STSM funding will be awarded according to the COST key principles of:
Excellence
Inclusivity
Balance (gender, national, topic-based)
Criteria for evaluation will be as follows:
The relevance and application of the research to the field of the Action – a detailed work plan will help determine if the scientific aims of the work will be relevant and applicable to the Action’s aims (1-5 points).
The quality and clarity of the proposed research – the STSM application should be of high quality, arguing clearly and cogently the importance and timeliness of the research (1-5 points).
The choice of Host institution – the applicant must give specific scientific reasons for visiting their chosen Host institution. We will also be tracking the geographical distribution of the Host institutions to ensure there is an evenly spread network for knowledge transfer.
The Home institution of the researcher – we will consider the number of applications from each institution to ensure a fair spread of researches across the network. Involvement of ITC countries will be a plus (1-5 points).
The profile of the researcher – we will consider the researcher’s potential of successfully completing the STSM on the basis of their previous work and achievements commensurate to their career stage. In line with COST policy, we will preferentially award STSMs to Early Career Investigators. However, this should not discourage more experienced researchers from applying (1-5 points).
For ECIs, the support provided by senior colleagues.
The publication/output potential of the research carried out – based on the STSM work plan and detailed publication/output plan (1-5 points).
