The countdown has officially started, our Open Call 2025 for new COST Action proposals closes in six months on 21 October 2025 at 12.00 (noon) CEST.
A COST Action is an interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a topic for four years. Open to all science and technology fields, including new and emerging ones, COST Actions are also bottom-up meaning you can propose a network based on your own interests or ideas.
The funding a COST Action receives covers the expenses of networking activities and can be used to fund events, Short-Term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, communication activities, and virtual networking tools. A COST Action has an estimate budget of €125,000 in its first year and €150,000 per year for the other three years.
COST offers the possibility to connect, get together and share ideas, which is a rare opportunity to step out of the restrictive field of academic research. In that sense the proposal can be seen as the chance to conceive a project in which practitioners from various fields (which can be non-academic and nonconventional practices) expand academic work into an experimental and creative dimension.
Dr Marta Jecu, Portugal. Main proposer and Chair of COST Action CIRCUL’ARTs
Participants are invited to submit a proposals that contributes to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.
The Open Call Action proposal submission, evaluation, selection and approval (SESA) procedure is fully science and technology-driven and will ensure a simple, transparent and competitive proposal evaluation and selection process, reflecting the bottom-up, open and inclusive principles of COST.
The time from submission to awarding is seven months so proposers should discover by May 2026 if they are successful.
COST Actions are the ideal platform to bring together and collaborate with experts from diverse fields, backgrounds, and countries to advance science and technology, grow your professional research network, and boost your career. So, are you ready to turn your innovative ideas into reality? There is still plenty of time to build a network proposal before the deadline!
Rewatch our online Info Day
If you missed our online Info Day that included a great segment from young researcher Dr Ariel Thomas on his experience of being the Chair of OFF-SOURCE COST Action then you can rewatch the recording here:
Make sure you’re on top of your application submission:
Please note that a new Technical Annex template has been introduced and all proposals must be submitted using the new template.
“The most important thing about proposing a COST Action is to identify a scientific area which would benefit from increased European collaboration. It is important for these networks to be purposeful and designed to drive forward new thinking in a field. The second most important thing is to bring together a diverse group of people capable of delivering on this ambition.“
Prof Tristam John Hooley, Norway. Main proposer and Chair of COCAG
“Identify why there is a need for such a network and ensure that your proposed Action meets all scientific and COST specific criteria. We identified an important issue that only a COST Action, and one that included the necessary impacts and strategies and capacity/capability, could provide, as well as addressing well all of the other usual COST Action considerations.”
Dr Daniel Hill, United Kingdom. Main proposer and Chair of ICPLASTIC
“We started our application by identifying a gap: the lack of a well-connected community of scholars and practitioners in a fast-moving field with significant political, economic, and social relevance for Europe and beyond. Possibly, we were successful because we proposed a credible way of closing this gap.”
Dr Florian Caspar Rabitz , Lithuania. Main proposer and Chair of FOGOS
“If you are considering proposing a COST Action, my main advice is: just do it. Seek experts in the field, email them, and try to include both academics and non-academics in your network (e.g., practitioners, NGOs, SMEs). Draft a collaborative proposal that incorporates the perspectives of all network members. Working together is the key to success.”
Prof. Francisco Sampaio, Portugal. Main proposer and Chair of CliMent
“A successful proposal should, in my view, focus on a timely research topic that will benefit from a highly international and interdisciplinary network of proposers covering a multitude of professional sectors while consistently ensuring inclusiveness.“
Dr Sofia Vieira de Sousa, Portugal. Main proposer and Chair of Net4CleanAir
“For a successful proposal, it is important to identify the relevant questions that would produce a significant advancement in the field and that can only be addressed by a collaborative effort of the network, and involve since the proposal writing stage experts in all the different aspects of the problem.”
Dr Giulia Gubitosi, Italy. Main proposer and Chair of BridgeQG
“First, formulate the main overarching goal that you hope to achieve with a COST Action and ensure its timeliness. Assemble a core team (10-20 people) and organize a brainstorming session to formulate both the main objectives and the key steps needed to achieve them. Be pragmatic and study the COST regulations carefully (in particular what can and cannot be funded) to write strong and convincing proposal. Review past approved examples as they provide a sense of the required detail.”
Prof. Taras Gerya, Switzerland. Main proposer and Chair of EUROBIG
“To assemble our team of proposers, we reached out to researchers whom we deemed suitable for the network due to their expertise, even if we hadn’t previously crossed paths. This approach enabled us to engage with individuals who shared our enthusiasm for collaboration and were eager to contribute to the establishment of the network.”
Dr Andreas Balaskas, Ireland. Main proposer and Chair of YouthDMH
“A proposal should have three key features: 1. A clear goal that had not been attempted before; 2. Strong emphasis on communicating with the public and stakeholders outside academia; and 3. Bring together people from different specialties so that the interaction itself gives added value to the proposal.”
Dr Charis Anastopoulos, Greece. Main proposer and Chair of RQI
