ITC Conference Grants for Early Career Investigators

ITC Conference Grants are aimed at supporting Early Career Investigators (ECIs)  (up to 40 years of age) from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs) to attend international science and technology related conferences on the topic of the Action that are not organised by the COST Action.

1. ITC CONFERENCE GRANTS – ELIGIBILITY

The following eligibility criteria apply:

1.   Conference Grants are exclusively reserved for PhD students and ECI’s with a primary affiliation in an institution located in an ITC.

2.   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 the topic of the Action and must acknowledge COST (see Section 10).

3.   The participation of each applicant must be pre-approved by the Action MC. Attendance at European conferences is preferred. However, conferences held elsewhere can also be considered.

Eligible applicants must submit their ITC Conference Grant applications online at the following web address: https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants/add?type=ITCG

2. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

The evaluation of each received Conference Grant application is performed by the Action’s MC. The Action Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution) or an appointed Coordinator / Committee can assume this responsibility if the Action’s MC gives them the mandate to perform this task on their behalf. The evaluation criteria  defined by the Action’s MC should be communicated to all potential applicants. The selection of successful applicants must be done so in consideration of the scientific scope of the proposed participation and how it will support the Action in achieving its scientific objectives in accordance with the following evaluation criteria

• Does the conference (or topic of the panel etc.) fall within the remit of ReMO?
• The conference submission should contribute to the scientific objectives of ReMO as described in the Researcher Mental Health and Well-being Manifesto.
• Is the topic of the conference abstract within the remit of ReMO and will it likely make a significant contribution to the debates within the action?
• Is the abstract internally coherent, logical, with a clearly discernible structure?
• Is the presentation likely to make a significant contribution to the candidate’s scientific and professional development?
• Link to objectives of ReMO Working Groups.
• Gender balance will be taken into consideration.
• Ethics/Research Integrity
• Value for Money
• ITC Grant report should be disseminated on the ReMO website and social media.

3. ITC CONFERENCE GRANTS – 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 of 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 must 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. 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 must be deducted from the Grant. Documentary evidence of the conference fee amount must be provided by the applicant and in kind, must be archived by the Grant Holder along with the relevant administrative documents.

4. APPROVING ITC CONFERENCE GRANTS FOR PAYMENT

The Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end date of the Conference in question to submit a scientific report to the Action Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution) and the Action’s Grant Holder.

Payment of the Grant is subject to the submitted Conference Grant scientific report being approved by the Action Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Action Chair is affiliated to the Grant Holder Institution). Written approval of the submitted scientific report must be sent to the Grant Holder for archiving purposes. As mentioned in Section 2.3, should the Action Chair apply for a Conference Grant, the mandate for approval or rejection of the request via e-mail is transferred to the Vice-Chair, as well as the approval of the Conference Grant scientific report. The written approvals shall be sent to the Grant Holder for archiving purposes.