What is a STSM?
STSM is a Short-term scientific missions (STSMs) are exchange visits for researchers within their COST Action. STSMs are great opportunities for researchers to share techniques and
gain skills that may not be available at their home institution or
laboratory.
Recent calls for STSMs
Deadline for applications: May 4, 2025
Decision notification: No later than May 16, 2025
After the visit or conference has ended, grantees will have to submit the required report and documents (see below) within 30 days after the end of the activity, or at latest on October 15, 2025, whatever date comes first. Submissions of reports and documents beyond the deadline will lead to the cancellation of the grant.
Important information
Applications must be done through the e-COST internet portal (https://e-services.cost.eu/). No application sent directly by email will be considered. The Grant Awarding process in e-COST is described in more detail in the Grant Awarding User guide (https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2025/01/COST-Grant-Awarding-user-guide.pdf).
Applicants do not have to be Action members, i.e. members of any of the Action Working Groups (WGs), except for dissemination conferences. However, the ranking of applications will give a higher priority will be given to Action registered members (to apply https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA23130/).
Applications will be reviewed by the Grant Evaluation Committee (GECom) of the Action and decision will be made within the given deadlines. The GECom consists of the Grant Awarding Coordinator (GAC), the Action Chair (invited member), and two representatives from each WG who are not WG leaders or vice-leaders. GECom members
can apply for a grant, but in that case they will not be part of the awarding process and they will have to disclose any conflict of interest.
Applications will be evaluated by checking for the criteria listed below. As a general rule, a higher priority will be given to Young Researchers and Innovators (YRI), female researchers, and researchers from ITCs.
Only applications received before the call’s deadline will be considered for a grant.
Due to the limited available funds for grants for each “Grant Period”, for some applications, only a portion of the requested funding may be granted. Full funding may still be possible, depending on the applicant’s specific situation.
Applicants shall not apply to different types of conference grants (ITC Conference Grants, Dissemination Conference Grants) in the same Grant Period.
Grantees for Conference Grants must acknowledge the COST Action, COST Association, and EU support by using their respective logos at least once on the title page.
In case proceedings are published, the Action should be acknowledged.
Applications must specify what is/are the science WG/WGs in the framework of which the activities or conference contributions are foreseen.
The list of WGs is as follows:
- WG1. High-energy quantum gravity theory;
- WG2. High-energy quantum gravity experiment;
- WG3. Low-energy gravitational effects in quantum systems;
- WG4. Low-energy high-precision experiment;
- WG5. Connection between low-energy and high-energy quantum gravity.
The grant funds will be issued directly to the grantees, and not to their institutions. Recipients must initially cover their expenses using personal funds. The payment of the grant will be done upon successful review and approval of comprehensive justification and reporting documentation .
The grants available for this call are Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) grants, ITC Conference Grants (CG), Young Researcher and Innovator Conference Grants (YRI-CG), and Dissemination Conference Grants.
(link to full documentation)
Role | Committee Member |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Prof Nikolaos Mavromatos |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Prof Jose Manuel Carmona |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Denise Boncioli |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Sami Caroff |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Prof Leon Loveridge |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Thomas Galley |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Sandro Donadi |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Anna Pachol |
| Grant Evaluation Committee | Dr Tomasz Trzesniewski |
Black Hole Thermodynamics
This research explores the thermodynamic properties of black holes to uncover new insights on their behavior within the framework of quantum gravity.
Cosmic Microwave Background
This project investigates the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation to gain insights into the early universe and its relevance to quantum gravity theories.
Quantum Entanglement Study
This project investigates the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, seeking to understand its implications for quantum gravity and information transfer.