Short-Term Scientific Missions

General information

1. The aim of a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) is to contribute to the realization of the scientific objectives of a COST Action.
   
   
2. These Missions shall strengthen the existing networks by allowing (in principle, young) scientists to go to a laboratory in another COST country to learn a new technique or to make measurements using instruments and/or methods not available in their own laboratory.
   
   
3. The applicant must be employed in a laboratory of a COST Member State having signed the MoU of the Action concerned. This laboratory should be actively participating in the COST Action.
   
   
4. Undergraduates may not be considered.
   
   
5. The applicant must travel to another COST Member State where he or she is not normally resident.
   
   
6. The host institution can be public or private, but must be in a COST Member Country having signed the MoU and must be participating in the COST Action.
   
   
7. The financial contribution of the European Commission will not exceed 11'500 Euro per Action and per year. The amount is intended to cover the administrative costs of the Administering Institute (1000 Euro) and 7 missions at least.
   
   
8. It is hoped that as many different scientists as possible will be able to take advantage of the support available and the 7 missions should be viewed as an absolute minimum. The average contribution for a mission will normally therefore be less than 1500 Euro and it may be reasonable to view this amount as a normal ceiling with any exception needing special justification. The support may be viewed as a contribution to the costs of a mission and not necessarily as covering all the costs in each case.
   
   
9. The Management Committee (MC) is responsible for recommending to the Commission the Institute to be charged with the administration of the missions. Thereafter the Administering Institute is responsible to the Commission for all financial aspects.
   
   
10. The MC is also responsible for selecting the candidates to receive support, based on the applications received. If appropriate, the MC may set up an ad-hoc group of 3 to 5 members, to take charge of the selection and which will be competent for all matters relevant to STSMs (STSM Committee).

STSM Committee

During its first meeting (Brussels, September 1998), the Management Committee of COST Action 837 has decided to establish a STSM Committee, composed of a Chairperson (in the Administering Institute) and one representative appointed by each Working Group.

Chairperson	Dr. Jos A. C. Verkleij Vrije Universiteit Department of Ecology and Ecotoxicology of Plants De Boelelaan 1087 NL-1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel +31-20 444 70 54 Fax +31-20 444 71 23 Email verkleij@bio.vu.nl
WG1	Ass. Prof. Dr. Paula Maria Castro Universidade Catolica Portuguesa Escola Superior de Biotecnologia Rua Dr. Antonio Bernardino de Almeida P-4200 072 Porto Portugal Tel +351-22 558 00 59 Fax +351-22 509 03 51 Email plc@esb.ucp.pt
WG2	Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Greger Stockholm University Department of Botany S-106 91 Stockholm Sweden Tel +46-8 161 210 Fax +46-8-165 525 Email gregerm@botan.su.se
WG3	Prof. Dr. Enrico Martinoia University of Neuchatel Institut de Botanique Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale Rue Emile Argand 13 CH-2007 Neuchatel Switzerland Tel +41-32 718 22 92 Fax +41-32 718 22 71 Email enrico.martinoia@bota.unine.ch
WG4	Dr. Daniël van der Lelie Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO) Boeretang 200 B-2400 Mol Belgium Tel +32-14 335 166 Fax +32-14 580 523 Email niels.vanderlelie@vito.be

The Applicant

Procedure for application and evaluation

• Per year, 3 fixed deadlines for application: 1st of May, 1st of September, and 1st of January. STSM can be carried out 3 months after the application deadline.
  
  
• Researchers seeking support should submit to the Chairperson of STSM Committee a completed Application form and workplan accompanied by a completed Acceptance form from the Host Institution, a Curriculum vitae and, if available, a list of publications.
  
  
• The Chairperson will then send copies of the applications to all members of STSM Committee for evaluation.
  Each member of the STSM Committee will individually evaluate each application using the ad-hoc COST evaluation form and return the completed form to the Chairperson within 6 weeks.
  
  
• If the result of the evaluation is negative, the Chairperson of the STSM Committee will then notify the decision directly to the unsuccessful applicant.
  

• Based on the individual comments of the members of the STSM Committee, its Chairperson will communicate by email any positive outcome to the Management Committee members. Within 2 weeks, MC members should accept or reject the applications positively evaluated by the STSM Committee (no reply means positive opinion). The Chairperson of the STSM Committee will then notify the outcome to the applicants within 1 week.
  

• In case the opinions of the members of the evaluation committee are poles apart (2 against 3), the applicant will be asked to modify the proposal based on the comments provided by the committee. The revised proposal will be reconsidered for funding.
  
  
• In any case, the Chairperson will present the results of the evaluations at the next MC meeting. The procedure and results of the consultation will be detailed in the minutes of this meeting. The Chairperson will inform its Administration as well as the Commission COST Secretariat on the approved list of researchers.