COST Actions

COST Actions
Name	COST Actions
Formation	1971
Type	Intergovernmental framework
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	Europe
Parent organization	European Science Foundation

COST Actions

COST Actions are a European intergovernmental networking instrument that supports collaboration among researchers and innovators. They connect participants across institutions such as the European Commission, European Research Council, European Space Agency, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and national research councils like the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, French National Centre for Scientific Research, and National Science Foundation (United States). COST Actions foster links with universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Sorbonne University, Heidelberg University, Universität Wien, University of Bologna, and organisations including CERN, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Fraunhofer Society and Max Planck Society.

Overview

COST Actions operate as networks that enable short-term scientific exchanges between researchers affiliated with institutions like Imperial College London, Karolinska Institutet, ETH Zurich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Trinity College Dublin, and Politecnico di Milano. They aim to complement funding from bodies such as the Horizon Europe programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, European Innovation Council, Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and national ministries including Ministry of Education and Research (Norway), Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (Italy), and Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation (France). Participants often include specialists linked to projects funded by Human Frontier Science Program, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and World Intellectual Property Organization.

History and Evolution

COST Actions trace roots to cooperative initiatives established after consultations among bodies like the OECD, Council of Europe, European Communities, and research actors such as Paul-Henri Spaak era institutions. Early collaboration involved national academies including the Royal Society, Académie des sciences, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Polish Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Over decades COST Actions adapted to changing landscapes influenced by milestones like the Treaty of Maastricht, Lisbon Treaty, Single European Act, and programmes including Framework Programme 6, Framework Programme 7, and Horizon 2020. Key transitions engaged leaders and policymakers from entities such as the European Parliament, European Council, European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and figures associated with the European Research Area.

Structure and Governance

COST Actions are governed through bodies involving representatives from national ministries and agencies such as Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany), together with advisory ties to European University Association, League of European Research Universities, Science Europe, and the European Academies Science Advisory Council. Management structures mirror committees like the Scientific Committee, Management Committee, and working groups, with secretariat support coordinated from Brussels alongside liaison with institutions such as European Commission Joint Research Centre, European Investment Bank, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change experts. Chairs and vice-chairs often come from universities and research institutes such as KU Leuven, Université de Genève, University of Warsaw, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, and University of Lisbon.

Funding and Eligibility

Funding for COST Actions is allocated by the organisation's governing board drawing on contributions from member states including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Czech Republic, and associated members such as Israel, Switzerland, Norway, and Türkiye. Eligible participants are researchers and innovators affiliated with institutions such as National Institutes of Health, Max Planck Institutes, CNRS, INSERM, CSIC, Czech Academy of Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, University of Zagreb, University of Belgrade, Tbilisi State University, and private research organisations like Siemens AG, Bayer AG, Philips, Roche and small and medium enterprises across Europe. COST Actions complement grants from research funders such as the ERC Starting Grant, ERC Consolidator Grant, ERC Advanced Grant, Wellcome Trust Investigator Award, and national fellowship programmes including Marie Curie Fellowship.

Activities and Outputs

Typical activities include workshops, conferences, training schools, short-term scientific missions, and joint publications involving partners like Nature Research, Science (journal), The Lancet, Cell (journal), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and professional societies such as the European Society of Cardiology, European Chemical Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union and International Council for Science. Outputs encompass position papers, roadmaps, datasets, standards, policy briefs, patents, and spin-offs tied to institutions like Fraunhofer Institutes, Cambridge Enterprise, Oxford University Innovation and ETH Transfer. Collaborative outputs often intersect with initiatives such as OpenAIRE, ELIXIR, European Open Science Cloud, Copernicus Programme, GALILEO, Erasmus+, and UN Sustainable Development Goals-aligned projects.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluation of COST Actions employs metrics and review panels drawing expertise from panels like those of the European Research Council, Academia Europaea, Royal Society of Edinburgh, European Science Foundation, Science Europe and advisory input from stakeholder organisations including European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, BusinessEurope, European Environmental Bureau, and Friends of the Earth Europe. Impact is assessed via citations in journals such as Nature, Science Advances, BMJ, The Lancet Oncology, patent families filed at the European Patent Office, uptake by standards organisations like ISO, CEN, and policy influence on directives and regulations originating from the European Commission or debated in the European Parliament and Council of the European Union. Long-term effects have been documented in independent analyses by think tanks like Bruegel, Centre for European Policy Studies, RAND Corporation, OECD and academic studies from University College London, London School of Economics, Sciences Po, Universität Hamburg and Università degli Studi di Milano.

Category:European research organizations