Q&A

COST provides financial support for cooperation efforts of scientific groups across Europe and the coordination of these research networks. The support covers the costs of networking activities such as meetings (e.g., travel, subsistence, local organiser support), conferences, workshops, short-term scientific missions, training schools, publications and dissemination activities. COST does not fund the research itself.

As an ELN member you may participate in ELN activities and benefit from its tools (e.g., apply to STSMs or Training Schools), be involved in WG’s projects and contribute to ELN achievements and outputs, receive up-to-date information about open calls or forthcoming events, be connected to high-quality scientific communities in Europe and worldwide, strengthen collaborations and enlarge your research network, benefit from propitious conditions to establish international partnerships and pursue new projects, and increase the visibility of your work within the network and to the public at large.

ELN members can contribute to the network in many ways. For instance, by becoming involved in WGs activities or by connecting with other colleagues worldwide to come up with new projects, such as book proposals and special issues, applications to national/international funding (these should include at least 3 ELN members, from 3 countries), research syntheses, cross-cultural comparisons, teaching recommendations, tutorial videos, etc. As a bottom-up, open network, ELN supports any original and substantiated idea aligned with its goals as stated in the Action Memorandum of Understanding. Contact your WG leaders, if you want to partake in current projects or put forward a new one aligned with ELN goals.

Any scientific activity of ELN members (e.g., publications, on-going projects, applications to project grants, tools development, organization of events, etc.), which have benefited from the Action’s networking tools (e.g., meetings, STSMs, etc.), can be disseminated on the website and the newsletter. For that, send an e-mail with detailed and updated information to the Scientific Secretary and Communication Manager, who will work out the best dissemination format.
 

A COST publication complies with the following requirements: (1) Topic of publication is aligned with COST Action IS1401ELN goals, (2) Authors include, at least, two ELN members from two participating countries, and (3) COST Action IS1401ELN is explicitly acknowledged in the publication.

ELN can be acknowledged in any presentations, documents, or publications reporting work that somehow benefited from ELN networking activities (e.g., STSM, training schools, meetings, workshops, etc.). For that, you may use the ELN logo in your presentations and add the following line to the acknowledgments’ section of your publications: "The work presented here benefited from networking at COST Action IS1401ELN (is1401eln.eu).”

ELN dissemination tools (e.g., mailing list, newsletter, and website) are available to all members interested in spreading useful information within the network, such as relevant calls or events. For that, contact the Communication Manager, who will, first, help you to decide the best outlet for your request and, then, circulate it within ELN.

To increase ELN impact at a national level you may carry out simple actions, such as spreading ELN activities and outputs among your research contacts, proposing new members, or posting the newsletter at your institution. Additionally, you may want to translate carefully selected ELN documents to your native language to reach a larger audience or identify stakeholders that may be interested in joining ELN. If a resourceful amount of information is gathered and translated you may consider building, hosting, and managing an ELN national website linked to is1401eln.eu. Contact the Action’s Chair, if you are willing to implement some of these ideas. 

ELN is on Twitter (@ELNcost) as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/is1401eln). By following us online, you will be able to keep up with the latest ELN news and activities, stay connected and interact with other members, and contribute to broadcast our work. To strengthen ELN presence in social networks and reach the public at large, we encourage all members to use the hashtag "#ELNcost” in their ELN-related posts on Twitter, Facebook, or other platforms.