Blank landscape foils

1
European COoperation in the Field of
Scientific and Technical Research
2
Mission
Strengthen Europe in scientific and technical
research for peaceful purposes through the
support of cooperation and interaction between
European Researchers
3
COST Characteristics

• Networking Co-ordination
• Pan-European
• Non-competitive (pre-normative environmental
  and cross-border problems public utility)
• National Financing of Researchers national
  responsibility

• Bottom-up / Flexible
• A la carte participation
• Multi-disciplinary wide range of disciplines
  covered
• Open to wider cooperation

4
COST Countries

• COST Member States
• ? The 25 EU Member States1
• EFTA Member States ? Iceland ? Norway ?
  Switzerland ? Candidate Countries ? Bulgaria ?
  Romania ? Turkey? Other Countries ? Serbia and
  Montenegro2 ? Croatia2 ? FYR of Macedonia
  (FYROM)2
• COST Co-operating States ? Israel

1 from 1 May 04 2 Not Associated to FP
5
COST- Sixth Framework Programme
6
COST Financing
7
Committee of Senior Officials(CSO)

• 2 representatives per COST Country
• Responsible for
• the overall strategy and steering of COST
• deciding on the launching of individual Actions
• approving participation of institutes from
  non-COST countries
• approving the prolongation/extension of Actions

8
Domain Committees (DC)

• 1 representative per COST country
• Responsible for
• selection of new COST Actions (quality control)
• monitoring of ongoing COST Actions
• evaluation of completed COST Actions
• dissemination and valorisation of COST activities
• strategic developments in its domain
• synergies

9
Management Committee (MC)

• Maximum of 2 representatives per signatory
  country
• 1 representative per non-COST institution
• Representatives of the European Commission
  (observer)
• Observers from other organisations
• Responsible for
• supervising and co-ordinating implementation of
  the Action
• ensuring scientific coordination at a national
  level

10
Working Group (WG)

• a small number of researchers working together
  per WG
• MC members or other scientists from the
  signatory countries
• Invited experts/ speakers (workshops/
  conferences)
• Members from non-COST institutes

11
COST Domain Allocation 2005
Agriculture and Biotechnology 1.514.439 Chemistry
1.334.631 Environment 639.225 Food Technology
507.732 Forests and Forestry Products 1.753.348
Materials 861.352 Medicine and Health 948.987
Metereology 932.935 Miscellaneous 188.484
Physics 742.262 Social Sciences 982.630
TIST 1.737.296 Transport 683.812 Urban Civil
Engineering 672.868 TOTAL ()
13,500,000
12
COST Actions Running Actions 1980-2005(Running
any time of the year - status 30/11/2005)
13
COST Actions what is supported

• MC and WG meetings
• Scientific workshops, seminars and conferences
• Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)
• Training Schools
• Dissemination

14
Who can be reimbursed?

• Max. 2 per signatory country per meeting
• Combined meetings MC1WG max 4 per country
  MC2WGs max. 6 per country.
• Workshops/Conferences reasonable division over
  the signatory countries
• Invited speakers (max. 4)
• Special fund for neighbouring countries

15
Financing systems in COST

• Pay-as-you-go (most of the domains including Food
  and Agriculture)
• Annual Grant System (TIST domain)

16
How does pay-as-you-go work?

• CSO approves annual budget division over domains/
  actions
• MC decides how to spend the actions budget
• For each meeting, STSM, etc. MC chair sends a
  request
• COST Office takes care of administration
• ESF is doing the payments
• Action reports with annual progress report
• COST Office has to deal with auditors

17
How does the grant system work?

• Action has to deliver work-plan budget
  dissemination plan for the following year
• DC/ COST Office has to approve work-plan and
  allocates budget
• The annual grant contract is signed
• The MC decides how to spend the actions budget
• The money is transferred to the contract holder
  65 of the budget and 35 after approval of the
  preliminary financial report after around 9
  months
• Action reports with annual progress report, a
  preliminary financial report and financial report
• All COST rules still valid
• Action has to deal with administration,reimburseme
  nts and auditors

18
Contract holder

• Institute of chair (or other MC member)
• Preferable in euro-zone or possibility for
  euro-account at bank (less transfer and valuta
  change costs
• Check VAT-position institute (non-eligible costs!)

19
Pay-as-you-go

• Procedures for requests

20
Meeting request

• Request chair by email, including reference to MC
  decision (legal basis!) at least one month in
  advance preferable earlier
• Programme (venue, local organiser, dates, time
  schedule, presentations, etc)
• List of participants (including email-addresses)

21
Workshops/ Conferences

• Request for organising money by local organiser
  at least one month in advance
• Reference to MC decision to ask this money
• Up to 3.000 euro without financial reporting
• From 3.000-10.000 euro with financial reporting
  invoices
• MC approval financial report

22
Combining with non-COST meetings

• COST finances only COST meetings therefore the
  COST meeting as such has to be justified!
• COST meetings to be organised before or after the
  other meeting
• Reimbursement is restricted to travel
  accommodation during COST meeting
• COST does not sponsor other meetings

23
Short Term Scientific Missions

• Aim
• promote exchange within an Actions scientific
  objectives.
• How
• by allowing a scientist (especially a junior
  researcher) to go to a laboratory in another
  signatory country to learn a new technique or to
  make measurements using instruments and/or
  methods not available in their own laboratory.
  Period minimum 5 working days and maximum 3
  months.
• Means
• Maximum contribution for a mission of 3 months
  is EURO 2,500

24
Publications

• Possibilities
• COST finances certain number of copies of book or
  special volume journal
• COST takes care of printing through OPOCE
• COST can print folders per COST Action on request

25
General support chair

• Maximum 2000 euro per year can be asked by the
  chair
• In principle for the website of the Action
• MC decision needed

26
Positive arguments for pay-as-you-go

• More money available for activities (up to 15
  can be spent on management by contract holder in
  grant system)
• More flexible in planning
• Less under spending (reallocation of money
  not-used)
• Cash is operated by professional service
  (accounting, auditing) secure for operation of
  the contract with the CEC

27
Positive arguments for Grant system

• More financial support for MC chair gt better
  status in institute
• More certainty about the available budget
• Delays in reimbursements could be further reduced

28
Grant system next year

• Web-based IT tool will be developed for actions
  activities (ready March 2007)
• Contracts for 2 years in stead of 1 year under
  discussion
• Training for contract holders will be organised
• Per domain switch to grant system in the same
  month

29
Budget 2007 for COST 869

• General rule fixed amount of 54.000 euro for
  each action 2000 per signatory country.
• Budget COST 869 54.000 21 x 2.000 96.000
• Asked from the first MC 869 activity plan for
  2007 (and possibly rough planning for following
  years) next MC meeting when and where

30
How to plan reimbursements

• Overall average cost per person per meeting is at
  the moment 800 euro
• Counting with real costs 150 euro per night
  400 travel (higher for remote places)

31
Discussion items MC 869

• Reimburse 1 MC member per country?
• Executive Committee for MC?
• WG-leaders?
• Committee/ coordinator for STSMs?
• Ask for general support for chair?
• Who is doing the website?
• Who will be the future contract holder?

32
COST Office

• Address Bouktje Stol
• 149 avenue Louise
• 1050 Brussels
• Belgium
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail office_at_cost.esf.org
• Website http//cost.cordis.lu