Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)

What is an STSM?

Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) are institutional exchange visits between researchers involved in a COST Action, allowing scientists to visit an institution or laboratory in another COST member state (IPC and NNC in future rounds).

The aim of STSMs is to foster collaboration and share new techniques that may not be available in a participant’s home institution or laboratory.

STSMs in FIRElinks

FIRElinks will provide STSM grants to support exchange knowledge within and between the different Working Groups. The STSM committee for the evaluation of the applications and final approval is constituted by:

STSM Coordinator: Anna Brook abrook@geo.haifa.ac.il

STSM committee member: Diana Vieira dianac.s.vieira@ua.pt

STSM committee member: Manuel Seeger seeger@uni-trier.de

STSM committee member: Kertesz Miklos kertesz.miklos@okologia.mta.hu

TYPES OF STSMs:

Type A: Dedicated to (a) Early Career Investigators (ECI = an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate full-time equivalent); and (b) people engaged in an official research program as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organization or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research.

Type B: Dedicated to group leaders, professors and experienced scientists. The institutions/ organizations where applicants pursue their main strand of research are considered as Home Institutions.

The Host Institution is the institution/ organization that will host the STSM grantee.

Contact

Dear all,
The Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) Committee of the COST Action CA18135 Fire in the Earth System: Science & Society (FireLinks) is pleased to announce the opening of the STSM call for application during year 1 (November 2019 – March 2020).
The application form is available for download.

All researchers from FireLinks member countries are strongly invited to submit an application to the call, according to the following scheme:

Type A application: Dedicated to (a) Early Career Investigators (ECI = an individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate full-time equivalent) ); and (b) people engaged in an official research program as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or employed by, or affiliated to, an institution, organisation or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with performing research.
Type B application: Dedicated to group leaders, professors, and experienced scientists.

Deadline for STSM application submission: 19/12/2019

 ****From April 2020, a new call for the year 2 will be open again! Don´t worry!

GOALS: building a network in order to initiate specific scientific projects in line with MoU objectives, exchanging expertise and transferring knowledge on Fire in the Earth System between participants.

OUTPUTS:

1) Paper in peer-reviewed journal
2) Learning/Teaching dedicated/unique methodology and/or adaptation to the local environment (e.g., model training, optimization or coefficients recalculations)
3)  Specific training (using dedicated equipment, visiting specific sites, etc.)
4) Data harmonization and sharing
5) Establishing/advancing protocols (lab/field)

An STSM Grant is a fixed financial contribution which takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the outcome of the evaluation of the STSM application. STSM Grants do not necessarily cover all expenses related to undertaking a given mission. A STSM Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the Grantee.

The calculation of the financial contribution for each STSM must respect the following criteria: Up to a maximum of EUR 160 per day can be afforded for accommodation and meal expenses. Up to a maximum of EUR 2 500 in total can be afforded to each successful applicant;

The appointed STSM Committee 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. For the period of the STSM neither the MC, nor the COST Association nor the Grant Holder may be considered as an employer. The grantees must make their own arrangements for all health, social, personal security, taxation and pension matters.

All applicants must carefully read the funding rules detailed in Section 7 of the COST Vademecum. This document is available at: http://www.cost.eu/Vademecum.

The applicants must register for an e-COST profile and submit an STSM application.

After submitting the application online, they must download it and send it as an e-mail attachment together with the necessary supporting documents (CV, work plan (up to 6 pages), list of publications, motivation letter, letter of support from the Home institution, letter of support of the Host institution to the STSM Committee member(s) connected to the applicant selected WG(s).

In the motivation letter, the applicant has to specify the WG(s) to which the Home and Host Institutions belong to. The following information has to be encoded in the on-line registration form:

  1. -the Action number
  2. -the title of the planned STSM
  3. -the start and end dates
  4. -the key academic details of applicant
  5. -the work plan, -the bank details of applicant
  6. -the host institution
  7. -requested grant (amount for travel and subsistence)

As approved by the MC, the evaluation of STSM applications and selection of Grantees is performed by the STSM Committee.

The selection of STSM applicants will be based on the scientific scope of the application and how it can support the COST Action in achieving its scientific objectives, and take into account the COST Policy and Rules with special attention on Inclusiveness and Excellence.

The selection of STSM grantees, including Home and Host Institutions as well as allocated grants, must be communicated to the entire Action MC in a subsequent Action MC meeting and included in the minutes of the Action MC meeting.

The STSM Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end date of the mission to submit (by e- mail) a scientific report to the appointed STSM Committee, and to a senior researcher affiliated to the Host Institution.

Payment of the Grant is subject to a STSM scientific report being approved on behalf of the Action’s MC by the STSM Committee and by a senior researcher affiliated to the Host Institution.

Written approval of the STSM scientific report by the aforementioned persons will be uploaded in eCOST for archiving purposes

 

We would like to ask the participants to  upload on our Web-page the following documents after completing the STSM  (separately to the COST documentation)

1) Full academic report including detailed discussion on successful and less-successful tasks
2) Short abstract (approx. 100-150 words)
3) Presentation

The selected candidates should be invited to the MC or WG meeting to present the outcomes and promote networking and further collaboration with FireLinks.

(This of course based on available budget and  WG leader and co-leader recommendation)

 

STSM Coordinator: Dr Anna Brook abrook@geo.haifa.ac.il

STSM committee member: Dr Diana Vieira dianac.s.vieira@ua.pt

STSM committee member: Dr Manuel Seeger seeger@uni-trier.de

STSM committee member: Dr Kertesz Miklos kertesz.miklos@okologia.mta.hu

Grant holder: Dr Jesús Rodrigo-Comino (jesus.rodrigo@uv.es).

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