STSM
Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) are exchange visits to support individual mobility, strengthen existing networks and foster collaboration between COST Action Participants. A STSM should specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action, whilst simultaneously allowing those partaking in the missions to learn new techniques, gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions.
Within NECTAR, STSM are one of the networking tools to achieve the scopes of the Action, which are to create a network based on the stimulating collaboration between research groups, to promote knowledge exchange, and to achieve high technological progress in the field of the thermodynamic study of chemical equilibria.
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STSM are exchange visits to support individual mobility, strengthen existing networks and foster collaboration between COST Action Participants. A STSM should specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action, whilst simultaneously allowing those partaking in the missions to learn new techniques, gain access to specific data, instruments and/or methods not available in their own institutions.
WHO CAN APPLY and ELIGIBILITY RULES ⌵
The institution/organization or legal entity where applicants pursue their main strand of research are considered here as Home Institutions. The Host Institution is the institution/organization that will host the approved applicant. Early Career Investigators (ECI) are defined as researchers with PhD + up to 8 years of research experience. The following eligibility criteria apply for the definition of the possible applicants and the host institutions.
(a) STSM applicants must be engaged in an official research programme as a PhD Student or postdoctoral fellow or can be employed by (or affiliated to) an institution, organization or legal entity which has within its remit a clear association with research, and belongs to a NECTAR Action Member Country, or is an approved Near Neighbour Country (NNC) Institution* or an approved European RTD Organization;
(b) The possible STSM Host Institution must be selected according to the scenarios summarized in the following table.
* In NECTAR, NNC is currently Ukraine.
The following table shows the scenarios available to eligible STSM applicants:
Other important criteria for the 6
th STSM mobility call are:
(a) The STSM need to be carried out in their entirety within a single Grant Period and always within the Action’s lifetime;
(b) The STSM must have a minimum duration of 5 calendar days that includes travel. For the STSMs approved in this Call, STSM must have a limit of 30 calendar days including travel and must be concluded before September 30th, 2022;
(c) The COST Association and the Grant Holder of the Action cannot be considered as being an STSM grantee’s employer, i.e. the STSM Grant cannot be considered as a salary;
(d) STSM grantees should make their own arrangements for all provisions related to personal security, health, taxation, social security and pension matters.
The application procedure is legally bound to the
Vademecum of COST. Eligible STSM applicants must submit their STSM applications online by logging into
e-COST and clicking on the Grant Applications tab. To encode a new application, the applicant clicks on ‘Apply for grant’. A template of the application form (in Word format) is available
here. For information on the submission procedure, please refer to the
Grant Awarding using guide.
The following information is needed on the application form:
(a) Action number (CA18202)
(b) Applicant name
(c) Title of the planned STSM
(d) Start and end dates of the STSM
(e) Purpose and summary of the STSM (Goals of STSM) – Max 200 words
(f) Description of the work to be carried out by the applicant (Working Plan) – Max 500 words
(g) Main expected results and their contribution to the progress towards the Action objectives (either research coordination and/or capacity building objectives) and deliverables (Expected outputs and contribution to the Action MoU objectives and deliverables) – Max 500 words
The following information is needed on the application page online:
(a) Grant period (3 for the 6th call)
(b) Applicant’s bank details
(c) Host institution details and host contact person name
(d) Requested budget
The field Application form please briefly address the following points:
(a) Proposed contribution to the scientific objectives of the Action. Please include how the planned activities will contribute to the plan of one or more WG(s) of the Action;
(b) Please detail what techniques or equipment you may learn to use, if applicable. Please underline the aspects of complementarity between expertise and instrumentation of the home and hosting institution/research groups;
(c) Please detail the steps you will take to achieve your proposed goals.
Applicants are requested to present a Working plan reasonably feasible and coherent with the time slot reported in the application.
A CV should be submitted, drafted preferably in Europass format (max. 3 pages). A list of academic publications can be added in separate pages.
Prior to this submission, it is responsibility of the applicant to obtain a written agreement from the Host institution stating that the applicant may perform the activities detailed in the STSM working plan on the agreed dates. The letter must be dated back not more than 3 months, and must be signed by a permanent staff representative of the Host institution (e.g. head of the research group, PI, director of the department, head of the institute/division etc.).
Applicants that are not appointed to either permanent or tenure-track positions (i.e. Ph.D. students or Post-docs) are required to obtain a letter of support from their home institution for their application to STSM within this Action. A brief description of the motivation for support should be provided. The letter must be dated back not more than 3 months, and must be signed by a permanent staff representative of the home institution (e.g. Ph.D. supervisor, head of the research group, PI, director of the department, head of the institute/division etc.).
