Short – Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) aim at supporting mobility and collaboration among researchers participating in the CLEANFOREST Action. An STSM consists of a visit to a host institution located in a different country that the country of affiliation and should contribute to the objectives of the Action.
STSM travel grants are available for researchers actively participating in CLEANFOREST WG activities. We particularly encourage participation from young researchers. According to the COST Action, a young researcher is a researcher or innovator under the age of 40. PhD Students or postdoctoral fellows, but not MSc students, are also eligible applicants for the STSM grants.
STSMs shall only be used to support networking activities and other expenses specifically supporting the Action and dedicated to achieving the Action’s aims and objectives. STSM Grants may not be used for either drafting, writing or submitting proposals for the purpose of acquiring funding for national, European or internationally sourced research grants.
Period of STSM travel grants and application deadline
Applications can be submitted anytime until 31st of March 2025. It is, however, noted that applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis (first come – first served basis), depending on STSM budget availability.
We do not set a deadline for the completion of the STSMs, but the STSM report must be submitted by the 30th of September 2025. In exceptional circumstances the report submission deadline may be extended, after approval by the Action’s Grant Holder.
WG-focused STSM topics
This call focuses on STSMs with specific topics that aim at supporting the Working Groups’ priorities. Thus, we offer STSM grants in the following topics per WG:
| 1 | WG1: Database development and data mining |
| 2 | WG1: Review of deposition trends |
| 3 | WG1: Review of deposition monitoring techniques |
| 4, 5 | WG2: Reviewing the effects of climate change & atmospheric deposition on European forest ecosystems over the last 30 years through the lens of tree growth, water-use efficiency (WUE) & mortality. (2 positions) |
| 6 | WG3: Build a matrix of tree species, soil and management for climate and N mitigation potential |
| 7 | WG3: Reviewing current knowledge and analyzing EU level tree species climate mitigation potential |
| 8 | WG3: Metadata review analysis of forest recovery in response to climate extremes and N deposition |
| 9 | WG3: Reviewing the impact of N deposition on soil biodiversity and soil carbon |
| 10 | WG4: Do current monitoring networks provide the data we need to estimate the resilience of European forests? |
| 11 | WG4: Expanding forests resilience assessment by integrating microorganisms into routine soil health monitoring |
Details for each STSM grant can be found as follows:
STSM grants 1, 2, 3 are in the context of Action’s Working Group 1 (WG1), which is focused on assessing spatial-temporal changes in global change drivers.
1. Database development and data mining
During the STSM, the candidate will participate in the development of a database of nitrogen and sulfur deposition and concentration, and of effects on vegetation from several sources, including monitoring stations (EBAS and ICP forest), models (EMEP and CAMS), and remote sensing. Currently, large amounts of data on air pollution and its effects are of size and complexity that render it unusable to the research community. Besides the size of the data, other issues include data access and how to correlate different datasets with distinct units, spatial and temporal aggregation. The common approach based on in-house methods, such as using spreadsheets, or even R statistical software, inhibits a wholistic assessment of long time series at the European scale. A generic application to integrate this type of data is being developed to facilitate data mining using either machine learning or classical statistics to validate available models and to relate different drivers with their effects on vegetation.
The STSM will last up to 6 weeks and the candidate will have the opportunity to work with an international team of researchers in the areas of Computer Engineering and Environment monitoring and modeling. During the STSM, the candidate will perform the following tasks:
- Document data format and access
- Produce and implement code to read and write the data into the database
- Test and implement code for data correlation using machine learning and/or classical statistics
The candidate will be co-supervised by João Nuno Silva and Maria Alexandra Oliveira (maoliveira@fc.ul.pt) from the University of Lisbon, and Arne Verstraeten (arne.verstraeten@inbo.be) from the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Belgium. The candidate will be invited to work in Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa Portugal, hosted by João Nuno Silva.
Requirements:
Knowledge and experience with python programming language. Knowledge in spatial / time-series data mining is valued.
2. Review of deposition trends
During the STSM, the candidate will review literature on trends in air concentrations and depositions of nitrogen and sulfur compounds, and of effects on vegetation based on data from monitoring networks (e.g. EBAS, ICP Forests, SWETHRO) and modelling (e.g. EMEP, CAMS, OPS). The UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) entered into force in 1983 shortly after acute forest decline was observed in Central and Eastern Europe. Atmospheric concentrations and depositions have been monitored and modelled since then at regional/national and European scale, with a variety of techniques. A comprehensive overview of trends, comparability of results and gaps in current methods would be of high interest to the scientific community.
