.cost.eu/who-we-are/working-with-us/participate-external-expert/

16. Approval process of joining a COST Action • Contact Action Chair and express interest – write letter of intent, based on mutual benefit, submit official motivation letter (approval from institution needed) • Action Chair launches procedure in e-COST and uploads motivation letter. • Additional information should be provided if needed • Action Management Committee votes • Approval by Head of Science Operations and Executive Board • In case the non-COST country participant is already part of the networking of proposers, its participation is approved with the proposal approval

17. As a COST Expert, you will have the opportunity to: • Contribute to the evaluation of COST Open Call proposals  • Participate in the assessment of Action results and outcomes  • Be invited to take part in the assessment of COST strategic activities Become a COST Expert! • New experts can express their interest via the COST Expert online registration form: www.cost.eu/experts • An updated Curriculum Vitae with a list of publications is required to demonstrate competence in specific areas of expertise • As a COST expert, you will have opportunity to: • Contribute to the evaluation of COST OC proposals; • Participate in the assessment of Action results and outcomes; • Take a part in the assessment of COST strategic activities. • More on COST Experts: www.cost.eu/participate/experts

18. Development of non-COST country participation based on number of institutions participating in running Actions 2014-2018

19. Near Neighbour Country participation in running COST Actions May 2018 – April 2019

20. STSMs with non-COST country destination May 2018 – April 2019

21. Trainers from non-COST countries May 2018 – April 2019

22. Trainees from non-COST countries (NNCs only) May 2018 – April 2019

23. Events with non-EU countries • Jan 2019 - H2020 Info Day, Fes, Morocco • Feb 2019 – Regional Innovation Day, Tunis, Tunisia • March 2019 – WBC Steering Platform, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina • Apr 2019 – South Africa Partner Member • June 2019 – EaP Plus Final event • July 2019 – Chinese S&T Counsellor visit • Sept 2019 – Western Balkan Countries Steering Platform on Research and Innovation, Ministerial meeting, Director General of Min of Higher Education & Scientific Research, Tunisia, Quebec, Canada delegation • Oct 2019 – SFIC Science Diplomacy working group, H2020 Info Day, Beirut, Lebanon EaP Annual Conference on R&I, Chisinau, Moldova • Nov 2019 – COST Awareness Day, Pristina, Kosovo* • Dec 2019 – Science Forum of South Africa (tbc)

24. 40 new COST Actions approved on 04/06/2019 https://www.cost.eu/news/40-new-actions-starting-in-autumn-2019/ • Previous batch of approved COST Actions: https://www.cost.eu/news/get_involve_in_the_40_brand_new_actions_starting_in_spring_2019/

25. Thank you! Contact and engage with us! @COST.Programme @COSTprogramme COST Association COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)