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COST Action CA20106 ITC (Inclusiveness Target Country): Call for Conference Grants

SEAWHEAT is pleased to announce the call for ITC grant applications. The call is open all year round.
The earliest date for the submission of applications is 15th of February 2022. The conference to be attended by the successful applicants must be held by 30th of September 2022.

ITC CONFERENCE GRANTS: WHAT ARE THEY?

ITC Conference Grants consist of financial support for Young Researchers and Innovators affiliated to an Inclusiveness Target Country / Near Neighbor Country for their participation in high-level conferences. The grants:

  • Serve COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy.
  • Support Young Researchers and Innovators affiliated to a legal entity in Inclusiveness Target Countries / Near Neighbor Countries to establish a strong network of researchers and increase their visibility in the scientific community through work and knowledge sharing.
  • Contribute to increasing visibility of the Action.
  • Benefit the recipients by supporting their attendance at a conference where they can present their work (poster/oral presentation) and establish new contacts for future collaborations.

WHO CAN APPLY?

  • Conference Grants are exclusively reserved to PhD students, PhD candidates, and Young Researchers (less than 40 years old) with a primary affiliation to an institution located in an Inclusiveness Target Country (ITC) participating in our COST Action SEAWHEAT (CA20106). A list of countries that have joined our Action is available here.
  • The applicants must produce an oral/poster presentation at the chosen conference and be listed in the official event/conference program. The main subject of the oral presentation/poster presentation at the approved conference must be among the topics of the Action and acknowledge COST’s sponsorship (see visual identify rules here).
  • The participation of each applicant must be pre-approved by the Action Management Committee.
  • The conference must take place by 30 September 2022.
  • Detailed information can be found in Cost’s Actions Annotated rules.

HOW TO APPLY?

  • All applications must be submitted directly through the e-COST system. If you do not have an e-COST account yet, please create one here.
  • Within e-COST, you will need to create an “ITC Conference Grant Request”. Further guidance is available here.

You will have to submit the following documentation:

  • ITC Conference Grant application form (you can download this through the system).
  • CV (including a list of academic publications, if any).
  • Short description of your involvement in our COST Action.
  • Acceptance letter from the conference organizers’ (confirming either your speaking slot or your poster presentation).
  • A copy of the abstract or poster submitted to the conference.
  • If available at the time of application, please include a copy of the conference agenda.

SELECTION PROCEDURE
In addition to the formal eligibility criteria detailed above, all applications will be evaluated against the following criteria of scientific merit:

  • Does the conference (or topic of the panel, etc.) fall within the mandate of COST Action SEAWHEAT?
  • Is the topic of the candidate’s presentation within the mandate of COST Action SEAWHEAT and will it likely make a significant contribution to the debates within the Action?
  • Is the proposal internally coherent, logical, with a clearly discernible structure?
  • Is the presentation likely to make a significant contribution to the candidate’s scientific and professional development?

The selection committee will also consider to what extent the requested funds are commensurate with the activities that the STSM applicant plans to undertake.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A Conference Grant is a fixed financial contribution that takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the evaluation of the application by the delegated reviewers. A Conference Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation, and meal expenses of the selected recipient. It does not necessarily cover all the expenses related to participating in a given conference. The calculation of the financial contribution for each Conference Grant must respect the following criteria:

  • Up to a maximum of € 2 000 in total for each successful applicant.
  • Up to a maximum of € 160 per day reimbursable for accommodation and meal expenses.
  • Up to a maximum of € 500 can be granted for the conference as a contribution to expenses incurred by the grant recipient
  • In addition, when meal and accommodation expenses are supported by the hosting institution as part of the provisions offered in their conference package, such costs must be deducted from the grant. Documentary evidence of the conference fee must be provided by the applicant and submitted with other relevant administrative documents.

RECEIVING YOUR GRANT

If you have been selected as an ITC conference grant recipient, you will receive your grant after the conference. The e-COST system will automatically ask you to submit a Scientific Report, which you must provide within 30 days after the conference has ended. Immediately after the Scientific Report has been approved, reimbursement will be deposited into your bank account. In addition, you will be kindly asked to describe your conference experience at the next Management Committee meeting or to write a short blog entry for our website (example here). If possible, please ask someone to take a picture of you during your presentation so that we can showcase your involvement on our website and in our newsletter communication and dissemination activities (with your prior consent, of course).

Further details and questions are to be addressed to the Grant Awarding Coordinator, Dr. Olympia Nisiforou (olympia.nisiforou@cut.ac.cy)