After the conclusion of the procedure of application online, each applicant is required to send a copy of the following documents (merged in one single PDF file) to the Action STSM Coordinator (Prof. Matteo Tegoni, matteo.tegoni@unipr.it) and to the Action Vice-Chair (Dr. Sofia Gama, sofia.gama@uwb.edu.pl) at latest on July 8th, 2022 (deadline for application of the 7th call). The email must have “STSM 7 CA18202 Application” as the subject line:
(a) Application form
(b) CV including a list of academic publications
At least one call for application per year will be launched (in general in the spring/early summer in coincidence with the beginning of the Grant Period). Additional calls will be launched as a function of the funding made available for further STSM along the Grant Period.
In the case of the 6
th Call, the relevant dates are as follows:
July 8th, 2022: deadline for submission of STSM applications
Before July 15th, 2022: notification of selected STSM
September 30th, 2022: deadline for the conclusion of STSM activities.
A scientific report drafted by the applicant after the end of the STSM and an approval letter of the scientific report from the Host institution must be uploaded on the e-COST portal within 30 days from the end date of the STSM.
The total budget for STSM in the current Grant Period is EUR 10500 and the minimum number of STSM grants that will be funded is seven (7).
The maximum budget granted to each approved STSM is EUR 1500 for a maximum of 30 calendar days including travel. The amount granted to each individual STSM will be determined during the evaluation process by STSM Coordinator and may be subjected to negotiation with the applicant(s) before approval.
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.
Please note that STSM Grants do not necessarily cover all expenses related to undertaking a given mission, being only a contribution to the overall travel, accommodation and meal expenses of the Grantee. Applicants are encouraged to evaluate their budget request based on a high benefit/cost ratio and justify it based on the perceived cost of living in the host country/city. Following the provisions of Section 8.4 of COST Vademecum, which defines criteria for the financial contribution for each STSM, up to a maximum of EUR 160 per day including travel days can be afforded.
Note that specific provisions have been introduced to enable researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) participating in the COST Action to request a pre-payment of 50% of their STSM Grant when they complete the first day of their STSM. In such case, the representative of the Host Institution must confirm by e-mail to the Grant Holder that the STSM applicant has officially started the mission on day 1. Only then the Grant Holder can arrange 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. For further information please refer to the COST
Vademecum.
APPLICATIONS ASSESSMENT and COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS⌵
The STSM Committee will perform the scientific assessment of the applications considering the NECTAR Action scope and objectives, as well as the potential for enhancement of the research interaction between the involved parts, measured by the impact of the exchange expected by the applicants and involved institutions.
General criteria for evaluation of STSM proposals are:
(a) Priority to STSM applications of PhD students or ECI;
(b) Priority to applicants from ITCs;
(c) Gender balance;
(d) Clarity of activity planning (Working plan) and complementarity of resources between home and host institutions/research groups (resources are intended as: technical expertise, infrastructure, or instrumentation);
(e) Main expected results and their contribution to the progress towards the Action objectives and deliverables;
(f) Curriculum Vitae (CV).
The STSM Coordinator (or the Action Chair/Vice-Chair, in case of conflict of interest) will inform the Grant Holder of the approved STSMs. The Grant Holder will inform each approved applicant by sending a Grant Letter generated from e-COST. The applicant must return this letter of acceptance with his/her signature.
STSM REPORTING AND PAYMENT
Within 30 days from the end date of the STSM the successful applicant must submit the scientific reports (A) and the dissemination materials (B).
A) SCIENTIFIC REPORTS ON E-COST:
(a) The scientific report drafted by the applicant (max 4 pages). A template for the report can be found in
e-COST.
(b) Host approval of scientific report: an official letter / email from a senior Researcher affiliated to the Host institution formally stating the acceptance of the scientific report.
These two documents must be uploaded on e-COST to proceed with the request for payment.
When preparing the scientific report please consider the following:
(a) The scientific report for COST is a public document. Please take this into account in terms of Intellectual Property Rights.
(b) The scientific report does not need to contain specific and detailed results of the research. Rather, it should focus on the aspects that are the aim of STSM (see Purpose of a STSM, page 2 of the
7th Call), in particular how the collaborative research during STSM has strengthen the scientific relationship between Home and Hosting institutions within the framework of Cooperation and Science in the European Union.
