The COST Action PERIAMAR aims to design an environmental risk assessment (ERA) procedure to avoid unacceptable impacts of pesticides to amphibians and reptiles. With this purpose, PERIAMAR has established a multidisciplinary network of scientists from research institutions, regulatory agencies, chemical industry, environment-focused NGOs, and research private business that will analyse the available information and design an ERA protocol for possible implementation in the future. In addition, PERIAMAR will contribute, through its networking tools, to create a critical mass capable to address knowledge gaps requiring further research on the long term, in order to maintain an ERA scheme safe enough to amphibians and reptiles.

Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) are exchange visits aimed at supporting individual mobility, strengthening existing networks, and fostering collaboration between COST Action participants. An STSM should specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action, whilst at the same time allowing those partaking in the missions to learn new techniques, gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions/ organizations.

Eligibility rules

STSM applicants must be engaged in an official research programme as a student or postdoctoral fellow or can be employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organisation or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research. The institution / organisation or legal entity where applicants pursue their main strand of research are considered as Home Institutions.

The Host Institution is the institution / organisation that will host the successful applicant

The following table shows the scenarios available to eligible STSM applicants:

*The updated list of participating countries, approved NNC/IPC institutions and organisations is available at https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18221/parties

Interested applicants or hosts not matching these eligibility criteria are encouraged to contact the Action Chair (Manuel Ortiz, manuele.ortiz@uclm.es).

Specifications relative to the STSM of the present call

STSM will have a minimum duration of 5 days and must be finished, and their corresponding reports submitted by October 18^th 2021.

STSM grants are fixed financial contributions to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the grantee. The calculation of the financial contribution for each STSM will be based on the following criteria:

• • Up to a maximum of EUR 3 500 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant.

  • Up to a maximum of EUR 160 per day can be afforded for accommodation and meal expenses.

The Action Chair and / or the appointed STSM Coordinator should consider and can approve differentiated country rates to cover accommodation and meal expenses based on the perceived cost of living in the host country.

Applications under this Call are encouraged to relate to one of the scientific priorities. STSM related to other topics can also be granted as long as are in agreement with PERIAMAR objectives.

An indication of possible hosts for the STSM of the present call is also given here. Applicants can also look for alternative hosts if these are suitable to carry out the proposed work plan.

Application process

All STSM applicants are kindly requested to follow the steps below in order to complete their applications:

1. Carefully read the STSM rules in section 8 of COST Action Vademecum and confirm eligibility of both the applicant and the STSM host institution.

2. Applicants must have a valid e-cost profile with their updated information. If the applicant does not have an e-cost profile, a new account should be created here.

3. Create an STSM application by logging into e-cost profile and clicking on the STSM application tab (https://e-services.cost.eu/stsm), and provide the requested information about the applicant, home and host institutions, STSM details, bank details and financial support. Detailed instructions on how to create an STSM application are available here, and more information on how to create and complete an STSM application can be found in the STSM guide.

4. Complete the application by uploading the following documents:

• CV, including a list of academic publications (no specific format required).

• Letter of support from the applicant’s Home institution, which can be prepared using the template available here.

• Written agreement from the STSM Host institution that the applicant can perform the activities detailed in the STSM work plan on the agreed dates, according to the template available here.

5. The application submission is completed if its status in the list of STSM applications appears as “submitted”. Upon termination of the application, applicants are recommended to contact the Action Chair (Manuel Ortiz, manuele.ortiz@uclm.es) and the STSM Coordinator (Dan Cogalniceanu, dcogalniceanu@univ-ovidius.ro) to inform them that an STSM application has been submitted.

DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS:

• For STSM to be initiated before June 15^th 2021: May 15^th 2021

• For STSM to be initiated after June 15^th 2021: June 6^th 2021

Evaluation process and criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a panel chaired by the STSM Coordinator following a two-step process:

Step 1. Applications will be evaluated for their eligibility according to COST rules for STSM, as described in section 8.1 of the COST Vademecum.

Step 2. Eligible applications will be evaluated according to the following four criteria:

• 1. Adherence to COST mission and policies:

     1. • Geographical diversity. Notably, STSM to and/or from COST Inclusiveness Target Countries.

        • Gender balance.

        • Participation of Early Career Investigators (ECI, those within the first eight years following their PhD). In this context, participation of Graduate Students will be given equal importance as that of ECI.

  2. Pertinence, quality and viability of the proposed research work, and expected output in relation to the selected scientific priority.

  3. Suitability of the applicant: relevance and quality of research track record in relation to career stage.

  4. Suitability of the host: expertise and experience in the relevant research area, and technical and human resources available to support STSM success.

A maximum of five points will be awarded to each of the four criteria above. A minimum threshold of three points needs to be achieved for criteria 2, 3 and 4.

A final ranked list of the applications will be drawn up and agreed by the evaluation panel and submitted to the STSM Coordinator with a recommendation for approving the STSM to the highest ranked application(s).

Obligations of STMS grantees

STSM grantees must incorporate to the Host institution on the date established in the selected application.

Within a maximum of 30 days of finalization of the STSM period or by October 18th 2021, whatever comes first, grantees must access their STSM application in e-cost and submit:

• A final report of the activities conducted during the STSM, which must be prepared using the template available at http://www.cost.eu/STSM_report_template.

• A Host approval of the final report, which can be a PDF printout of an email from the responsible person of the STSM at the Host institution, or can be prepared using the template available here.

Considerations relative to Covid-19 situation

The current circumstances generated by the Covid-19 lead us to take some specific measures in order to minimize problems that STSM holders can face because of the need of travelling and staying abroad.

PERIAMAR has established a series of measures to facilitate the development of STSM under the current situation, which include:

• Possibility of last-minute cancellation of the STSM before the recorded start date.

• Possibility of last-minute modification of the dates, including total duration and time-associated grant, at any time before the recorded start date an upon agreement with the host. This modification cannot preclude, however, from meeting the general conditions about timeline for STSM established in the present call.

• Possibility of last-minute modification of the STSM host if there is an evident restriction to travel to the initially proposed country and an alternative, suitable host exists. This modification cannot preclude, however, from meeting the eligibility conditions described above.

• Possibility of extension of the STSM duration if evident restrictions to return to the home country exist. This extension cannot suppose, in any case, the finalization of the STSM after the end of the current Grant Period.

• In general, any justified measure destinated to minimize the inconvenience caused to STSM holders by the Covid-19 will be considered as long as it matches COST principles, rules and guidelines.

STSM applicants are encouraged to get information about the travel restrictions and quarantines imposed by the destination country. COST actions cannot cover expenses associated with the protocols that, in order to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, may be imposed to travellers by the authorities from different countries.

Expenses associated with travel cancellation or change will be covered by COST only if a force majeure situation is identified. In general, force majeure is considered only for adequately justified illness or when a legally-imposed impediment prevents the travel to happen as planned. For this reason, STSM holders are encouraged to wait as long as possible to buy their tickets, and to buy refundable tickets.