International mobility and networking funding

Growing or maintaining research networks with European colleagues: 

Access to European funding and being able to influence future calls within Horizon Europe is easier as part of an existing European network or researchers. COST actions have a proven track record in helping to develop or maintain these alliances.  

COST 

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) actions provide funding for networking opportunities focused on specific research questions. This includes travel to networking events, as well as mobility to present at key conferences. 

Critically membership of COST actions has a large impact on the application success for Horizon funding. Average success for proposals to Horizon 2020, which came from COST actions, was 37%, compared to the average of 13%.

Is COST membership affected by association to Horizon Europe? 

No. Membership to the COST programme is independent of the Horizon Europe programme and is not affected by association to the Horizon Europe programme.  

Who can apply to create/participate in a COST action? 

Academics, public organisations, industry and NGOs can apply to collaborate in a COST action.  

Are themes dictated by the European Commission? 

No. COST action networks are developed on a bottom-up principle of developing novel research.  

Is this just for established academics? 

No. Experienced academics are welcome. However, COST actions are also a great opportunity for early career academics to build networks across Europe. Actions also have a responsibility to maintain a gender balance. 

Are COST actions limited to European collaborations? 

No. 38 countries including the UK are COST members with 1 other cooperating member. In addition, 16 Near Neighbour Countries can propose and engage in COST actions. Further members can join a COST action from worldwide.  

How can I get involved in a COST action? 

1. Apply for funding to create a new COST action.
2. Become a member of an existing COST action.  

Firstly, it is worth browsing the existing COST actions to see if there are any of interest in you field of research.  

You can search for existing COST actions on the website.

 

Use key terms to identify if a COST action matching your research interests is already running. 

 

Things to look out for: 

End Date: Actions run for 4 years so it is worth looking for those with a longer time to run if you are thinking about joining.  

Who’s involved in the committee/working groups: You can see a listing of all of the action’s key players in these tabs.  

 

             1.  Apply for funding to create a new COST action 

If you notice that there are no COST actions related to your field of research, you can apply for funding to create a new COST action and invite partners from across Europe to join. There is an open funding call, with all applications being assessed once a year after a deadline in October.

Leading a COST action provides funding for administration. They do require input of academics time too, which needs to be considered. If you would like to find out more from academics in AU who have administered a COST action please contact Linda Cook.

             2. Become a member of an existing COST action.  

You can contact the COST action lead or those responsible for each of the Working Groups via the link on the right- hand side of the page.  

 

Want to speak with someone who has been involved in a COST action? 

A number of academics at AU have been actively involved in COST actions over the past few years. If you would like to be put in contact with other AU colleagues who have led or been involved in COST actions please contact Linda Cook who can facilitate this. 

WEFO administer the Wales European Collaboration Fund, called SCoRE Cymru (Supporting Collaborative Research and Innovation Endeavours). 

SCoRE Cymru provides funding for mobility for networking activity including meetings to facilitate bid writing. It also allows funding for consultant bid writers, training workshops for funding applicants e.g. to Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Although initially targeted towards applicants to Horizon Europe, the remit has now been widened to aid all international funding opportunities. It is available through the Horizon Europe Team.

It can cover: 

• up to £1,000 per trip of travel costs to meet potential or existing partners and attend events 

• up to £10,000 on proposal development costs such as legal advice, market research, bid writers. 

For further information and application forms see the links below: 

• SCoRE - Guidance Notes
• SCoRE - Application Form

Please contact Linda Cook for more information. 

The Welsh Government’s New International Strategy 

On 14th January 2020 the Welsh Government (WG) published its new International Strategy. 

This strategy sets out WG’s vision for the next five years and the following three core ambitions: 

• To raise Wales’ profile on the international stage 
• To grow the economy by increasing exports and attracting inward investment 
• To establish Wales as a globally responsible nation. 

It is likely that SCoRE Cymru will support those ambitions. 

WEFO administer the Agile Cymru, which is a branch of SCoRE Cymru funding.  Both are similar but the main difference between the two forms of funding is that Agile is not limited to research activity and actively encourages economic development by scaling up activities and increasing profile of international partnerships. This can include a combination of researchers and businesses.

The other major difference between SCoRE and Agile is that the funding is more regionally focused, with calls announced to fund strategic partnerships. Recently there was a call to work with the Oita prefecture in Japan.

What funding is available? 

As a guide it can offer up to £5,000 per application at up to 100% intervention. Support for larger-scale strategic investments may also be available within the context and available budget of an individual Agile Cymru funding call. 

Can it fund overseas partner costs? 

Support of costs of international partners may be available if they are incurred and claimed by 
the Welsh partner. As with all costs, these must be reasonable, essential for the delivery of the 
proposed activity and aligned with relevant aims and objectives. 

What can I claim for? 

• Travel and Subsistence 
• Membership/Participation in international networks.  
• Contracted expertise for writing or reviewing proposals 
• Contracted expertise to develop an evidence base 
• Contracted facilitation of consortium meetings and proposal development workshops
• Contracted expertise for negotiating and concluding consortium agreements
• Travel costs for subcontractor (could include international partner)
• Training costs
• Publicity and dissemination of activity and outcomes
• Staff costs can be considered on a case-by-case basis where they represent additional staff time and the “best value or only means of delivering the objectives of the activity” (staff timesheets and evidence of payment will be required) 

To find out more about the Agile Cymru scheme and get help in making an application please contact Linda Cook.