Other things to know about COST
COST Action Grant Agreement (ACA)
The agreement signed between the COST Association and the Grant Holder that governs the administrative and financial implementation of the COST Action.
COST Cooperating Member
Any Non-European State fulfilling the conditions stated under article 7 of the Statutes of the COST Association admitted to the COST Association as a COST Cooperating Member.
COST Full Member
Any European State as depicted under article 6 of the Statutes of the COST Association having joined the COST Association by approval of the COST Association Statutes.
COST Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC)
The COST Full or Cooperating Members that fulfil the Horizon 2020 widening eligibility conditions being either an EU Member State or an Associated Country to the EU Framework Programme.
COST Near Neighbour Countries (NNC)
Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Russia, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine.
And some additional roles within COST:
Early Career Investigator (ECI)
A researcher in the time span of up to 8 years after the date of obtaining the PhD/doctorate (full-time equivalent).
Grant Holder
The legal entity responsible for the administrative and financial implementation of the COST Action. The Grant Holder is represented by four key positions:
- Scientific Representative: is the Action MC member affiliated to the Grant Holder institution.
- Legal Representative: is the person from the Grant Holder institution who bears the legal authority to sign the COST Action Grant Agreement (e.g. the Rector of a University).
- Financial Representative: is the person from the Grant Holder institution who has the legal authority to financially commit the institution in question and to validate the expenses listed in financial reports.
- Grant Manager: is the person working or affiliated to the Grant Holder institution who is responsible for overseeing the administrative management of the COST Action and is the primary user of the e-COST Action management tool.
Short term scientific mission coordinator / committee (STSM)
The STSM Committee is responsible for defining transparent criteria of evaluation of STSM applications in line with COST rules (and in collaboration with the Action MC), the evaluation of STSM applications, the selection of the successful candidates and the approval of the scientific report submitted by the STSM grantee. The evaluation criteria must consider COST Policy and Rules with respect to promoting gender balance, enabling Early Career Investigators (ECI) and broadening geographical inclusiveness (see Section 5). The selection of STSM grantees made by the STSM Committee must be communicated to the Action MC in a subsequent Action MC meeting. The STSM grantees, the grants and the home and host institutions should be recorded in the minutes of that Action MC meeting.
Action Participant
Any person being an Action MC member, an Action MC substitute, an Action MC Observer, a Working Group member or an Ad hoc Participant.
Observers (Action MC Observers)
Action Participants originating from COST Partner Members, Non- COST Countries or Specific Organisations present at the Action MC.