Armenia on path to become full member of COST

On 17 May 2022, the National Academy of Science of Armenia (NAS RA), in cooperation with the Scientific and Innovation Partnership Assistance Center (SIPAC), organised an EURAXESS Armenia Mobility Day in Yerevan, Armenia.

The session was chaired by Mr. Tigran Arzumanyan, Head of International Grants Support Department, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The focus of the mobility day is to provide various mobility opportunities to researchers and innovators as well as the latest information about Horizon Europe and the association process.

Under the flagship of the “EU programs supporting researchers’ mobility and career development”, COST was invited to present the COST Programme supporting the creation of research networks.

“Internationalisation of science can start with COST”

Mr. Hrant Matevosyan, Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia

Mr. Hrant Matevosyan, Vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia with participants attending the meeting.

Armenia joined EURAXESS as the 41st Member and is setting the path to become the 41st COST Full Member. Since 2016, the Republic of Armenia currently participates as a Near Neighbour Country whose researchers and innovators are actively using the COST Actions for engaging with their peers from Europe and beyond.

In her presentation, Mrs Katalin Alföldi, Policy Officer and Global Networking Task Leader at the COST Association gave a detailed overview of the COST Programme, emphasised the benefits of joining a COST Action and the ways to participate in COST activities.

Mrs Katalin Alföldi, COST Association

Cooperation between NNCs and the European Union is of strategic importance for both the COST Actions and the research communities of the neighbouring countries.

This cooperation gained even more importance following November 2021, when the European Commission and Armenia signed the agreement granting the Republic of Armenia associated status to Horizon Europe, the EU’s research, and innovation framework programme (2021-2027). This means that Armenian researchers, innovators, and research entities can participate under the same conditions as entities from the EU Members States.

In the case of the COST Programme, this brings those Armenian researchers are eligible for reimbursement if they would like to participate in or organise a Training School, Short-term Scientific Mission (STSM), conference, or another networking activity in the context of a COST Action. They can also access COST’s Inclusive Target Country (ITC) tools, such as ITC conference grants.

Last year, among the 40 new successful proposals, 73% of the networks have attracted participants from COST International Partner Countries and Near Neighbour Countries.