Inclusivity
COST’s open and flexible support to networking helps to initiate and nurture collaboration across borders and disciplines in Europe and beyond. This connectivity promotes both excellence and inclusiveness in science, building research capacities and boosting opportunity for all.
There are three main pillars to COST’s activities around inclusiveness:
- geographical inclusivity with a focus on less research-intensive countries and regions (in COST these are known as the ITC countries);
- career stage inclusivity including support for young researchers; and
- gender inclusivity.
These activities contribute to the EU’s goal to widen participation and spread excellence under the current Horizon Europe framework programme. Involvement in COST Actions creates links and experience that can build capacity for successful participation in other transnational R&I programmes such as Horizon Europe.
Networking excellence
An example is COST Action EUROMENE (CA15111 – European Network on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) that led directly to a follow-on Horizon 2020 Twinning project.
Twining projects deepen networking activities and support excellence by linking an EU research institution looking to build capacity to at least two world-class research institutions from different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disabling condition that can affect all ages. Its cause has been a puzzle, but recent research suggests that the trigger may be viral infection. This observation is of interest as scientists try to understand the origin of so-called ‘Long Covid’ and develop effective treatments.
Professor Modra Murovska of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) in Latvia was Chair of the EUROMENE Action. “EUROMENE enhanced coordination of research activities on ME/CFS across Europe, developed common standards, synchronised databases and promoted new research projects,” she says.
The Action helped spread good practise on diagnosis of the conditions and understand links with other autoimmune diseases. It also brought Prof. Murovska and her colleagues into direct contact with world-leading research institutions in the field.
“We wanted to increase our research capacity at RSU and through EUROMENE we were able to connect and collaborate with the University of Ferrara in Italy, Ulm University in Germany and the Sheba Medical Centre in Israel that resulted in the Horizon 2020 Twinning project VirA launched at the end of 2020,” explains Professor Modra Murovska.
VirA aims to promote autoimmune disease research capacity and further boost networking at RSU. Despite the restrictions imposed by Covid, the project organised a range of activities during 2021 including secondment of young researchers, expert visits and online workshops and symposia. A face-to-face summer school is planned for 2022.
The EUROMENE and VirA have brought multiple benefits to RSU. “At the level of our university we are improving our general capacity, attracting more high-quality students and trying to establish a Centre of Excellence on Autoimmunity in the Baltic countries,” says Prof. Murovska.
“We are also participating in regular seminars organised at Sheba and exchanging knowledge with many other countries on developments in auto immunity. The collaboration should also help with Long Covid in terms of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation,” she concludes.
Proposal skills
Dr Alena Gabelova from the Biomedical Research Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava tells a similar story. She was a member of the management committee of the COST Action hCOMET (CA15132 – The comet assay as a human biomonitoring tool) and now coordinates the Horizon 2020 Twining project VISION.
The Action focused on the Comet assay methodology for measuring DNA damage. The Action looked to highlight factors that might affect results and identify common procedural issues. Data from over 20,000 individual DNA damage measurements was compiled and analysed.
“The idea was to develop a Standard Operating Procedure,” explains Dr Gabelova. “And a major outcome of the project was the publication of our findings in articles in Nature Protocols.”
“COST is a very useful tool for establishing new cooperation and collaborations,” comments Dr Gabelova. “It brings together people with common R&D interests but also can introduce you to partners with very deep expertise in project management and proposal development.”
Dr Alena Gabelova had been a partner in several multi-national projects but never a coordinator. The contacts established in hCOMET gave her the skills and capacity to develop and coordinate the successful proposal for VISION.
Competition for EU Framework Programme funding is extremely high and success rates can be low. However, follow-on proposals from COST Actions submitted to Horizon 2020 achieved a success rate of 37% – around three times the average Horizon 2020 success rate.
“VISION is all about the early diagnosis of cancers in the digestive system – a particular area of concern for Slovakia,” says Dr Gabelova. “Early detection is key to enhanced patient outcome and quality of life. Our focus is on education through our strategic partnerships with European experts. We will improve the professional skills of our students and researchers so they can implement the latest technologies.”
Like VIRA, VISION has been mainly limited to online interactions since its launch in October 2019, but 2021 saw a dozen lecture workshops and a sizeable number of papers published. Face to face training is scheduled for 2022.
Teams for success
“COST was a real kick to my career,” says Professor Janis Locs from the Riga Technical University (RTU) in Latvia. “I first got involved in COST Actions in 2012 just three years after defending my PhD. Through COST I started to establish a network via Short Term Scientific Missions and regular meetings of COST Actions such as NAMABIO.”
Janis subsequently joined the management committee of COST Action NEWGEN (MP1301 – New Generation Biomimetic and Customized Implants for Bone Engineering) and is now the coordinator of Horizon 2020 Teaming Phase 2 project Baltic Biomaterials Centre of excellence (BBCE).
“COST is very effective and powerful to help establish the networks you need to progress a career in research. NEWGEN was a big step for me as I was able to highlight Riga’s potential and consolidated my relationships with partners in Germany and Switzerland who joined the Teaming project.”
Prof Janis Locs, MC member of COST Action NEWGEN
Teaming projects aim to develop a long-term strategic cooperation to create a Centre of Excellence in less research intensive (i.e., Widening) countries, through a coupling process with one or more leading scientific institution. BBCE teams four Latvian partners (RTU, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga Stradins University and the RSU Institute of Stomatology) with the AO Research Institute in Davos and the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Teaming has two phases. In Phase 1, funding is provided to develop a business plan for the Centre of Excellence in line with the host region’s smart specialisation strategy. Phase 2 provides funding to selected Phase 1 proposals to start implementation.
“When the Horizon 2020 Teaming call was published, I was able to contact colleagues I knew through COST and we put together a very complimentary consortium covering all aspects of biomimetics from basic materials research to clinical practise,” explains Prof. Janis Locs.
BBCE kicked off its implementation stage in early 2020 and has mostly held online events but a ‘Winter School’ under the associated Horizon 2020 Twining project RISEus2 was successfully organised in Riga in September 2021.
“COST is so useful and inclusive,” concludes Professor Janis Locs. “Working with COST provides you with the instruments and skills to successfully develop future collaborative projects.”
Additional information
Read more about COST Action “CA15132 – The comet assay as a human biomonitoring tool”