ESF provides the COST Office

through a European Commission contract

COST is supported

by the EU Framework Programme

COST Office 18/03/2014

Brussels

COST Office presentation to TN1302

AGENDA

•  Future of COST/ Transition to Horizon 2020

•  COST Policies •  Targeted Network Monitoring and

Evaluation •  TN1301: Target Group

2

“

”1st January 2014

7 Years

WHAT is going to happen with COST?

3

COST at a turning point COST is a cornerstone of ERA aiming at

higher visibility during the H2020 period: §  COST Association establishment: a new

dedicated implementation structure §  New funding period: 2014-2020 §  Contribution to H2020 goals: strengthen

Europe’s research and innovation capacities

4

2014 year of transition Preparing for the future: §  Establishment of a new implementing structure,

the COST Association (19 September 2013) ‒  Current membership of the COST Association

stands at 31 Member Countries BE BA BG HR CY CZ DK FI FR MK DE EL HU IS IE IT LV LT MT NO NL PL PT RO RS SK ES SE CH TR UK + 1 Cooperating State (IL)

§  Transition from FP7 to Horizon 2020 ‒  To prepare for this transition, the COST Office and

the current implementing agent for COST, ESF, are collaborating to finalise FP7 activities

5

6

COST Budget from H2020

EUR 300 million (constant prices) for 7 years coming from two H2020 work programmes: §  Challenge 6 “Europe in a changing world –

inclusive, innovative and reflective Societies”

§  “Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation”

For trans-European networking of nationally funded research activities

COST objectives under H2020

§  Joining research efforts and developing common S&T programmes

§  Capacity building §  Addressing societal

questions §  Strengthening COST’s

Inclusiveness Policy

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Enabling breakthrough scientific developments leading to new concepts and products. Jointly contributing to strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities.

COST Inclusiveness Policy target countries

§  EU Member States: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia;

§  EU Candidate Countries: Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Turkey;

§  Potential EU Candidate Countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina

8

COST Key Principles

§  Supporting excellence §  Being open §  Being inclusive

9

COST Driving Forces

§  Fostering new ideas §  Sharing knowledge §  Output orientation

COST Key Features for H2020

How to achieve the objectives Concrete action will lead to conrete outcomes and impact: §  Rely on the COST Framework §  Strong Communication Plan §  Adapt Evaluation, selection, monitoring and

output assessment §  Tailor COST Actions §  Exploitation and Dissemination Plan §  Increase Strategic Activities

10

COST and HORIZON 2020 COST will continue to foster scientific and technological excellence and inclusiveness in Europe, by supporting bottom-up, open science and technology networks involving researchers across the continent.

COST is expected to contribute in particular to the ‘Societal Challenges’ and ‘Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation’ pillars of the Horizon 2020 strategy. COST will receive an increased budget compared to the budget allocated under FP7.

COST’s preparation for the new seven-year period required the establishment of a new legal entity, the ‘COST Association’.

11

The ‘COST Association’ was established on 19 September 2013 with the aim of providing the legal entity for the implementation of COST activities in the near future.

The COST Association is established as an International Non-Profit Association under Belgian law (AISBL).

COST Association

COST Funding 2014

European Commission Horizon 2020

COST Association

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COST POLICIES

13

COST Policies under HORIZON 2020

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Inclusiveness under H2020

Originated from: §  Political context of Horizon 2020. §  Geographical context of the COST Member Countries.

With the aim to: §  Encourage and enable researchers from less research-

intensive countries across the COST Member Countries to set up and/or join COST Actions and get more intensively involved in all COST activities.

§  Counterbalancing research communities’ unequal access to knowledge infrastructures, funding and resources distribution.

15

COST Inclusiveness countries EU Member States: “EU13”: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia.

EU candidate countries: former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Turkey.

Potential EU candidate countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina.

16

Inclusiveness under H2020

§  Leadership roles at Action level. §  Locating Action meetings, workshops & conferences. §  Promoting STSMs tool in these countries. §  Benefiting from COST networking tools. §  Strategy of the Action in order to attract participants from these

countries.

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IMPLEMENTATION at MC Level:

Inclusiveness under H2020

SOME EXAMPLES:

The ACTION should have a plan towards inclusiveness that should be revised an updated at every MC meeting.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

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Monitoring and Evaluation

•  TN presentation(s) to JAF/ COST Executive Board

•  Rapporteurs and External Evaluators

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Monitoring and Evaluation

Rapporteurs and External Evaluators: §  Two Rapporteurs and one External Evaluator

per TN,

§ Rapporteurs attend 1-2 meetings of TN,

§ Rapporteurs and Evaluator prepare report to CSO re possible extension.

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Monitoring and Evaluation Brief for report of Rapporteurs and Evaluator

§  The TN’s progress in achieving its MoU objectives, §  The TN’s success in reaching its defined target audience, §  The TN’s added value over and its differentiation from other

similar networks or initiatives, §  The TN’s implementation of COST policies regarding

inclusiveness , international cooperation and industrial dimension as well as gender balance and ESR involvement.

§  Whether to extend the TN for an additional two years, and §  For those TNs for which extension is recommended,

§  any conditions attached to the extension, §  any particular issues that that TN should address, and/ or §  anything that should be monitored in the last two years of the TN.

21

TN1302: Target Group

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“staff in universities and research institutions carrying out administrative tasks in support of European projects during the post-award phase, often with low salaries, without any possibility to travel and to network and share experiences about carrying out administrative tasks in European research projects”

23

TN1302 Target Group

COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 (0)2 533 3800 F: +32 (0)2 533 3890 office@cost.eu

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twitter.com/COSToffice

Participants eligible for Reimbursement I

Participants Type Networking Tool

MC Members (from Part. or under intention)

NNC MC Observers

European RTD MC Observer

IPC MC Observer

EC and EU Agencies MC Observer

Internat. Organisation MC Observer

Invited Speaker Particip. COST Countries

Inv. Speaker Non-Part. COST Country, NNC, IPC

Others Part. (or under intention) COST Countries

MC Meeting

Up to 2 per country per meeting

Up to 1 per institution and 2 per Country

Up to 1 per institution

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Depending on MC decision

Working Group Core Group Workshop/ Conference

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Depending on MC decision

Up to 4 per meeting

Depending on MC decision

STSM Grantee

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

N/A N/A Depending on MC decision

Participants eligible for Reimbursement II

Participants Type Networking Tool

MC Members (from Part. or under intention)

NNC MC Observers

European RTD MC Observer

IPC MC Observer

EC and EU Agencies MC Observer

Internat. Organisa tion MC Observer

Invited Speaker Particip. COST Countries

Inv. Speaker Non-Part. COST Countries, NNC, IPC

Others Part. (or under intention) COST Countries

Training School - Trainer -

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Not eligible

Not eligible

Depending on MC decision

Up to 4 per event

Depending on MC decision

Training School - Trainee -

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Depending on MC decision

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

N/A N/A Depending on MC decision

Dissemination meeting

Up to 2 per GP

Up to 2 per GP

Depending on MC decision

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Not eligible

Up to 2 per GP

27

1st Grant Period

Work and Budget Plan

approved

Grant Agreement

signed

e-COST access

Before GP start

Interm.Financ. Report validation

2nd Instalment Processed

6 - 8 months after start

1st Instalment Processed

After GP starts

28

2nd,3rd, 4th Grant Period

Work and Budget Plan

approved

Grant Agreement

signed e-COST access

Before GP start

Yearly Financial

Report validation

1st Instalment Processed

After GP start

Interm.Financ. Report validation

2nd Instalment Processed

60 days after start

6 - 8 months after start