COST Open Call Action 2025
Research
Funding organisation:
Europese Commissie
What?
European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is a European intergovernmental framework that provides funding for the coordination of European research networks, so called COST Actions.A COST Action is an interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a topic of their choice for 4 years. COST Actions are typically made up of researchers from academia, SMEs, public institutions and other relevant organisations or interested parties.
Open to all science and technology fields, including new and emerging fields; COST Actions offer an inclusive, pan-European environment for individuals of all levels of seniority to grow their professional research networks and boost their careers.
In today’s world it is essential for research to be interconnected, interdisciplinary, collaborative and data-intensive. By focusing on networking activities, COST Actions help to advance knowledge and strengthen the research and development sector, by creating networking opportunities for researchers to meet and discuss ideas, complex problems can be addressed in a targeted way, across a large geographical area.
COST does not fund research itself, but supports networking via different tools such as meetings, short-term scientific missions, training schools and dissemination activities as part of COST Actions.
The COST Association will organize an online COST info session on 18 February 2025 from 10h00-11h45. The aim of this event is to inform researchers and innovators about how to connect with COST Actions or submit a COST Action proposal, the role and impact of the COST programme, and the benefits of participating in COST for researchers’ careers, with a focus on young researchers.
More information on this event and agenda can be found here.
Who?
Who can apply?- Researchers and innovators from academia, public institutions, industry/SMEs, NGOs and European and International organisations.
- All scientific fields: from the most technical research topics to humanities or social sciences
Application?
Proposals should reflect the main characteristics of COST Actions, namely, providing for knowledge sharing, creation and application, being excellence-driven, open and output-oriented while aiming at strengthening the scientific and technological basis of the proposed topic(s).Proposals should also respond to the COST Excellence and Inclusiveness policy, which aims to provide collaboration opportunities to all researchers and innovators in countries that are COST Members, encourage participation among young talents and next generation leaders, in particular promoting working opportunities for young researchers and innovators, and ensure gender balance, paving the way towards breakthrough developments and innovations.
Proposals are evaluated against criteria of S&T excellence, networking excellence, impact and implementation.
Proposals must respect fundamental ethical principles as described in the Rules and Principles for COST activities. They must be written in English, and be anonymous; meaning there they cannot contain a reference to the proposers' and/or institutions' names.
Please note that for the 2025 Open Call a new version of the Technical Annex has been introduced. Be aware to use and upload the new and correct version of the Technical Annex when submitting your application.
A new and revised Guidelines for Proposers is also available. The changes in the Proposers’ Guidelines are the following:
- Change in the title of the Guidelines which is now COST Open Call Proposers’ Guidelines – level C (formerly COST Open Call Applicants’ Guidelines- SESA-level C).
- New annotated version of the Technical Annex.
- New scoring system of the remote individual evaluation.
- Introduction of a section on Generative Artificial Intelligence.
- Introduction of the notion of Acceptability of COST Action’s proposals.
More information?
Deadline
21.10.2025
Contact Hasselt University?
E-mail ilse.das@uhasselt.be
Tel. +3211268098