The scientific committee behind the EU researcher networking scheme, COST Actions, says it is time to boost its budget amid an unprecedented flood of applications.
In the last call for proposals, the programme saw a 62% increase in applications. With its current budget of an average €150,000 per year, COST will only be able to fund 8% of submitted proposals, leaving many support-worthy projects unfunded.
The COST scientific committee is calling for an increase in budget that would allow it to fund at least 50% more Actions, as it calls its projects, each year.
This is for both the current COST budget rooted in Horizon Europe, which runs until 2027, and the next one, starting in 2028, said COST Actions spokeswoman Karima BenSalah.
“Without an increase in funding, the programme risks not being able to meet rising demand for pan…