The STSM will last up to 6 weeks and the candidate will have the opportunity to work with scientists experienced in the field of atmospheric deposition monitoring. During the STSM, the candidate will perform the following tasks:
- Search and process relevant literature
- Summarize trend results and evaluate gaps in monitoring and modelling
The candidate will be co-supervised by Dr. Arne Verstraeten (arne.verstraeten@inbo.be) from the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) Belgium and Dr. Ajinkya Deshpande (ajides@ceh.ac.uk) from UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). The candidate will be invited to work in one of the two institutes.
Requirements:
Interest and/or experience in atmospheric deposition monitoring or modelling.
3. Review of deposition monitoring techniques
During the STSM, the candidate will review literature on currently available monitoring techniques for measuring atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition. Atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition is a global environmental issue that affects human and ecosystem health. It’s an ecological challenge that threatens ecosystem functioning, biogeochemical cycling and biodiversity, especially sensitive vegetation. However, the progress towards developing innovative monitoring techniques has been slow and disparate. While some techniques have evolved faster than others, existing techniques remain inadequate for application in certain environments. A comprehensive review of existing monitoring techniques and networks along with guidance on developing cost-effective and easy to deploy-methodological approaches to extend monitoring of atmospheric deposition in less represented regions is of critical importance.
The STSM will last up to 6 weeks and the candidate will have the opportunity to work with scientists experienced in the field of atmospheric deposition monitoring. During the STSM, the candidate will perform the following tasks:
1.Search and process relevant literature to summarize available techniques and evaluate gaps in monitoring.
2.Based on the available knowledge, make recommendations on developing cost-effective and easy to deploy techniques.
The candidate will be co-supervised by Dr. Ajinkya Deshpande (ajides@ceh.ac.uk) from UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH, Edinburgh) and Dr. Rocío Alonso del Amo (rocio.alonso@ciemat.es) from Research Center for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT, Spain). The candidate will be invited to work in one of the two institutes.
Requirements:
Interest and/or experience in atmospheric deposition monitoring.
STSM Grants 4 and 5 (2 positions)are in the context of Action’s Working Group 2 (WG2), which focuses on the interactions between global change drivers and the health and functioning of forest ecosystems, and will be sharing the same topic
4, 5: Reviewing the effects of climate change and atmospheric deposition on European forest ecosystems over the last 30 years through the lens of tree growth, water-use efficiency (WUE) and mortality. (2 positions)
The two STSM candidates will support the WG2 participants in the development of the systematic literature review of trends in forest growth, WUE and mortality since 1990. This review is designed to provide an up-to-date perspective on the state of European forests over the last 30 years, as well as compare common methodologies used to make these assessments across a range of scales (from individual trees to the landscape level) and identify critical gaps in knowledge. The candidates will have the opportunity to develop the literature review research and learn useful skills in database management and participate in the writing process, with the support of a diverse international team of researchers. We are looking for two motivated individuals who will play a significant role in 1) reviewing literature and existing published European databases for long-term trends in forest growth, WUE and mortality at a range of scales and methodologies across Europe; 2) manage the literature review database ensuring completeness, consistency, and providing quality control; 3) analysis of trends and drivers (with focus on climate and atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur deposition) and 4) collaborate with researchers working in the fields of forest growth/WUE and mortality to commence writing the literature review. It is not expected that the literature review will be completed during this STSM, however it is anticipated that the candidate (if desired) will continue to be involved in the process after the completion of the mission.
The STSMs will last 4 – 6 weeks and the candidates can select between one of three potential host institutions:
- Forest Research, Alice Holt, Surrey, UK, hosted by Dr. Caitlin Lewis (caitlin.lewis@forestresearch.gov.uk). In addition to direct support with the management of the review database, the candidate will have the chance to visit the in-house laboratories and surrounding research forest; an ancient oak woodland which hosts an arboretum, an eddy covariance flux tower, an ICP Forests Level II plot, and novel instrumentation such as automatic dendrometers and biodiversity monitoring equipment. The location is close in proximity to other research institutions such as UKCEH and ECMWF, offering further opportunity for collaboration and guidance with the use of climate data. Depending on their interests, the candidate could also visit other research sites within the UK to see experiments and trials that address drivers of forest conditions and inform UK forestry practice. Forest Research could host a candidate between July-September.
- ETH Zurich, Switzerland, hosted by Dr. Mathieu Lévesque (mathieu.levesque@usys.ethz.ch). Besides the direct support for the review database management and data analysis, the candidate will have the chance to visit cutting-edge research infrastructures at ETH and at other research institutions in Switzerland. ETH could host a candidate between late-August-September.
