COST - Excellence and Inclusiveness PolicyEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology

Ralf KönigAustrian Research Promotion Agency

”Enhancing transnational R&I co-operation in the Danube Region”- Priority setting for activities and upcoming calls 2016/2017 -

Joint workshop:Danube-INCO.NET

EUSDR Priority Area 07 “Knowledge Society”PA07 WG 3: DRRIF and Coordination of National Funds within the Danube Region

18 September 2015, Vienna, Austria

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Mission:Enable breakthrough scientific and technological developments through bottom-up trans-European networking

A new legal entity, the COST Association, integrating COST governance, management and implementation functions

Intergovernmental Pan-European Framework - 36 COST Member Countries

COST Excellence & Inclusiveness Policy Focus on countries that can benefit from more visibility, gender - balance, young talents

and next generation leaders

EUR 300 million budget (constant prices) for 7 years drawn from two Horizon 2020 work programmes: Societal Challenge 6 “Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective

Societies” “Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation”

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

COST Actions feature three key principles: Openness, Excellence and Inclusiveness,

achieved by fostering new ideas, sharing knowledge and an output orientation.

Openness All fields of S&T (including interdisciplinary, new and emergent fields) All partners (public and private, big and small) All countries (COST Member Countries, Near Neighbour Countries and

International Partner Countries)

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Open Call - Two Collection Dates per year (Spring and Autumn)

New Submission, Evaluation, Selection and Approval (SESA) Rules and Procedure SUBMISSION: by a Main Proposer on behalf of a network of proposers

(minimum five countries) EVALUATION: Remote Evaluation by independent External Experts and Revision

by ad-hoc Review Panels SELECTION: COST Scientific Committee (SC) APPROVAL: Committee of Senior Officials (CSO)

Participate: www.cost.eu/participate/open_call

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

COST 36 Member CountriesAustria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

COST Cooperating StateIsrael

COST Near Neighbour CountriesAlbania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine

COST International Partner CountriesArgentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and Uruguay

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy… is tailored to bring out excellence in science Europe-wide and clear away obstacles by creating cooperation opportunities for researchers, engineers and scholars from all COST Member Countries

FeaturesThrough bottom-up, open and excellence-driven COST Actions and activities, the policy nurtures talent and creativity. It is developed around three main elements : geographical spread career stage: involving early career investigators gender balance

Geographical spreadIncludes less research-intensive COST Member Countries which are entitled COST Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs):Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary,Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania,Slovenia, Slovakia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy

Objectives Identifying excellence in science and technology across Europe Increasing research communities' access to funding and infrastructures Triggering structural changes in COST Member Countries' national research systems

To reach these objectives, COST Action activities will focus on: Leadership

encouraging researchers and institutions in ITCs to set up and lead COST Actions, as well as manage COST Action grants

Increasing researchers' visibility and connection, no matter their location, age or gender, to leading European science hubs

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy

COST responses to two major challenges of Horizon 2020: Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective societies Spreading excellence and widening participation

COST is referred to as a key contributor to the above Programmes’ strategic objectives, given its support particularly towards pan-European cooperation in science and technology

By fully developing and implementing its Inclusiveness Policy, COST aims to increase ITCs researchers’ participation in COST Actions and activities, in relation to the European Commission’s approach to widening participation

50% of the COST budget will be dedicated to activities fulfilling the objectives above, with a focus on engaging researchers in Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs)

.

COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy

Objectives that COST has set forth in order to help tackle these challenges are: Joining research efforts and developing common S&T programmes by coordinating

nationally funded research activities led by pan-European, high quality, collaborative S&T networks;

Building capacity by providing networking and leadership opportunities for emerging talents and thereby strengthening and building up excellent S&T communities;

Addressing societal questions by promoting trans-disciplinary, new approaches and topics and identifying early warnings of unforeseen societal problems aiming at contributing to Societal Challenges;

Strengthening the COST Inclusiveness Policy by fostering better access and integration for researchers from less research-intensive countries into the knowledge hubs of the European Research Area aiming at contributing to the Widening Pillar of Horizon 2020.

Contact

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Ralf König

FFG - Austrian Research and Promotion AgencyDivision European and International ProgrammesSensengasse 1A-1090 Vienna, Austria

Phone:+43 (0)57755 - 4601ralf.koenig@ffg.at