Inclusiveness is a core objectives of COST and of our ChETEC Action. We summarise here key information and our strategy to promote and support inclusiveness.

COST Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs) are:
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey. 

Important note: only ITCs that have joined the ChETEC Action are eligible for funding (see list at the end of the page)!

We have put in place several measures to promote and support inclusiveness:

• We are monitoring and promoting participation from scientists from ITCs at all levels of the ChETEC Action. Within the CORE team, Prof Sevdalina Dimitrova is the pan-European coordinator in charge of Inclusiveness.

• STSMs: Inclusiveness is one of the objectives of the ChETEC Action and thus it is included in the Evaluation criteria for the STSMs.
  Specific provisions have been introduced to enable researchers from ITCs to receive 50% of their STSM Grant when they complete the first day of their STSM. The remaining 50% of the Grant is payable once the administrative requirements have been satisfied.

• Conference grants: a scheme to fund conference trips for scientists working in ITCs is being put in place. These grants are for ECIs (An individual who is within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their PhD/doctorate; full-time equivalent.) who work in one of the ChETEC Action ITCs. We will update this page when the scheme is open for applications. We have a budget of 12k for year one for these grants. [Click on user guide link on COST conference grant page]

• We also encourage and support access to world-leading facilities and expertise available across ChETEC Action network for ITC scientists. This can be done in particular but not limited to STSMs.

Any other specific problems concerning the participation of ITCs scientists in the ChETEC events can be directed to the MC members or Pan-European coordinator, Prof Sevdalina Dimitrova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.

ITCs statistics: ChETEC Action management committee includes representatives from 13 IT countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Republic of Serbia, and Turkey.