GRANT INFORMATION SESSION
April 11, 2025 from 9:30 to 11:00 am (CEST). Missed it: Take a look at the Zoom Recording!
Or join the next one on November 21, 2025 from 11 am to 12 pm (CET).
A Zoom link will be sent by email to all Action Members shortly before the meeting.
Grants for Mobility of Researchers and Innovators
Depending on Budget: Launch of various calls per Grant Period
Short-Term Scientific Mission (apply between Nov. 7, 2025 till March 15, 2026)
Visit of a host organization located in a different country than the country of affiliation by a Researcher or Innovator for the specific work to be carried out and for a determined period of time.
Virtual Mobility (next in GP2)
Virtual Mobility Grants aim to foster collaboration in a virtual setting, to exchange knowledge, learn new techniques, etc.
Grants for Presentations at high level Conferences, fully organized by 3rd Parties
Application is possible anytime.
Dissemination Conference (for any Action participant to present the work of the Action)
Objective: Financial support to Action participant for their participation in high-level conferences to present the Action, their activities, and results (oral presentation) and for developing new contacts and potential future collaborations.
Eligible presentation type: Only oral presentation on the work of the Action by Action participant.
Important: You need to include and present powerpoint slides on this Action in your presentation.
ITC Conference (only for applicants from ITC / NNC)
Objective: The grantee receives support for attending and presenting their work (poster/oral presentation) at a conference and can establish new contacts for future collaborations.
Eligible presentation type: Only oral presentations of their own work within the scope of the Action
YRI Conference (only for applicants below 40 years old)
Objective: YRI Conference grant funds a presentation (poster/oral presentation) of their own work by a YRI in a high-level conference fully organized by a third party, and can establish new contacts for future collaborations.
Eligible presentation type: A presentation (poster/oral presentation) of their own work
All applications are done via eCOST > COST Actions (menu at the top left corner) > My Grants Application.
Before the conference, when applying via eCOST please provide also the following documents as uploads:
- Copy of the abstract of the accepted oral or poster presentation
- Acceptance letter of conference organizer (email or official letter) as PDF!
- CV
- Budget plan:
- covering travel costs (incl. travel insurance), accommodation (incl. breakfast) and any conference fee.
Note: COST Daily Allowance rates do not apply to these grants!
Max. amount funded:- 2,500 EUR for face-to-face conference
- 500 EUR for online conference
- covering travel costs (incl. travel insurance), accommodation (incl. breakfast) and any conference fee.
Note: The Grant Awarding Committee can decide to approve the grant with a lower amount than requested.
After the conference in order to claim your reimbursement, you must submit no later than 30 days after the end of the conference or within 15 days from the end of the Grant Period, whichever date comes first:
- a report following the template provided on eCOST
- certificate of attendance
- Programm of the conference or book of abstracts / proceedings indicating the oral presentation of the grantee
- copy of the given presentation* (esp. Grants for Dissemination Conference must include slides on the COST Action itself! A set of PCPSCE general slides in a dark and light version can be downloaded in member-only PCPSCE Information Hub.
For further information on the requirements of these grants see the Annotated Rules, p. 95f. and the Grant Award User Guide.
TOP UP Grants for events, org. by CA23137 or COST Assoc.
Depending on Budget: Launch of various calls per Grant Period.
As part of the GE & GI-Plan, COST Action PCPSce will offer top-up grants to enable members with caring responsibilities (e.g., for children or ill/disabled family members) to participate in in-person activities, organized by our COST Action or the COST Association, such as conferences, workshops, training schools, and working group meetings. The aim is to remove practical barriers to mobility, support continuity of research, and promote career progression, particularly for early-career researchers and innovators (YRIs). Grants are financed from the Action’s budget whenever funds allow and are awarded on a competitive basis.
The number of grants awarded per call will depend on available funds; each call will indicate the indicative number that can be supported.
Financial Support
Maximum award: up to €2,000 per approved application.