- Dept. Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy, hosted by Prof. Rossella Guerrieri (rossellaguerrieri@gmail.com). In addition to the mentorship to develop specific tasks within the WG2 systematic review, the grantee will be exposed to a research project currently going on, involving dendroecological measurements at several ICOS sites within NEXTRES project, and – depending on the period – she/he will have the chance to visit the nitrogen manipulation experiment co-lead by Rossella Guerrieri. Besides science, the candidate will also have the chance to visit the oldest university in the Western world and to ,enjoy the beautiful Bologna with its iconic architecture and of course vast food tradition.
Virtual assistance will be provided by Dr Danielle Creek from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Prof Nikos Fyllas from the Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
We seek candidates who can work independently and collaborate with an international team of researchers. Basic skills in software for data management, analysis and visualisation, such as R are desirable, but the successful candidate will receive support to develop these skills during the visit.
STSM Grants 6, 7, 8, 9 are in the context of Action’s Working Group 3 (WG3), which is focused on the understanding of the interactions between global change drivers, tree and soil biogeochemical processes.
6. Build a matrix of tree species, soil and management for climate and N mitigation potential
During the STSM, the candidate will work together with the WG3 participants in the analysis of the climate mitigation potential of different tree species in various soils and under diverse forest management regimes. The candidate will have the opportunity to analyze various sources of data and online tools developed specifically for tree species suitability for climate (current and future) and air pollution mitigation and soil conditions. And summarize the results identifying the potential tree species that show better mitigation potential, and under which circumstances. The outcome of this analysis will be ideally used to support reforestation, afforestation, and climate smart forestry decisions, and support guidance for forest management for climate and pollution mitigation we envision to develop ai scientific publication or a white paper. The STSM will last up to 2 weeks. The host Institute is Forest Research, UK under the supervision of Elena Vanguelova (elena.vanguelova@forestresearch.gov.uk). During the visit, the candidate will become familiar with the research facilities of the Institute, have the opportunity to interact with local researchers and with the members of the WG3 involved in this research.
7. Reviewing current knowledge and analyzing EU level tree species climate mitigation potential
During the STSM, the candidate will work together with WG3 members. The candidate will review the current knowledge regarding the distribution potential of tree species under current and future climate and extreme events scenarios and will analyse the climate mitigation potential of different EU tree species using species distribution maps and climate scenarios. The outcome of this analysis will be ideally used to support reforestation, afforestation, and climate smart forestry decisions, and we envision to develop a scientific publication or a white paper. The STSM will last up to 4 weeks. The host Institute will be the European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (VA), Italy and the candidate will work under the primary supervision of Mirco Migliavacca (mirco.migliavacca@ec.europa.eu). During their visit, the candidate will work with a team working on forest resilience and become familiar with the research facilities of the Institute, have the opportunity to interact with local researchers working on similar topics and with the members of the WG3 involved in this research.
8. Metadata review analysis of forest recovery in response to climate extremes and N deposition
During the STSM the candidate will work closely with the WG3 members, aiming to understand the interactions between global change drivers and tree and soil biogeochemical processes. Specifically, the candidate will review the current knowledge and collect data regarding the acidification recovery of forests in terms of C allocation (above and belowground) and stability with relevance to the European Critical loads. The outcome of this analysis will be ideally used to support reforestation, afforestation, and climate smart forestry decisions, and we envision to develop a scientific publication. The STSM will last up to 4 weeks. The host Institute will be the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the University of Münster, in Germany. The candidate will work under the primary supervision of Mana Gharun (mana.gharun@uni-muenster.de). During the visit, the candidate will become familiar with the research facilities of the Institute of Landscape Ecology, have the opportunity to interact with local researchers and with the members of the WG3 involved in this research.
9. Reviewing the impact of N deposition on soil biodiversity and soil carbon
During the STSM the candidate will work closely with an existing team of co-authors to complete a review paper on the pathways by which N deposition influences soil biodiversity and soil carbon. Specifically, this candidate will compile literature and partially-written ideas and coalesce them into a paper for submission. The host institute will be the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology in Belvaux, Luxembourg. The candidate will work under the primary supervision of Kate Buckeridge (kate.buckeridge@list.lu). For the duration of this STSM please contact Dr. Buckeridge. During their research visit the candidate will become familiar with the research facilities in the Environmental Sensing and Modelling (ENVISION) research unit, have the opportunity to interact with local researchers and with the members of WG3 involved in this research.
STSM Grants 10, 11 are in the context of Action’s Working Group 4 (WG4), which is focused on next-generation manipulation experiments and monitoring networks.