A copy of the scientific report in PDF format must be sent, by email, to the Action STSM Coordinator (Prof. Matteo Tegoni,
matteo.tegoni@unipr.it) and the Action Vice-Chair (Dr. Sofia Gama,
sofia.gama@uwb.edu.pl). The STSM Coordinator will be responsible for approving the scientific report and informing the Action Chair and the Grant Holder that the STSM has been successfully accomplished.
(Please note that the COST Association can request additional information to substantiate the information contained within the documents submitted by STSM applicants).
B) DISSEMINATION MATERIALS TO SCIENCE COMMUNICATION TEAM:
(a) A poster/video/success story describing the subject of your collaborative STSM activities.
(b) A strong, short advertising sentence summarizing your STSM experience that will be used for promotion of the above material.
Please remember to present Home and Host institutions and your passion for science! Use pictures showing you at work but also after-work. Do not sound too abstract, avoid scientific jargon, use short sentences. The material is to advertise NECTAR COST research, promote you, and will be shown in social media for public audience.
The materials have to be sent directly to the
Science Communication Manager Prof. Elżbieta Gumienna-Kontecka (
elzbieta.gumienna-kontecka@chem.uni.wroc.pl) and to
WG-5 Leader Dr. Natalia Busto Vázquez (
nbusto@ubu.es).
Failure to submit the scientific report & dissemination materials, and Host acceptance within 30 days from the end date of the STSM will effectively cancel the Grant.
1st GRANT PERIOD (1st November 2019 to 30th April 2020)
Grantee |
Project |
Home institution |
Host institution |
Silvia Gentili |
Synthesis of His-containing peptides for oxidation catalysis in presence of Cu |
U. Parma, IT |
U. Aix-Marseille, FR |
Dong Han |
Drugs molecules and surfaces/carriers |
U.A. Barcelona, ES |
U. Udine, IT |
Yuliya Toporivska |
New efficient chelators for Zr-89 radiometal: design, synthesis and thermodynamic properties |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Ferrara, IT |
2nd GRANT PERIOD (1st May 2020 to 31st October 2021)
Grantee |
Project |
Home institution |
Host institution |
Lucija Knežević |
Studying Vanadium-organic ligand complexation toward better understanding of Vanadium biogeochemical behaviour |
I. Ruđer Bošković, HR |
U. Paris-Saclay, FR |
Tatjana Trtic-Petrovic |
Thermodynamic study of the micellization process of functionalized surface-active ionic liquids for extraction of technologically critical elements |
Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, RS |
U. Ljubljana, SI |
Nádia Ribeiro |
Evaluation of the DNA affinity of metal complexes derived from 8-hydroxyquinoline ligands |
U. Lisboa, PT |
U. Pisa, IT |
Demetrio Milea |
Data analysis and modelling of the acid-base properties of selected metal ions |
U. Messina, IT |
U. Białystok, PL |
Edyta Nalewajko-Sieliwoniuk |
Tryptophan metabolite interactions towards Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions: a thermodynamic study in aqueous solution |
U. Białystok, PL |
U. Messina, IT |
Andrzej Mular |
68-Ga labelled analogues of desferrioxamine-E for nuclear imaging |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
M.U. Innsbruck, AT |
Sofia Gama |
Spectrofluorimetric methods applied to the study of chemical equilibria of 8-Hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxilic acid metal complexes in aqueous solution |
U. Białystok, PL |
U. Lisboa, PT |
Tatsiana Petrasheuskaya |
Spectroelectrochemical studies on copper and iron complexes of imidazole-derived thiosemicarbazones |
U. Szeged, HU |
S.U.T. Bratislava, SK |
Rosita Cappai |
Synthesis and characterization of Tryptophane metabolites metal complexes |
U. Cagliari, IT |
F.S.U. Jena, DE |
David Fabra Escribano |
Analysis of the interaction of metal-thiosemicarbazone complexes with bio substrates |
U.A. Madrid, ES |
U. Pisa, IT |
Michaela Rendosova |
Exploring of different techniques and computational programmes for thermodynamic studies of silver(I) and gallium(III) complexes |
U. Košice, SK |
U. Messina, IT |
Żaneta Arciszewska |
Caffeic acid interactions towards lanthanides: a thermodynamic study in aqueous solution |
U. Białystok, PL |
