What is COST?
COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology, allowing the coordination of nationally-funded research on a European level. COST contributes to reducing the fragmentation in European research investments and opening the European Research Area to cooperation worldwide.
The goal of COST is to ensure that Europe holds a strong position in the field of scientific and technical research for peaceful purposes, by increasing European cooperation and interaction in this field. This research initiative makes it possible for the various national facilities, institutes, universities and private industry to work jointly on a wide range of Research and Development (R&D) activities.
COST’s objective is to add value to research investment by coordinating, integrating and synthesising results from ongoing nationally-funded research within and between COST member countries. COST stimulates European research by bringing researchers together in Actions (networks) to exchange knowledge, synergise working groups, conduct comparative studies and jointly synthesise findings. Actions are proposed by active scientists (rather than being designed in a “topdown” manner), and, by involving both young and more experienced scientists, COST helps to create international networks for the future.
COST has a number of different domains covering a range of disciplines. COST IS0801 was in the Individuals, Societies, Cultures and Health (ISCH) domain.
What is funded?
COST does not fund the research itself. COST Actions normally have duration of 4 years, and fund:
Science management meetings
Scientific workshops and seminars
Short Term Scientific Missions
Training Schools
Dissemination
COST is supported by the EU Framework Programme, and its scientific secretariat is provided by the European Science Foundation (EFS), through the COST office based in Brussels:
COST Office
149 Avenue Louise
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 533 38 33