European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST): Open Call for new COST Actions

Participants are invited to submit COST Action proposals contributing to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.

The Open Call Action proposal submission, evaluation, selection and approval (SESA) procedure is fully science and technology-driven and will ensure a simple, transparent and competitive proposal evaluation and selection process, reflecting the bottom-up, open and inclusive principles of COST.

Participants planning to submit a proposal for a COST Action will need to refer to the SESA guidelines and to the Open Call Announcement available on the Documents and Guidelines page.

All proposals are submitted via the dedicated online platform of the COST Association used for grant management, known as e-COST.

Funding networking activities

European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) creates open spaces where people and ideas can grow.

COST funds interdisciplinary research networks called COST Actions. These Actions bring together researchers, innovators and other professionals including industry specialists, who are based in Europe and beyond, to collaborate on research topics for a period of 4 years.

How to apply

Proposals for new COST Actions can be submitted to our annual Open Call via e-COST, our dedicated grant management tool. Once the deadline (collection date) has been reached, all applications are evaluated based on clear criteria.

COST Actions are bottom-up and can be on any topic, however they must fulfill certain criteria in order to be approved, such as including researchers from at least seven COST Member countries, half of whom come from our Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC). 

Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, the decision for funding a proposal is taken by the COST Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) within eight months from the collection date. Successful proposals are approved to become COST Actions and can expect to kick-off within three months after approval.

The budget

The funding a COST Action receives covers the expenses of networking activities rather than research. As such is used to organise and fund events, Short-term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, communication activities, and virtual networking tools.  

An estimated €125,000 is made available for a COST Action in its first year and an average of €150,000 per year for the other 3 years.