Call for STSM Applications EU COST Action IS 1310: Reassembling the Republic of Letters, 1500-1800.
Call Number 6 for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) Applications
6th Call for STSM Applications for missions occurring between October 1st, 2017 and March 31st, 2018. All STSM activities must occur in their entirety within these dates.
Purpose of a STSM
STSM facilitates researchers from COST Countries participating in COST Action IS1310 to go to an institution or research centre in another participating COST Country to foster collaboration and to perform empirical research. Participation of “Early Stage Researchers” (ESR) in STSM is particularly encouraged. An applicant is considered as an “Early Stage Researcher” when the time that has elapsed between the date of the applicants PhD and the date of the applicant‘s first involvement in the COST Action IS1310 does not exceed 8 years. PhD students are also eligible to partake in STSMs. – The Action is also committed to the overall COST goals of gender balance and encourages applications from COST inclusiveness countries.
Specific information concerning STSM
An STSM can last between 5 days and 90 days (and up to 180 days if the applicant is an ESR – see definition of ESR above). The financial support provided is a contribution to the overall expenses incurred during the STSM and may not necessarily cover all of the associated outgoings. The following funding conditions apply and must be respected:
- Travel expenses cannot exceed EUR 500;
- For subsistence (accommodation and meals), the maximum allocation is EUR 160 per day;
- The maximum award per grantee is EUR 2500; aside from STSMs that last longer than 90 days; in this case a maximum of EUR 3500 can be granted;
- STSM activities must occur in their entirety within the dates specified in this call.
Financial support is limited to travel and subsistence expenses and is paid as a grant. For this call, the Management Committee of COST Action IS1310 has allocated a total budget of €15500, which can fund c. 6-8 STSMs. Although applicants are invited to request a specified amount and to justify their expenses, the amounts granted for each individual STSM will be determined during the evaluation process by the selection panel. The selection of applicants is based on the scientific scope of the STSM application, which must clearly meet the overall objectives of the Action. Most successful applications will engage directly with some aspect of the tasks and problems outlined in the agendas of the six Working Groups central to Action IS 1310, and should represent a meaningful contribution to the Action.
These agendas are summarized in a separate document available from the STSM Coordinator, and are outlined on the Action website at http://www.republicofletters.net/?page_id=16. Applicants are requested to identify the precise, numbered agenda item(s) to which their proposal is aimed at, and to discuss them before the applications with the respective Working Group Leader, copying Chair and Vice-Chair of the Action in to this correspondence. In addition, the selection of this final set of STSMs will be informed by the need to fill gaps in the Action volume (available on the Slack Forum to Action members).
How to apply for an STSM:
Interested Researchers are advised to follow the directions provided below and submit their application and supporting documents to the STSM Coordinator Vanda Anastácio vandaanastacio@mail.telepac.pt by the deadline of the 31/08/2017. No extensions will be granted.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS AS FOLLOWS:
- All applicants must carefully read the funding rules detailed in section 6 of the COST Vademecum: COST Action -‐ Short Term Scientific Mission (pages 35-36). This document is available at: http://www.cost.eu/Vademecum .
- All applicants must register for an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu/ -‐ adding their bank account details to their profile.
- All applicants must obtain a letter of invitation from the host, AND a letter of support from their home institution confirming that they can undertake the STSM on the given dates prior to submitting an application.
- All applicants must complete, submit and download their STSM application online at: https://e- services.cost.eu/stsm.
- All applicants must send their submitted STSM application form and the relevant supporting documents to Vanda Anastácio vandaanastacio@mail.telepac.pt for evaluation before the application submission deadline expires.
The list of supporting documents to be submitted for the evaluation are:
- Letter of invitation to the applicant from a senior researcher affiliated to the Host institution
- The submitted STSM application form (downloadable when the online application is submitted – see point 4 above)
- A motivation letter including an overview of the proposed activities that will be performed which must contain a plan of work for the visit highlighting the proposed contribution to the scientific objectives of the respective COST Action (usually 2-4 pages)
- A letter of support from the Home Institution;
- A Full C.V. (including a list of academic publications – if applicable).
- The application will then be assessed by the Core Group of the Action IS1310 in terms of the contribution which it proposes make to the objectives outlined in the Action’s Memorandum of Understanding (downloadable at http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/isch/Actions/IS1310 ) and the six Working Group agendas (at http://www.republicofletters.net/?page_id=16 ).
- The applicant will be formally notified of the outcome of their STSM application by the STSM Coordinator, Prof. Vanda Anastácio soon after the 15/09/2017.
- Within 30 days from the end date of the STSM, the successful applicant must submit a scientific report to the Host institution and to the STSM Coordinator; the report has to be uploaded on the Action’s private forum and ideally on the frontend, too (the STSM abstract will be published on the website in any case). The applicant is also responsible for acquiring an official acceptance letter / E-mail confirmation of acceptance from a senior Researcher affiliated to the Host institution formally accepting the scientific report. This formal acceptance of the scientific report has to be sent to the Grant Holder and the STSM Coordinator for archiving purposes. Failure to submit the scientific report within 30 days from the end date of the STSM will effectively cancel the grant. (Please note that COST can request additional information to substantiate the information contained within the documents submitted by STSM applicants).
Deadline for applications to be submitted: 31/08/2017.
Notification of application outcome: soon after 15/09/2017
Period of STSMs: between 01/10/2017 and 31/03/2018.