ITC and YRIC grants
Inclusive Target Countries Conference
Overview of previous ITC grants awarded
ITC Conference consists in an oral presentation of the own work at a high-level conference fully organized by a third party (i.e., not organized nor co-organized by the COST Action) by an Action member affiliated to an Inclusiveness Target Country (ITC) or Near Neighbour Country (NNC).
YRI consists in poster or oral presentation of the own work at a high-level conference fully organized by a third party (i.e., not organized nor co-organized by the COST Action) by a Young Researcher or Innovator (age under 40).
How to apply for RenewPV ITC/YRIC
Interested researchers are advised to follow the directions provided below and submit their application and supporting documents via https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants.
The application process:
- Read carefully the funding rules detailed in Annex 2 of the Annotated Rules for COST Actions.
- Register for an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu/user/login.
- Prior to the online application, obtain an invitation letter from the host institution confirming that they can undertake the STSM on the given dates or conference acceptance letter for other grants.
- Submit the grant application form and the relevant supporting documents via https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants. Guidelines for online applications are available here.
The list of supporting documents to be submitted for the evaluation are:
- Application form (template available on e-COST) detailing: the goals, a description of the work or presentation to be undertaken by the applicant, the expected outcomes, and how the contribution aligns with the objectives ofRenewPV MoU objectives.
- Acceptance/invitation letter from the conference organiser.
The applications will be evaluated at the end of every month by the RenewPV core group.
The process for all grant types (STSM, ITC, DC, YRI) is similar and activities must be fully implemented by the end of September 2026.
For additional support and help, please contact the Grant Awarding Coordinator at [email protected] (with “CA21148” text in the subject line).
The following funding conditions apply and must be respected:
- Only research proposals focusing on emerging chalcogenides for PV applications will be considered. Halide perovskite topics are not eligible for RenewPV grant funding.
- Travel expenses cannot exceed EUR 500. For accommodation and meal expenses, a maximum amount of EUR 160 per day can be considered.
- A grantee can be afforded up to EUR 4000, with the above limits in mind.
- Grant activities must occur in their entirety within the dates specified in this call, i.e., from 01.02.2026 to 30.09.2026.
- Financial support is limited to cover travel and subsistence expenses and is paid as a grant. No receipts are needed.
- As justifications for the mission accomplishment serve the e-COST scientific report with the approval letter or certificate of attendance from the event organiser, as well as non-technical feedback of the visit for dissemination via LinkedIn page of the Action. The grant money is transferred to a grantee only after these three proves are received by the RenewPV Management Committee.
- In case of changes to the grant, an application for the change must be submitted immediately.
The granted amount will be determined during the evaluation process by the RenewPV core group. For this year we have planned around 15.500 EUR for STSM grants and 12.500 EUR for the conference grants.
Within 14 days from the end date of the ITC or YRI, the grantee must submit:
- a scientific report via the e-COST platform;
- the certificate of attendance,
- presented slides or poster with the RenewPV and COST Action logos
- event agenda as .pdf file
- a non-technical dissemination contribution for RenewPV social media (e.g. a short LinkedIn post, written or audio-visual). Failure to submit all required items within the deadline will result in cancellation of the grant. Grant payment will be initiated once the report is approved by the RenewPV Management Committee.
Please note that COST may request additional information to verify the information contained within the documents submitted by Grant applicants.
Deadline for grant applications: 30.06.2026
Period of grant implementation: 01.02.2026 – 30.09.2026
