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COST - Cooperation on Science and Technology
COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology – is an intergovernmental European framework for international cooperation in research activities, which is financed on national levels. Esteblished in 1971, it is the oldest European networking system in R&D.
At present, it includes 35 member states and one cooperating state:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The cooperating state is the State of Israel.
COST does not fund research itself, but connects research groups in various countries, which are interested in specific issues; it supports networking, conferences, short-term exchanges of research staff and publishing activities. The coordination activity is funded from EU framework program for research and technological development.
One of the best features of COST is flexibility: there are no designated areas of cooperation, but researchers themselves can submit proposals for COST Actions – bottom-up approach. Minimum participation is five member states, however, some actions involve research groups from up to five times more countries (own choice principle).
COST is a cornerstone of European research area and continues playing and important role in the development of S&T cooperation in Europe.
The executive board of social sciences and humanities (DISCH COST) meets twice a year and one of its main roles is evaluating scientific actions in social sciences and humanities (in the spring and autumn round).
For more information, please see www.cost.eu.
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