10. Do current monitoring networks provide the data we need to estimate the resilience of European forests?
This topic focuses on analyzing whether existing monitoring networks (such as ICOS, ICP, and eLTER) provide sufficient data to assess the resilience of European forests. The aim is to identify the minimum set of parameters across scales, that are required for resilience assessment and explore how data from different networks support each other. Additionally, the research under this topic will investigate which parameters directly relate to remote sensing indicators, offering a comprehensive approach to monitoring forest resilience.
The STSM will last up to 2 weeks. If you are interested in being involved in the development this topic, please contact Marco Ferretti (marco.ferretti@wsl.ch) & Rossella Guerrieri (rossellaguerrieri@gmail.com) for further information and application details. If you are particularly interested on soil monitoring, please contact Elena Vanguelova (elena.vanguelova@ForestResearch.gov.uk) & Ivika Ostonen (ivika.ostonen@ut.ee)
11. Expanding forests resilience assessment by integrating microorganisms into routine soil health monitoring
In the frame of preparation EU Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_3637), the need to develop simple and informative indicators for soil health emerges particularly clearly. Forest soil is highly heterogeneous, formed due to several organic and inorganic processes; it hosts the highest known diversity of microorganisms and stores the greatest carbon pool. The microbial processes interacting with pedogenetic processes should be considered next to the forest resilience estimation, which currently is based on aboveground parameters or soil organic carbon change monitoring. The STSM will last 4 to 8 weeks.
In the frame of this topic, the candidate has the opportunity to work under the supervision of Dr. Marketa Mareckova (marketa.sagova@gmail.com, Czech University of Life Sciences) to find connections between microbial communities and pedogenetic characteristics and estimate the potential for indication of forest soil health.
Funding:
- Financial support for STSM is a travel grant awarded to individuals and it is not an employment.
- The indicative duration of each STSM is indicated in the description of each position. The applicants should consider that the maximum amount to be awarded is 4,000 € per grant, based on the duration of the mission, the costs level of the host country and a reasonable justification of expenses.
- Taking into account the number of approved applications and the total STSM budget for this grant period of the Action, applicants may be asked to limit their costs.
- STSM grantees must make their own arrangements related to personal, health, taxation and social security.
- Payment for all costs have to be made using a private bank account, NOT an institutional bank account, to be eligible for reimbursement.
- Reimbursement will be carried out after the completion of each STSM and the approval of all required documentation.
Application:
- Applicants need to have an e-COST profile at https://e-services.cost.eu/.
- The applications must be submitted online at https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants by selecting “Apply for Grant” and then “Short-Term Scientific Mission grant”.
- In addition to the information requested by the online platform, the applicants should upload the following documents in a single PDF file:
- The STSM grant Application, based on the e-COST template (https://www.cost.eu/STSM_GrantApplication)An invitation and confirmation letter on the agreement from the host institution in receiving the applicant and on the responsible host affiliated researcher.A cover letter clearly stating the relevance of the proposed activities in relation to the CLEANFOREST COST Action and the benefit for the applicant.A short CV (maximum 2 pages) including recent publications, if applicable.
- The budget requested (in €) including the list of estimated costs and justification.
Additional information on the submission via the e-COST system can be found at: https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/12/Grant-Awarding-userguide.pdf
Evaluation
The applications will be evaluated by the Grant Awarding Committee and members of the Core teams of each WG in order of submission (first come – first served basis), depending on the available STSM budget available.
The evaluation’s results will be communicated to the applicants.
The evaluation criteria will be: (a) the CV of the applicant, (b) the contribution of the application’s goals and expected outcomes to the priorities set in the topics of each WG (for the WG-focused STSMs), (c) the feasibility of the application’s workplan, (d) the justification of expenses, (e) the Action’s budget limitations. Attention will be given to promoting gender balance, young researchers and geographical inclusiveness.
Funded applications, reimbursement and dissemination requirements:
The template for the final report can be found at https://www.cost.eu/STSM_report_template. The STSM reports must be submitted by the 30th of September 2025. In exceptional circumstances the report submission deadline may be extended, after approval by the Action’s Grant Holder.
Written approval of the STSM scientific report will be uploaded on e-COST for archiving purposes. Failure to submit the required report on time will effectively cancel the grant. The grant payment will be executed within 30 days after the approval of the report by the Grant Awarding and STSM Coordinators as well as the Host.
In terms of outcomes’ dissemination, the grantees are expected to deliver a short talk or webinar.
Any publication resulted from the STSMs should acknowledge the CLEANFOREST Action.
Questions/Inquiries:
For general STSM inquiries, please contact:
- Mariangela Fotelli (fotelli@elgo.gr), STSM Coordinator
- Yann Salmon (yann.salmon@helsinki.fi), Grant Awarding Coordinator
For inquiries related to the WG-specific STSMs, please contact the host people indicated in each topic.