MARGISTAR has launched its second call for Virtual Mobility Grants for mobilities occurring between January 15 and June 30, 2026. All applications must be made before the deadline on December 15 and all activities must occur before June 30, 2026.
Aim of a Virtual Mobility
Virtual Mobility (VM) Grants aim to promote scientific networking, knowledge sharing, and collaborative research in a virtual environment. These grants are designed to support researchers, particularly early-career scholars, in establishing or strengthening partnerships with colleagues across borders.
VMs offer a unique opportunity to overcome geographical limitations, enabling researchers to engage in collaborative work that would otherwise be difficult due to travel restrictions or logistical challenges. The grants support a range of activities, including, but not limited to virtual meetings, webinars, online workshops, and collaborative research projects. By leveraging digital platforms, these grants foster a vibrant exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the development of innovative research outcomes.
This second round of VM Grant applications invites applications addressing the topic described below. Priority will be given to VM proposals addressing this topic, although other VM topics are welcome provided that they comply with MARGISTAR’s objectives.
VM Grant on the MARGISTAR Case Study Catalogue
The grantee will be responsible for finalising the online publication of the MARGISTAR Case Study Catalogue. Tasks will include:
- Preparing the final layouts
- Editing the case study records
- Communicating with the authors regarding any missing data
- Proofreading the text
- Collecting pictures from authors and post-producing them so to be online-publication ready
- Ensuring that the catalogue is suitable for publication in coordination with the Science Communication Team
The Grantee will work closely with MARGISTAR researcher Andrej Ficko.
Call Deadlines
This call is for VMs occurring between January 15th and June 30th, 2026.
Please note that the evaluation process of submitted applications takes some time and the applicant cannot start their mobility period before having received the evaluation outcomes and Grant Letter.
No later than 30 days after the VM ends, the grantee must submit the grant report. The grant payment is made after the report has been approved by the Grant Awarding Coordinator.
Eligibility and the Application Process
The MARGISTAR VM Grant is intended for researchers and innovators with a primary affiliation to an institution located in a COST Full or Cooperating Member country or from a COST Near Neighbour Country. This serves to foster collaboration in a virtual setting, to exchange knowledge, and learn new techniques.
To be eligible, candidates must have prepared a VM project with an international team to gain new knowledge or access to equipment or techniques not available in their home institution. The main subject of the VM must be in line with the scope and topics of MARGISTAR.
The application must be submitted using the e-COST platform.
The Applicant must log in to e-COST, click on the ‘My Grant Applications’ tab and ‘Apply for a grant’. Then, the applicant must select ‘Dissemination Conference’ and complete all the sections of the application form. The application form requires the following details: COST Action, grant period, grant title, amount requested, bank account, start date requested, and end date requested.
To complete an application, the following documents must be uploaded:
A breakdown of the estimated costs of the VM.
Grant Application form (template available here) describing: goals, description of the work to be carried out by the applicant, plan for participation, expected outcomes, and a description of the contribution to the MARGISTAR COST Action MoU objectives. As the second round of the VM grant invites applications addressing a specific suggested topic, namely the MARGISTAR Case Study Catalogue, applicants are expected to specify in the application form if their proposal addresses it or not.
A confirmation of the host receiving the applicant.
1-page CV in the Europass format.
The Evaluation Process
After the submission, the application will be assessed by the MARGISTAR Grant Awarding Coordinators and the MARGISTAR Core Group. The evaluation process will last approximately 3 weeks after the submission.
The team will evaluate applications according to budget available and considering the following criteria:
- Compliance of the conference topic with MARGISTAR: The proposed conference must align with topics related to the sustainability of mountainous areas (e.g., natural, environmental, social, and economic inter-relationships and interactions in mountainous areas, and environmental, social, economic, and political challenges of mountains), and in particular address periphery traps in mountain areas, visions of post-marginalised futures, or transformation pathways in, of and for mountain areas.
- Contribution to the MARGISTAR COST Action objectives and deliverables: In particular, the assessment will consider the relevance of the proposed presentation for the MARGISTAR Action Objectives, the contribution to the scientific advancement of the proposal based on the abstract and application form submitted, and the publication and/or outcome potential of the research carried out. The exhaustiveness of the explanation provided of how it will support MARGISTAR in achieving its scientific objectives will be highly considered in the evaluation. Membership to one WG of the CA 21125 is obligatory for considering the application valid.
