What is an ITC Conference Grant?

ITC Conference Grants are aimed at supporting PhD students and ECIs (Early Career Investigators) researchers from participating ITCs (Inclusive Target Countries) to attend international science and technology related conferences that are not specifically organised by the COST Action.

ITC Conference Grants are designed to reimburse costs of conferences attended by eligible Action participants.

Eligibility Rules

Applicants must be NEWFOCUS COST Action members.

Only PhD students or ECIs (Early Career Investigators: individuals who are within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate [full time equivalent]) with a primary affiliation in an institution located in a NEWFOCUS COST Action CA19111 participating ITC are eligible.

Here is the list of ITCs (Inclusiveness Target Countries) participating in the NEWFOCUS COST Action CA19111: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The applicant must make an oral/poster presentation at the conference in question and must be listed in the official event/conference programme.

The main subject of the oral presentation / poster presentation / speech at the approved conference must be on a topic relevant to NEWFOCUS COST Action CA19111 and shall acknowledge COST.

NEWFOCUS COST Action CA19111 should be acknowledged both in the book of abstracts and in the oral presentation /poster presentation / speech following COST guidelines.

Here is an example of acknowledgement: This work is based upon work from COST Action CA19111 “European Network on Future Generation Optical Wireless Communication Technologies (NEWFOCUS)”, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
Find COST Guidelines on Acknowledgement here.

The participation of each applicant shall be pre-approved by the Action MC.

Financial Support

A Conference Grant is a fixed financial contribution which takes into consideration the budget request of the applicant and the outcome of the evaluation of the application by the delegated person(s).

Conference Grants do not necessarily cover all the expenses related to participating in a given conference.
A Conference Grant is a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the selected Grantee.

The calculation of the financial contribution for each Conference Grant shall respect the following criteria:

  • Up to a maximum of EUR 2 500 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.

  • Up to a maximum of EUR 500 can be claimed for the conference fees to be incurred by the selected Grantee.
    Virtual conference fees can be considered eligible provided all other eligibility conditions are fulfilled.

In addition, when meal and accommodation expenses are supported by the hosting institution as part of the provisions offered in their conference package, the amount for subsistence afforded to each eligible participant shall be deducted from the Grant.

Documentary evidence of the conference fee amount shall be provided by the applicant and shall be archived by the Grant Holder along with the relevant administrative documents.

ITC Conference Grant Procedure

1. Application Submission

● Obtain your acceptance letter from the conference organisers (confirming either your speaking slot or your poster presentation).

● Complete the online ITC Conference Grant application form at https://e-services.cost.eu/conferencegrant including:

  •           ○ Conference Grant details, applicant’s details and bank details, financial support

          ○ Supporting documents: CV, short description of your involvement in NEWFOCUS COST Action, acceptance letter from the conference organisers, copy of the abstract or poster submitted to the conference.

 

2. Evaluation and Selection

The ITC Conference Grant evaluation and selection procedure for NEWFOCUS COST Action will soon be communicated.
The evaluation committee and the evaluation criteria are currently being defined by the Action MC and will soon be communicated to all potential applicants.

 

3. After the conference attendance

● Following the conference attendance, a scientific report must be submitted to the ITC Conference Grants Coordinator and the Grant Holder within 30 calendar days from the end date of the conference. The report should contain the followings:

  •           ○ Conference title
  •           ○ Conference start and end date
  •           ○ Conference attendance start and end date
  •           ○ Activities during your attendance at this conference
  •           ○ Impact on your research and future collaborations
  •  

● The template for the scientific report is available here: ITC-CG-scientific-report-template

● Failure to submit the scientific report within 30 days will result in the withdrawal of the awarded grant.

● The ITC Conference Grants Coordinator is responsible for the final approval of the Scientific Report.

● Following submission of the approval of the Scientific Report by the ITC Conference Grants Coordinator, the Grant Holder will initiate the payment of the grant.

ITC Grant Conference Contact

STSM & ITC Conference Grants Coordinator: Dr Marija Furdek

Grant Holder Manager: Mr Davide Cavalieri