GENERAL TERMS
The COST Action CA21147 “European Network on Optimising Treatment with Therapeutic Antibodies in chronic inflammatory diseases” (ENOTTA) encourages the transparent and flexible rules for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) grants for young researchers and Innovators (YRI, i.e. a researcher or innovator under the age of 40, as defined by the COST Association), including doctoral students, as well as advanced researchers. ENOTTA is offering financial support to eligible applicants to carry out a STSM that will specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of this COST Action. STSMs facilitate scientists going to an institution/organization in another country to foster collaboration, to learn a new technique or to take measurements using instruments and/or methods not available in their home institution/organization, to share experience, or perform tutorial activities.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding, the main ENOTTA COST Action goals are to:
1) Create an interdisciplinary society of researchers, clinicians, experts and stakeholders in order to defragment the European research community working on optimisation of therapeutic antibodies’ use.
2) Investigate and develop patient stratification tools to predict and optimise treatment with therapeutic antibodies, before and upon the start of treatment, with the contribution of predictive analytic companies or academic groups.
3) Develop guidelines for clinical management and best practices for individualised (TDM-guided) dose optimisation.
4) Improve the reproducibility, standardisation and harmonisation of TDM assays and protocols.
5) Set up a comprehensive and structured overview on the availability of patient data/samples (e.g., the number of patients receiving treatment, how many patients receive a certain therapeutic antibody, the number and quantity of well-documented (serum) samples), and the availability of TDM assays across all participating hospital/research centres.
6) Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of individualised (TDM-guided) dose optimisation of therapeutic antibodies as an instrument to reduce healthcare expenditures, thus ensuring access and affordability.
7) Investigate how TDM may be implemented and secured in the community with the support of e-Health SMEs.
Other topics and their relevance to ENOTTA will be individually evaluated.
What is an STSM Grant?
STSM are institutional visits aimed at supporting individual mobility, fostering collaboration between individuals. Applications from YRIs and researchers from ITC participating in the ENOTTA COST Action (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, The Republic of North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine) are strongly encouraged. The applicants must consult and acknowledge COST rules (see Annotated rules for COST Actions).
Who can Apply?
STSM applicants must be registered as working group (WG) member of the Action, registered on e-COST, engaged in an official research programme as a doctoral student, or postdoctoral fellow, or employee by, or affiliates of the institution/organization, or legal entity, which has within its remit a clear association with performing research. The institutions/organizations where applicants pursue their main strand of research are considered Home institutions. The Host institution/organization is the institution/organization that will host the successful applicant for the STSM.
Please note that a grant for STSM (and ITC) cannot be granted during the transition between two grant periods due to budgetary constraints from the COST Association. Please inform the GAC in advance of your intention to apply for a grant.
How To Apply?
Interested researchers can apply by following the instructions provided in the step-by-step guide on Annotated rules for COST action and on the link that follows:
https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf.
The applications are accepted on a continuous basis, meaning that there is no specific deadline for applications and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, given they meet the formal criteria and requirements.
Where Can You Go?
If the applicant is based at a COST full Member/Cost Cooperating Member, they may perform STSM in:
- another participating COST Full Member/Cost Cooperating member,
- a Participating COST Partner Member,
- an Approved International organisation,
- an Approved Research organization, anywhere in the world.
Length of The STSM
The duration of the STSM is, in general, not less than 1 month for YRIs, and not less than one week, in general, for advanced researchers, and cannot be longer than three months in both cases. The STSM needs to be concluded by the end of September. Applicants must abide with the rules for application and necessary documents from COST association (https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf).
Organisation and Payment
STSM grantees must make their own arrangements for all provisions related to personal security, health, taxation, social security, and pension matters. 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 overall travel, accommodation, and meal expenses of the Grantee. Up to a maximum of 160 EUR can be granted as daily allowance and the total awarded amount of each STSM cannot exceed 2500 EUR. However, if your budget exceeds this limit, please contact the GAC and your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The STSM Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end of the mission to submit a scientific report to the Grant Awarding Coordinator and to the senior researcher affiliated within the Host institution, via e-COST platform. Payment of Grant is subject to approval of the scientific report by the MC or Core Group by mandate.
Specific provisions are introduced to enable researchers from ITCs participating in ENOTTA COST Action to request pre-payment of 50% of their STSM Grant when they complete the first day of their STSM. In such cases, the Host must confirm by email to the Grant Holder that the STSM applicant has officially started the mission on day 1. Only then the Grant Holder Manager can arrange for the payment of 50% of the STSM Grant. The remaining 50% of the Grant is payable once the administrative requirements have been satisfied after the STSM as below.
Evaluation Process Rules
The application will be assessed by the Grant Awarding Coordinator and in case of necessity by the Grant Evaluation committee, which is composed of the Grant Awarding Coordinator, the Chair, the vice-Chair and the WG leaders. In case the applicant is from the same country of one Grant Committee members, the latter will not participate in the decision.
The following criteria for evaluation will be considered:
- Relevance to COST eligibility criteria;
- Relevance to Action’s objectives and Grant Agreement Period Goals of the WPs;
- Balance across countries with preference to ITC;
- Balance between sexes and YRI vs. advanced researchers with encouragement of YRI;
- Publication list of advanced researchers;
- Quality of project (aim; work plan; feasibility within the STSM grant period; novelty)
- Multidisciplinarity of the project proposal is encouraged.
Procedure for evaluation is the following:
- 2 weeks for evaluation;
- 1 week for informing the candidates;
- Upon the GAC and/or Grant Evaluation committee request, 2 weeks for sending new application with improvement,
- Possibility of rebuttal on the rejection, in front of MC or Core Group members.
After The STSM
Grantee has 30 calendar days from the end of the STSM to submit the following:
- Written report of the performed activities and potentially any future actions.
Further information on STSMs grants, please contact the Grant Awarding Coordinator Guenka Petrova (gpetrova@pharmfac.mu-sofia.bg)