Call for applications, ESIND Short Term Scientific Missions

About Short Term Scientific Missions

Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) are exchange visits aimed at supporting individual mobility, strengthening existing networks and fostering collaboration between researchers. The aim of an STSM as defined by COST Annotated Rules is to contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action ESIND.

Short Term Scientific Missions grant funds for a visit to a host organization located in a different country than the country of affiliation. Participation of “Early Career Investigators” (ECI) in STSM is particularly encouraged. The ECI is an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their doctorate (Ph.D. or full-time equivalent). Ph.D. students are also eligible and encouraged to participate in STSMs.

Am I eligible? Find out here https://www.cost.eu/am-i-eligible/

Important Notes:

Your mission must be connected with the research focus of the COST Action, as defined in the Memorandum of Understanding. There must be a clear relationship between CA23144 – ESIND objectives and your activities proposed in the application form.

The application must be submitted at least 5 weeks before the planned beginning of your STSM. The STSM must end no later than on September 30^th of the respective grant period. 

It is possible to apply for funds (max. EUR 4 000) to cover the costs connected with the mission. Please note carefully that the grant will be reimbursed upon successful realization of the STSM and submission of the Report, which means that you have to cover your travel and other expenses originally from another resource. Only after your return from the realized STSM you can be reimbursed. 

You should read the Grant Awarding User Guide prior to your submission. More details are available in the Annotated Rules for COST Actions.

Selection criteria:

• Relevance of the proposal in terms of contributing to the achievement of ESIND’s goals.
• Being a working group member of ESIND or relationship of the grant with collaborative work with ESIND working groups members towards the objectives of the Action.
• Impact of the grant on the applicant’s career.
• Scientific record or/and importance of the chosen research topic.

When several proposals meet the evaluation criteria evenly, priority will be given to:

• Applicants who participate in the Action and significantly contribute to its goals
• Young Researchers and Innovators, under the age of 40.
• Early Career Investigators (ECI), defined by COST as a researcher whose career span less than 8 years between the date of the PhD/doctorate completion and the date of involvement in the COST Action.
• Proposals from applicants who have not previously received an individual grant from ESIND.

STSM PROCEDURE STEP BY STEP

STEP 1

• Sign-up on e-COST platform: https://e-services.cost.eu/user/login
• Fill in your user profile and upload your CV.
• Click on ‘Apply for a Grant’ 

• Click on ‘Apply’ in STSM

• Fill in the form ‘Apply for a Grant’
  • Choose the COST Action CA23144 – Europe’s Representations of India: Texts, Images, and Encounters

• Grant title – always include the name of the institution, its destination, and if applicable, also the title of the event you will be attending.
• Amount requested – fill in your budget. The budget should be reasonable in terms of the STSM goals and must not exceed EUR 4000.

STEP 2

• Upload the following documents in the section ‘Supporting documents’:
  • Completed Grant Application
  • STSM proposal from the applicant: A letter summarizing the main scientific goals of the proposed STSM, including its duration, name/s of the researches with whom the applicant plans to work during the STSM, as well as its relevance and impact for the applicant, and home/host institutions.
  • Applicant’s CV in English: Your CV must include a list of academic publications, conference/workshops presentations and other relevant research activities.

STEP 3 

• Submit the application
• If successfully submitted, the status will change from ‘Draft’ to ‘Submitted’

• Submitted applications will be assessed on the basis of the evaluation criteria described in the first section.

• Your application is approved when you receive a Grant Letter.
• A Grant Contract must be signed prior to your realization of STSM; otherwise, your claims will not be reimbursed. You will get a Contract by email shortly after the approval of your application. It is necessary that you sign the Contract and send it back to the Grant Holder Manager (zuzana.cilova@tul.cz) as soon as possible.

STEP 4 

After you will realize your STSM:

• Download the STSM Report from here: https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2025/01/COST-Grant-Awarding-user-guide.pdf (template on page 4).
• Submit the Report in e-COST platform within 30 days after the end of your mission.
• Together with the Report, you must submit the confirmation of your activities during the STSM, with signature of a responsible person from a host institution. 
• The grant is reimbursed once the Report is approved. The payment is made in EUR.