Conference grants help PhD students and early-career investigators from participating Inclusiveness Target Countries attend international science and technology related conferences that are not specifically organised COST TU1404.

Potential applicants must bear in mind the following restrictions before considering their own application:

• Applicants must be members of COST TU1404;
• Only participants from institutions in ITC countries are eligible for this grant: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey;
• Applicants must either be PhD student or Early Career Investigator (ECI). The applicant must be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow.;
• The application must be submitted at least 45 days before the conference start date;
• The conference needs to finish up to 30th April 2018 (end of the current Grant Period of COST Action);
• The application process must include an acceptance letter from the conference organisers (confirming either a speaking slot or a poster presentation). The applicant’s contribution must be related to the topics of COST TU1404 and must be listed in the official event/conference programme.

The evaluation procedure will be managed by the ITC Conference Grant Coordinator (Dirk Schlicke), together with the Core Group of COST TU1404, as well as the secretary of the Grant Holder (Ms. Sónia Esteves).

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.

The entire application, approval and payment procedures are managed through the e-COST platform, and are explained in detail in the user guide available in this link.

Detailed information on participants’ eligibility, evaluation and selection, financial support, and grant payment procedures can be found in Section 8 of the COST Vademecum.