THIRD CALL STSM
Third Call for Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of COST Action Maternal Perinatal Stress and Adverse Outcomes in the Offspring: Maximising infants’ development (TREASURE)
The call for applicants will be open from 3th of December to 17st of December 2025. The STSM will end before 1st October 2026
1. STSM and TREASURE
This is the third call for Short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) funded by Cost Action CA22114. STSM is a mobility grant aimed to promoting individual mobility to gain new skills and knowledge in areas of interest of the TREASURE COST Action.
TREASURE is a four-year COST ACTION that started on 09/11/2023. The main goal is to address the effect of maternal stress on infant health in the short and long term. The activities in TREASURE are structured in six Working Groups (WGs). Details on the content and goals of each WG are available in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA22114/
2. Application
TREASURE offers four STSM grants to financially support individuals in their mobility. The minimum visit should last for 5 working days, and the maximum is 1 month.
The Daily Allowance rate intends to cover expenses related to accommodation, meals, and/or short distance travel (defined as less or equal to 100 km one way) and other incidental costs (eg. taxi or parking expenses, fuel costs, carbon tax, toll charges, car rental expenses linked to car travel, tips, etc) but it may not necessarily cover all expenses. STSM applicants must calculate the cost of the visit by themselves, with the travel costs covered up to EUR 500 and daily amount depending on the country. Up to a maximum of EUR 2,000.00 in total can be awarded to each successful STSM applicant. Details about the maximum daily allowance that can be claimed for accommodation and meal expenses per country can be found in COST Daily Allowance Rates
Applicants are also requested to consult the Annotated Rules for COST Actions and Grant Awarding User Guide
Note: We may accept applications submitted after the deadline, provided that there is sufficient budget. However, grant requests submitted during the open call period will be given priority.
IMPORTANT: STSMs must be completed by October 1st, 2026.
3. Application instructions
Applications for STSMs are managed through the e-COST management tool (https://e-services.cost.eu/user/login). The applicants will complete the information on the website and upload the following documents:
- To be filled in e-COST:
- Title of the STSM
- Start and end date
- Budget requested by the applicant
- Information about the host institution and contact person
- Confirmation letter from the HOST Institution, confirming agreement to receive the applicant
- APPLICATION FORM, (template available in e-COST and in annex 2) including a work plan detailing the proposed activities. The work plan should describe goals, the work to be carried out by the applicant, expected outcomes and how it contributes to the Action objectives
- CV, including a list of academic publications if applicable
- A support letter from the HOME Institution
This information will be visible to the holders of leadership positions and any evaluation committees in the Action for evaluation purposes.
Once the STSM has ended, the grantee must submit a short report on the outcomes of the visit (annex 3) and a confirmation letter from the host institution verifying the successful execution of the STSM. The report and the letter need to be submitted within 30 days after the end date of the STSM. It is noted that if the applicant does not submit the required report on time, the grant is cancelled.
For further details, the applicant may visit the Annotated Rules
For additional information on the submission via the e-COST system, applicants may visit the Grant Awarding User Guide
4. Grant awarding criteria
Each proposal will be ranked by the STSM committee of the Action, and an evaluation score will be given considering the relevance to TREASURE, the quality of work plan, the applicant’s CV and the optimal budget’s plan, adjusted to the days of the visit (annex 1).
The selection will follow the COST policies on inclusiveness:
- Geographical spread, prioritizing ITC countries up to 10 points (see annex 1). ITC counties: https://www.cost.eu/about/strategy/excellence-and-inclusiveness/.
- Career stage: prioritizing young researchers (we will only fund senior researchers, if there are not enough applications from young researchers).
- Gender balance (if there is a tie in the selection process, we will prioritise gender balance).
Note: Applicants who have previously received TREASURE STSM funding are not eligible. Scholarships will only be awarded to past STSM beneficiaries if there are not enough new eligible candidates.
The final ranking will be approved by the Action Chair and the Grant Awarding Coordinator.
