Strengthening Science, Research and Innovation Cooperation between Europe and South Africa

European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is an EU-funded programme that enables researchers to establish interdisciplinary research networks across Europe and beyond. It provides funding for conferences, meetings, training schools, short-term scientific exchanges, and other networking activities across a wide range of scientific fields.

Researchers are invited to submit proposals for COST Actions that contribute to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal advancement of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged.
The Open Call for Action proposals follows the SESA (Submission, Evaluation, Selection and Approval) procedure, which is entirely science- and technology-driven. The process is simple, transparent, and competitive, and reflects the bottom-up, open, and inclusive principles of COST.

Proposals must be submitted via e-COST, the COST Association’s dedicated online platform for grant management. Applicants should consult both the COST Open Call Proposers’ Guidelines and the Open Call Announcement, available on the Documents and Guidelines page.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN COST

The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) offers seed funding to support the travel costs of South African researchers participating in COST activities in Europe. For application steps and further details, please visit our COST page.

TIPS FOR SUBMITTING

Watch Tips for submitting a winning COST Action proposal on the COST YouTube channel.

DEADLINE

The deadline for submissions is 21 October 2025 at 12:00 (noon) CEST.
Please note that a new Technical Annex template has been introduced and all proposals must be submitted using the new template.

CALL INFORMATION

➔ View the call information