Contribution to the career development of the applicant: The applicant should explicitly address in the cover letter the motivation for participating in the conference in terms of the new knowledge, expected grantee’s visibility, and contribution to their career development. The establishment of new contacts for future collaborations and impact on the applicant’s career will be highly positively considered in the evaluation. Priority will be given to early-career researchers and young researchers.
- Inclusiveness criteria: Gender balance and geographic coverage will be considered.
- Past applications: Applicants that have benefitted from previous MARGISTAR mobility grants or that are applying for other types of mobility (STSM, VM, ITC) can apply, however priority will be given to applicants who have not been awarded any MARGISTAR grants before.
- Coherence of the proposal: This criterion considers the coherence between the requested budget with the duration and destination of the proposed mobility. Evaluators will check the reasonability of the costs comparing the amount requested with the 2024 Daily allowance table issued by COST Action and online available information about travel costs. This criterion also considers the potential impact of the presentation: oral presentations are favoured over poster presentations; presentations developed within the frame of a collaborative project within two (or more) different COST Member Countries will be preferred.
Once the evaluation process is complete, all applicants will receive a formal notification through e-cost informing them about the outcomes of the selection and whether their request was approved.
If selected, the applicant will receive a grant letter stating the approved amount and the conditions for receiving the grant. In no case should the applicant start their mobility period before having received the grant letter.
What financial support is provided in the VM Grant?
Up to €1,500 in total can be awarded to each successful VM applicant.
The number of VMs approved and the amount granted for each VM will be determined during the evaluation process by the Grant Awarding Coordinator, in cooperation with the Core Group.
The maximum financial support granted for each VM will be determined during the evaluation process by the Grant Evaluation Committee (i.e., the MARGISTAR Core Group). The amounts granted for each VM will depend on the length of the mobility, and will be determined during the evaluation process.
Participant grants are non-commercial transactions, therefore, claims as such are not subject to VAT deduction. Taxes normally due or applicable concerning the payment of the grant are not to be deducted from amounts payable to participants. It is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that all amounts that they receive from COST funding are compliant with their national tax rules and obligations.
What do grantees need to do during and after the VM?
The applicant is responsible for choosing and contacting the host institution and for organising the application process.
During the Virtual Mobility
The VM must take place as foreseen in the submitted application. If the VM work plan includes delivering a presentation in the host institution (e.g., a seminar or lecture), the grantees must acknowledge COST and MARGISTAR in the presentation properly and must use the official logos and visual identity.
In addition, grantees are expected to actively network with researchers at the host institution and promote the COST Action to the potential stakeholders.
If the VM dates are modified, the grantee should get in touch with the Grant Awarding Coordinator as soon as possible and provide an updated letter justifying the change, that in no case can happen later than September 30, 2025.
After the Virtual Mobility
Within 30 days after completion of the VM, the grantee must submit a report and supporting documentation via the e-COST system to claim the grant. Late submission will lead to a cancellation of the grant.
The grantee will receive an e-notification to submit the report and other supporting documents on e-COST:
- Payment claim via e-COST.
- Report to the Action MC on the work developed, main achievements of the VM and planned future follow-up activities. This report should be done using the COST template.
The grantee is also required to write a blog post to be published in the MARGISTAR blog to disseminate his or her VM experience to a wider audience. The grantee will receive instructions for this via e-mail.
Grant Payment
Payment is subject to the grant report being pre-approved on behalf of the Action’s MC by the delegated Grant Awarding Coordination team. The grant is payable up to 30 days after the grantee’s report and supporting documents have been approved by the Action Chair (or Vice-Chair).
Please note that the COST Association and Action’s Grant holder can request additional information to substantiate the information contained within the documents submitted by grantees.
Acknowledgement of COST Action MARGISTAR
If work resulting from a VM is published in a journal, please add the following acknowledgement: “This work/Part of this work was supported by the CA21125, A European forum for revitalisation of marginalised mountain areas (MARGISTAR).”
Events must acknowledge the MARGISTAR logo in relevant documents. If the work is presented in a conference or event, the COST Action logo must be displayed and the COST Action MARGISTAR must be acknowledged.
Contact
For additional information about this call, please contact Grant Awarding Committee co-coordinators: Dr. Laura Boffi ([email protected]), Dr. Anita Bušljeta Tonković ([email protected]).
