Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)

Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) within the Citizen Science Cost Action - Usual Procedure

The COST Action CA 15212 Citizen Science to promote creativity, scientific literacy, and innovation throughout Europe invites Action members’ applications for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) in order to network and develop scientific collaborations between institutions involved in the Action.

Duration

From 5 to 60 days.

STSM – Eligibility

STSMs are especially intended for a postgraduate student or postdoctoral fellow or a staff member in an institution, organization or legal entity which participates in this Action and has within its remit a clear association with performing research. Early Career Investigators, that is, researchers whose career spun less than 8 years between the date of the PhD/doctorate (or similar experience) and the date of involvement in this Action will be prioritized.

Evaluation and Selection of Applicants

• Objective: Strengthening the existing networks by allowing researchers to go to an institution in another COST Country to foster collaboration (e.g., to draft proposals, undertake research, etc.). Selected applicants should be targeting Action deliverables as much as possible, e.g. literature reviews or some specific tasks, as stated in the Memorandum of Understanding
• Selection procedure: Detailed guidelines for applicants How to apply for a STSM.pdf

Rules

A STSM may only be approved:

• from a Home Institution in a COST participating country to a Host Institution in another COST participating country or to a formally approved Host Institution in a non-COST country;
• from a formally approved Home Institution in a Near Neighbour Country to a Host Institution in a COST participating country.

Application procedure

The Applicant should:

1. obtain the agreement of the host institution, before submitting his/her application;
2. use the on-line registration tool to register his/her request for an STSM;
3. after registration, download the formal STSM application and complete it with supporting documentation (CV, full work plan, list of publications, motivation letter, letter of support from the home institute etc.);
4. send the application by e-mail as attachment to:
   1. the future Host institution of the STSM,
   2. the Action STSM Coordinator: %20maria [dot] attard [at] um [dot] edu [dot] mt (Prof. Maria Attard),
   3. the Action Chair: Katrin [dot] Vohland [at] mfn-berlin [dot] de (Dr. Katrin Vohland) and Vice Chair: a [dot] m [dot] land [at] biology [dot] leidenuniv [dot] nl (Dr. Anne Land).
5. Submit the Application.

After completion of the STSM

Successful applicants will need to submit a scientific report to the Host Institution and to the STSM Chair and Coordinator within 30 days from the end date of the STSM, and they will be responsible for acquiring from a senior researcher affiliated to the Host Institution confirmation of formal acceptance of the scientific report. The scientific report will also require the approval of the Action Chair or STSM coordinator in order to effect the payment of the Grant. Successful applicants will be asked to submit a brief of the STSM outputs for the Action’s website describing in summary the scientific report which will also be made available online, and be prepared to participate in the Action’s events with a poster about their STSM when applicable or when requested by the Chair or STSM coordinator.

The report should include the following information:

• Purpose of the STSM
• Description of the work carried out during the STSM
• Description of the main results obtained
• Future collaboration with the host institution (if applicable)
• Foreseen publications/articles resulting from the STSM (if applicable)

Other details to be included in the report are in the document STSMs: Guidelines for Applicants.