CLEANFOREST launches VMGs for researchers being members and actively participating in the Action to conduct projects beneficial to the action on the topics proposed below. We particularly encourage participation from young researchers (under the age of 40) including PhD Students or postdoctoral fellows. MSc students will not be considered in the present call.
The call opens on February 20, 2026 and the VMG is expected to start between March 15 and March 31, 2026.
How to apply
- First contact the leader of the VMG topic and send your CV. Once the leader has accepted your application, please ask for an acceptance letter.
- Then apply at https://e-services.cost.eu/activity/grants by including the VM application template, a CV, a motivation letter and the acceptance letter from the VMG leader.
Reporting
Reports on the outcomes of the VMG must be submitted on the eCOST until May 31, 2026. Failure to submit the required report on time will effectively cancel the grant. The grant payment will be executed after the approval of the report by the Grant Awarding Coordinators and the Leader(s) of the VMG.
Project: Design and Editing of the Children’s Book
Building on the work carried out by a previous virtual mobility grantee, this VMG aims to support the final stages in the development of a children’s book designed to raise awareness of forest conservation and monitoring. The grant will support the design and production of: (1) an e-book to be made freely available online through the CLEANFOREST website; and (2) a printable PDF version allowing interested users to download and print copies for their children. This approach replaces the logistical challenges of printing and distributing physical copies while facilitating wider dissemination.
This initiative combines science communication with storytelling and art to inspire younger generations and promote the values of the CLEANFOREST Action.
Leader: Rossella Guerrieri (rossellaguerrieri@gmail.com)
Duration: 2-4 weeks
Location: Virtual
Total grant: max 1500 EUR
Project: Review on Monitoring Forest Resilience – Phase II
As part of an ongoing systematic review within WG4, this second phase focuses on consolidating and expanding the evidence base by integrating information from technical and scientific reports produced by forest inventory and monitoring networks. These sources complement peer-reviewed literature and are critical for understanding how resilience-related indicators are defined, measured, and implemented in practice.
The virtual mobility grant will support the advancement of this work through targeted synthesis, data management, and reporting activities. This opportunity is ideal for candidates with experience in forest ecology, environmental monitoring, systematic reviews, or data management. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail are essential. The selected applicant will gain hands-on experience in large-scale evidence synthesis and contribute directly to a manuscript targeting a peer-reviewed journal.
The selected candidate will assist with:
- Reviewing technical and scientific reports from forest inventory and monitoring networks to extract relevant information on resilience-related indicators, methodologies, and data structures;
- Managing and curating the project database to ensure consistency, traceability, and quality control across sources;
- Documenting progress in a structured manner and contributing to internal reports;
- Providing support in the preparation of a manuscript
Leaders: Marco Ferretti (marco.ferretti@wsl.ch), Rossella Guerrieri (rossellaguerrieri@gmail.com)
Duration: 2–4 weeks (to be agreed within the project timeline)
Location: Virtual
Total grant: max 1500 EUR
Project: New findings on drought patterns in Europe and drafting of the climate hotspots article
Building on the work carried out to map climate hotspots, this VMG aims to support the final stages of completing the computations and writing the manuscript. The grant will support the following: (1) perform additional calculations for the assessment of the drought regime in Europe, discussed and decided at a recent meeting of WG1; (2) compile information and write the Materials and Methods and Results sections of the Climate Hotspots paper. The recipient of this VMG will also need to provide support for the preparation of another paper on deposition and drought hotspots, using data/results from the drought assessment, as suggested also during the recent WG1 meeting.
This grant will enable us to accelerate preparation of the article on climate hotspots, with the goal of securing its publication before the CLEANFOREST annual final meeting in June 2026.
Leaders: Mario Gonzalez Pereira (gpereira@utad.pt) and Maria Alexandra Oliveira (maoliveira@ciencias.ulisboa.pt)
Duration: 2-4 weeks
Location: Virtual
Total grant: max 1500 EUR