On Tuesday 26 May, COST held its first ever online Info Day. Over 30 people attended the event, which was targeted at Lithuanian researchers and innovators. The aim of the Info Day was to raise awareness of the COST Programme and encourage attendees to enhance their careers through pan-European networking activities.
The Info Day was opened by Director of the COST Association, Ronald de Bruin, who informed participants: “For almost half a century, we (COST) have provided opportunities for researchers and innovators to network and jointly tackle technological and societal challenges.”
Above: Ronald de Bruin, Director of the COST Association welcomes participants
During the event, attendees learnt about the importance and impact of networking and how COST Actions promote and spread excellence within research. The audience also learnt about how they could participate in COST activities.
Recently, Lithuanian participation within COST activities has risen, however, to date there have been no proposals to launch a new COST Action from a researcher or innovator based in the country. It is hoped that following the Info Day this will change, as there was clear interest from audience members in learning how to submit a proposal. During the presentation, the COST National Coordinator informed attendees about an additional national support of up to EUR 60,000 for successful main proposers.
Personal accounts of participation
The testimonies of former COST Action MC members highlighted the career boost and personal network expansion they had experienced resulting from COST Action participation. The MC members explained the beneficial economy of scale they had discovered through sharing equipment and results in a multi-disciplinary way; by getting in contact with neighbouring research communities, they discovered that their own research was broadened and new applications were explored in their home labs. Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM), were found to have been a particularly useful tool for early career investigators.
One speaker pointed out that although the Action finished a few years ago, collaborations between laboratories are now well established at a European and International level and several international congresses have and will take place. It was also noted that Actions can succeed in attracting private companies, who are often reluctant to join from the beginning but can bring much added value.
Watch the Info Day
Further information