Nature of support: a supplementary contribution to additional costs directly caused by caring responsibilities linked to the travel (i.e., not intended to cover all costs of care).
Examples of eligible costs:
- On-site childcare or supervised care services during the event;
- Short-term home/respite care while the applicant is travelling;
- Travel and accommodation for a caregiver accompanying the applicant or dependent;
- Extended accommodation necessary to accommodate a dependent or caregiver;
- Reasonable accessibility arrangements related to care (e.g., accessible room where needed for a dependent).
Application
Applicants must:
- be members of this Action;
- Have documented caring responsibilities for a dependent (child or adult in need of assistance);
- Demonstrate a clear link between the proposed travel and the Action’s objectives (e.g., presenting a paper, chairing a session, key WG contributions).
Application process
- Initial contact: Applicants should speak to the Action’s Grant Awarding Coordinator to discuss eligibility and timing.
- When to apply: Ideally at least four weeks before travel to allow evaluation and, where applicable, pre-approval of specific cost items.
Submission: Provide
- a brief justification of about 2.000 characters explaining how the top-up will enable participation otherwise at risk, and
- a detailed budget listing expected additional care-related costs. Where possible, include confirmations (e.g., event acceptance letter, draft program).
Evaluation
Evaluation criteria
- Relevance and impact: the importance of the activity for the Action and for the applicant’s research/career;
- Barrier removal: the extent to which the requested support directly addresses care-related obstacles to participation;
- Value for money: clarity and reasonableness of the budget and requested amount;
- Feasibility and timing: realistic plan for arranging care and travel within the event schedule.
Priorities
In line with the Action’s GEP and COST’s Excellence & Inclusiveness policy, the following will be considered when ranking proposals of comparable merit:
- Gender balance within the cohort of grantees;
- Young researchers and innovators (YRIs);
- Researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs);
- Applications that do not duplicate recent top-up awards to the same applicant, to broaden access.
Clarifications
- These top-ups do not cover all care-related costs during mobility; they provide additional support to make participation feasible.
- Funds cannot be used for standard travel or per diem items already covered by other COST instruments; only extra costs due to caring responsibilities are eligible.
- Awards are contingent on budget availability and compliance with COST and institutional financial rules.
The number of grants awarded per call will depend on available funds; each call will indicate the indicative number that can be supported.
Contact
For questions and to initiate an application, please contact the Gender Equality Officer Carolin Gluchowski (carolin.gluchowski@uni-hamburg.de) and Grant Awarding Coordinator Dr Joelle Weis (weis@uni-trier.de).
FOR SUCCESSFULL GRANT APPLICATIONS – KEEP IN MIND:
Share your research publicly
For all successful grant applications, we plan to publish a brief report on our PCPSCE blog after the event. The SC-Team or the YRI-Team will reach out to each successful applicant with details.
Acknowledge COST
Please note that all outputs associated with PCPSCE must acknowledge COST, following the Guidelines for COST Actions to acknowledge COST as a funding source.
The acknowledgment must be exactly as specified by COST, using the exact wording, logos, and materials indicated. Failure to properly acknowledge COST (e.g., modifying the wording or using a different set of logos) will result in the output and its expenses not being recognized or reimbursed by COST.
The packages for COST and Horizon Europe logos and the COST animation for videos can be found here: COST Packages Download.
Promote PCPSCE
Proper acknowledgment is essential for transparency and reinforcing the Action’s visibility. All outputs related to PCPSCE must include the corresponding logo, which can be downloaded in member-only PCPSCE Information Hub
The use of a PowerPoint PCPSCE template is optional and is available on the member-only PCPSCE Information Hub.
Please add “public spheres” and “print culture” to the manuscript keywords. This will help index papers in databases and associate them with our network.
When using social media, please include the hashtags #PCPSce, #COSTAction, and #PrintCulture, and tag COST Association to enhance visibility.
Information materials such as posters and flyers about PCPSCE can be requested from the Science Communication Team up to four weeks before a conference or research stay for distribution during the event.