Third call for "Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grants" opens from now until the 1st of December 2020. 

The EUROSCITIZEN (CA17127 Building on scientific literacy in evolution towards scientifically responsible Europeans) Call for “Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grants” is open until 1st of December 2020. Please consider that, according to COST rules, this call for ITC Conference Grants will ONLY target the following countries (ITCs): Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey.

Applicants must meet the following conditions:

  • Applicants must be a PhD Student or an Early Career Investigator- ECI (an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate (full-time equivalent) in an ITC.
  • The application must be submitted at least 45 days before the conference start date.
  • Applicants must be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow.
  • The proposed conference to be attended must take place until 30th April 2021. Attendance at European conferences is preferred. However, conferences held elsewhere can also be considered. Conferences, meetings and other activities organized by COST/ EUROSCITIZEN are not eligible. The conference must take place in a country other than the one where the applicant is based.
  • Applicants must make an oral/poster presentation at the conference in question and must be listed in the official event/conference programme. In the case of a poster presentation, it would also be acceptable if the applicant is acknowledged on the website of the conference or in the book of abstracts. The main subject of the oral presentation/poster presentation/speech at the approved conference must be on the topic of the Action and must acknowledge COST/ EUROSCITIZEN support.
  • Besides completing the online information in the eCOST, it is also necessary to upload the following support documentation (to be uploaded):
    • CV,
    • short description of the benefit of attending the conference to the Action EUROSCITIZEN,
    • statement of why funding is needed to attend the conference (more specifically, answers to the questions: Is the project developed within a funded project? What is the ratio between the person income and the price of the conference?),
    • statement of what benefits the applicant could achieve through their attendance;
    • a statement listing prior engagement in the EuroScitizen COST Action
    • acceptance letter from the conference organizers,
    • a copy of the abstract or poster submitted to the conference.
  • After the conference implementation, the successful applicants must submit a scientific report (template provided on eCOST to successful applicants and mandatory) or certificate of attendance, travel documentation, and fee invoice (if applicable) within 30 days in order to claim the grant. The grant is only paid after the conference implementation and the submission of the requested information.

A Conference Grant is a fixed financial contribution that takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the outcome of the evaluation of the application by the Committee. Conference Grants do not necessarily cover all of 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 must respect the following criteria:

  • Up to a maximum of EUR 1200 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.

In addition when meal and accommodation expenses are supported by the hosting institution as part of the provisions offered in their conference package, the amount for subsistence afforded to each eligible participant must be deducted from the Grant. Documentary evidence of the conference fee amount must be provided by the applicant and must be archived by the Grant Holder along with the relevant administrative documents.

Further information on the application and evaluation procedure please download the Guidelines

The evaluation of the application by the COST/EUROSCITIZEN:

  • The benefit of attending the conference to the Action (6 points).
  • What is the financial need of the applicant to attend the conference? (5 points).
  • The benefit of attending the conference for the applicant (5 points).
  • A degree of previous engagement by the applicant within the Action (5 points).
  • Preference will be given to the gender underrepresented in the primary affiliation Working Group, then to unrepresented ITC countries, then to stakeholder groups in the Action.
  • The evaluation process follows the general guidelines of the EO Policy of the EuroScitizen COST Action.

For being accepted you need to get at least 14 out of 21 points in the evaluation process.

Further questions, please contact:
Gregor Torkar
Equal opportunities officer
gregor.torkar@pef.uni-lj.si