COST stands for European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technological Research and was established in 1971. It coordinates existing national or regional research programmes and projects on an international level. As such, it is not an international organisation offering funding, but an Agreement of Cooperation between participating countries. Currently 34 countries are COST-member states, 23 countries have the status of participants in COST, and Israel has a cooperating status. In addition, 6 non-governmental organisations take part. The COST-office at the International Science Foundation in Brussels coordinates its activities.

How to apply?

COST operates on the basis of the following principles:
• bottom-up: researchers from COST-member states and the European Commission  can propose new actions.
• à la carte: individuals and interested countries can join existing actions.
• autofinancing: the action’s research component must already be funded by other means.
• support: the COST-office coordinates the financial support from the EC and from the participating countries for a particular action.        
• management: every COST action is supervised by a Management Committee.
• complementary status: research as part of a COST action is complementary to the domains covered by the European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.

How much funding is involved?

New actions may be proposed twice per year.
Researchers participating in existing international COST actions can apply to the COST-office to have their travel and mobility expenses refunded.

For more information:

Nathalie Vandepitte
Research Coordination Office
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25
B–9000 Gent
phone +32 9 264 30 29 of +32 9 264 31 24
fax: +32 9 264 35 83
e-mail : EU-cel@UGent.be

www.cost.esf.org/index.php