COST terminology (ECI, ITC, NNC etc. )
Management Committee (MC) - For each Action a Management Committee, formed by national experts of the signatory countries, is in charge of implementing, supervising and coordinating the activities of the Action.
Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSM) - These Missions (Inter-laboratory Exchange Visits) aim at strengthening the existing COST Actions by allowing scientists to go to an institution or laboratory in another COST country to foster collaboration, to learn a new technique or to take measurements using instruments and/or methods not available in their own institution/laboratory. They are particularly intended for Early Stage Researchers.
Early career investigator (ECI) - a researcher whose career spun less than 8 years between the date of the PhD/doctorate (or similar experience) and the date of involvement in the COST Action. Periods of career leave have to be added to this time span.
COST countries - Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and one cooperating state: Israel
Near Neighbour countries (NNC) - currently Russian Federation, Ukraine and CERN. In general any of these countries if they joined the action: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, the Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine.
Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Serbia and Turkey