ITC Conference Grants are oriented to young researchers¹ affiliated in Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC)² or Near Neighbour Countries (NNC)³ presenting their work (poster/oral presentation) in high-level conferences fully organized by a third party (not organized by the COST Action). It provides a contribution for travelling, accommodation, and registration fees. It does not necessarily cover all the expenses related to participating in a given conference.

ITC conference grants are awarded up to a maximum of 2,000€, but average demands around 500-1000€ are expected. A detailed budget is requested for the application.

¹ A researcher or innovator under the age of 40.

Guidelines for applicants

To apply for an ITC Conference Grant, applicants must utilize the e-COST management tool. It is mandatory for all applicants to possess an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu/.

Applications should contain:

• A brief CV that highlights recent publications/outcomes.
• The application form available at https://www.cost.eu/ITCConference_GrantApplication
• An acceptance letter from the conference organisers;

There is no deadline for applications. Applications will be reviewed by the Grant Awarding Committee (Grant Awarding Coordinator, WG leaders and Chair) in the 3 weeks following their submission.

Successful applicants will have to provide the following documentation for claiming the grant after the conference:

• A certificate of attendance,
• The program of the conference or book of abstracts / proceedings indicating the presentation (oral or poster) of the grantee
• A copy of the given presentation (oral or poster)
• A report on the outcome in terms of grantee’s visibility, new contacts… The report form is available at https://www.cost.eu/ITCConference_Report

The report must be submitted no later than 30 days following the end date of the conference, or 15 days before the end of the Grant Period (October 31^st), whichever comes first. It is important to note that if the report is not submitted on time, the grant will be revoked. Once the report has been approved by the Grant Awarding Committee, the grant payment is expected to be processed within 30 days.

Please consult the Annotated Rules for COST Actions for more details on eligibility for application and the reimbursement rules.