U. Messina, IT |
Kinga Garstka |
Characteristics of two zinc SBPs - ZnuA and AztC from Paracoccus denitrificans |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Ferrara, IT |
Andrea Melchior |
Intercalation of platinum complexes with DNA: a theoretical study |
U. Udine, IT |
U.C. Murcia, ES |
Adriana Miller |
Exploiting the NMR spectroscopy to understand the coordination chemistry of the Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes with the chosen antimicrobial peptides |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Siena, IT |
Silvia Gentili |
Study of copper complexes of His-containing peptides |
U. Parma, IT |
U. Aix-Marseille, FR |
Eugenio Alladio |
SpectrApp - an open-source application for the chemometric evaluation of spectroscopic data |
U. Torino, IT |
U. Białystok, PL |
3rd GRANT PERIOD (1st November 2021 to 31st October 2022)
Grantee |
Project |
Home institution |
Host institution |
Valentyn Dzyhovskyi |
Synthesis of the compounds intended to fit to the flavin mononucleotide riboswitches of Staphylococcus aureus |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Ferrara, IT |
Paulina Potok |
Exploiting NMR spectroscopy to determine coordination mode of the Zn(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes with metallopeptidases |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Siena, IT |
David Fabra Escribano |
Solution studies on palladium-thiosemicarbazone complexes and their interaction with albumin and DNA |
A.U. Madrid, ES |
U. Szeged, HU |
Alessandro Nicoli |
Predicting the stability of ligand/GPCR complexes with scaled MD simulations: the case of 5-HT2BR and the L209A mutant |
T.U. Munich, DE |
I.I. Technology, IT |
Francesca Binacchi |
ITC study of DNA and BSA binding of Ag(I)/Au(I) N-heterocycle biscarbenes and of Pt(II)/Pd(II) phenanthroline derivatives |
U. Pisa, IT |
U. Burgos, ES |
Milan Mad'ar |
Speciation of copper(II) complexes with polyamino-polyphosphonate ligands with EPR |
Charles U., CZ |
U. Burgundy, FR |
Milan Vranes |
Physicochemical charaterisation of newly synthetized gemini surfactants |
U. Novi Sad, CS |
U. Ljubljana, SI |
Jasmin Suljagic |
Synthesis and apllication of Pd(II)-diimine complex in catalysis |
U. Tuzla, BA |
Goce Delchev U., MK |
Tamás Pivarcsik |
Synthesis of biologically active half-sandwich ruthenium(II) and rhodium(III) complexes formed with sterane-based hybrids |
U. Szeged, HU |
U. Ljubljana, SI |
Anna Rola |
Histidine–rich C–terminal (HRCT) tail of GroEL1 chaperonins as a potential regulator of metal ions concentration in Mycobacteriu |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
A.U. Barcelona, ES |
Elzbieta Gumienna-Kontecka |
Ferrous complexes: the bio-chemical state of art |
U. Wrocław, PL |
U. Messina, IT |
Slawomir Potocki |
Optimization of isothermal titration calorimetry protocols for the study of 1:1 and 2:1 binding |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Catania, IT |
Álvaro Martínez-Camarena |
Determination of the β-amyloid disaggregation capacity of PLA-PEG-CON-pytren polymeric nanoparticles |
U. València, ES |
U. Catania, IT |
Andrzej Mular |
Investigation of FOXE analogues ability to transport iron into Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells |
U. Wroclaw, PL |
U. Strasbourg, FR |
Martina Sanadar |
Separation of Europium(III) in Phosphate based Ionic Liquids |
U. Udine, IT |
U. Masaryk, CZ |
Luca Mancini |
Shyntesis of new receptor |
U. Urbino, IT |
U. València, ES |
Snezana Papovic |
Self-aggregation and ionicity of pharmaceutically active ionic liquids – thermodynamic approach |
Novi Sad, RS |
U. Ljubljana, SI |
Żaneta Arciszewska |
Speciation of lanthanides complexes in biological systems |
U. Bialystok, PL |
CNRS, FR |
Aleksandar Cvetkovski |
Developing the Thermodynamical data sets |
U. Goce Delcev, MK |
U. Parma, IT |
Prof. Matteo Tegoni - CA18202 STSM Coordinator
Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability
University of Parma
Parco Area delle Scienze 17A
43123 Parma
ITALY
matteo.tegoni@unipr.it
Dr. Sofia Gama - CA18202 Action Vice-Chair
Department of Analytical Chemistry
Faculty of Chemistry
University of Białystok
ul. Ciołkowskiego 1K
15-245 Białystok
POLAND
sofia.gama@uwb.edu.pl