International Network of Plant Abiotic Stress

(COST Vademecum is available at: http://www.cost.esf.org/participate/guidelines) 

1.      Aim

To contribute to scientific objective of the COST action

2.      Who can apply

STSMs are particularly designed (but not limited) to young scientists (Post graduate students or post doctoral fellows).

The Applicant should normally be engaged in a programme of research as a post graduate student or postdoctoral fellow or be employed in an institution of a COST Country having accepted the MoU of the Action. This institution should be actively participating in the COST Action.

3.      Home and Host Institution

• The home and the host institution can be public or private, and should be in a COST Country having accepted the MoU and participating in the COST Action.
• A STSM may be approved from a home institution in a COST participating country to a host Institution in a non-COST country which is part of the Action but not the other way round.
• In exceptional cases, the COST Office reserves the right to analyse the possibility of reimbursement of any person designated by itself or by the Management Committee (MC) of an Action or by a Domain Committee (DC) to further the interests and aims of COST.
• Short-Term Scientific Missions between different Actions may be considered by the Management Committees of both Actions.
• The Applicant is responsible for obtaining the agreement of the host institution, before submitting his application.

4. Duration:

In exceptional cases the period can be extended to 6 months (for early stage researchers).

5. Financial support:

The grant obtained by the COST office should normally cover only travel and subsistence.

The total amount requested for a STSM shall normally not exceed 2500€ (€3.500 for early stage researchers for periods > 3 months).

6. How to apply

The Applicant must use the online registration tool: http://www.cost.esf.org/stsm.

The following information has to be encoded with the registration:

• Applicant's title, name, work place, postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address;
• name, postal address, telephone, fax and email of the prospective host at the receiving institute;
• the planned dates and length of stay;
• the title of the planned STSM;
• a short description of the proposed work plan (about 250 words);
• a short curriculum vitae;
• a budget request with breakdown for the costs of the STSM;
• bank details.

After completing the online procedure the system will generate a formal STSM application that will be automatically sent to the COST office and to the STSM coordinator.

The applicant must send the following documents to the the STSM coordinator (Dr. Rina Iannacone; riannacone@agrobios.it)

• STSM application (downloaded after on-line application)
• CV, list of publications
• Objective of the mission, detailed work plan, time schedule;
• Letter of support from home Institute
• Acceptance letter from the Host Institute.

Documents to be sent to the future Host of the STSM:

• STSM application (downloaded after on-line application)
• CV, list of publications
• Objective of the mission, detailed work plan, time schedule;
• Letter of support from home Institute

The deadline for application is 45 days before the proposed start date of the mission

The STSM proposal will be evaluated by at least two components of the evaluation committee (action chair, vice chair, WP leaders and STSM coordinator) and decision will be communicated to the COST office.

The COST office will send to the Applicant an acceptance letter.

After the STSM

After completion of the STSM the grantee has to submit a short scientific report within 4 weeks to the Host and to the STSM coordinator.

It should contain the following information:

• Purpose of the visit;
  

• Description of the work carried out during the visit;
• Description of the main results obtained;  
• Future collaboration with host institution (if applicable);
• Projected publications/articles resulting or to result from the STSM (if applicable); 
• Other comments (if any).

Furthermore the grantee must send to the STSM coordinator:

• Confirmation by the host institute of the successful execution of the mission;
• A short description of the STSM experience (together with nice photographs) illustrating relevant goals achieved, for dissemination purposes. This report will be inserted on the COST action Web site (http://cost-inpas.org).