First Meeting of the Management Committee of COST Action TD1303Brussels

4-5 November 2013

“Asking researchers about the research funding system is like asking birds about aerodynamics”

Jevons, 1973

General objectives | Working groups (WG)“The main objective of the Action is to establish a powerful transboundary network of partner institutions across Europe that are involved in education and research related to arthropod-transmitted infectious diseases of man and animals, a network addressing the growing importance of vector-borne diseases at a time of Global Change, all integrated under the One Health concept, and reflecting the complexity and demands of current high-end research.”

• WG1: The “One Health” concept in the ecology of vector-borne diseases

• WG2: Barcoding, molecular diagnosis and next generation sequencing

• WG3: Geospatial tools in vector research

• WG4: Phylogenetics and phylogeography of vectors and vector-borne

pathogens

• WG5: Rare and emerging vector-borne pathogens

• Please, all MC Members Choose your WG!!!

Proposals for Working Groups Coordination

WG Leader WG Deputy Leader

WG1 David Modrý(Czech Republic)

Bulent Alten(Turkey)

WG2 Muriel Vayssier-Taussat(France)

Laetitia Lempereur(UK)

WG3 Laura Rinaldi(Italy)

Vladimir Ivovic(Slovenia)

WG4 Agustin Estrada-Pena(Spain)

Ozge Erisoz (Turkey)Elena Coipan (Netherlands)

WG5 Gad Baneth(Israel)

Silaghi Cornelia(Germany)

• WG1: The “One Health” concept in the ecology of vector-borne diseases

• WG2: Barcoding, molecular diagnosis and next generation sequencing

• WG3: Geospatial tools in vector research

• WG4: Phylogenetics and phylogeography of vectors and vector-borne pathogens

• WG5: Rare and emerging vector-borne pathogens

Proposals for other coordinating positions

Name

STSM Coordinator Dusan Petric(Serbia)

Publications coordinator Domenico Otranto(Italy)

Conference coordinator Antti Oksanen(Finland)

Web manager Andrei D. Mihalca(Romania)

Specific objectives (tasks)

1. To implement the “One Health” concept in the field of vectors and VBDs (research, diagnosis, surveillance, health policies, education)

2. To implement a standardized medical terminology on vectors and VBPs and diseases considering the “One Health” concept

3. To train young scientists during Training Schools and Short Term Scientific Missions in top laboratories

4. To train Early Stage Researchers in general research issues (grant proposal writing, manuscript writing, research management)

5. To indicate and implement standardized and modern research tools in the daily research routine to facilitate metaanalysis

6. To facilitate ToK and disseminate scientific information

Eligible activities (budget plan) 2013-2014

• Meetings 72,210 €• STSMs 25,000 €• Training schools 40,000 €• Publications 6,300 €• Other 2,490 €• Overhead 21,000 €TOTAL 167,000 €

MeetingsMeeting types

• MC Meetings• for our Action (suggestion): 1 MC meeting per year• duration: half day

• Core Group (CG) Meetings• CG must have decision power• meeting as often as necessary, in principle as internet meeting/voting• CG consists of 12 people:

• Action Chair + Vice-Chair• Publications coordinator + STSM Coordinator + Conference coordinator• WG Leaders• other additional members according to specific needs

• WG Meetings• for our Action (suggestion): 1 WG meeting per year• duration: one day

• Action Conferences/Workshops• for our Action (suggestion): 1 Annual Conference• duration: one and a half day• MC members should make proposals for workshops, seminars etc.

• Dissemination meetings (attendance to other conferences)• in principle to European Conferences• maximum 2 participants/year (must be in the W&B or pre-approved)

Meetings

Who? Day 1 a.m. Day 1 p.m. Day 2 a.m. Day 2 p.m. Day 3 a.m. Day 3 p.m.

Arrival + Dinner arrival MC WGdiscussion Presentations Presentations Departure

MC Member

WG Members

Eligible participants

Organization and management of the Action

Scientific debates and action plan to implement the objectives

Communication of research results

Annual Conferences• One per year (4 during the Action)• Organized by the MC (under the coordination of the

Conference Coordinator) + Local organizing committee• Locations?

2014

2016

2014 - Cluj-Napoca (RO) ?

2015 -?

2016 - Turku (FI) ?

2017 - ?

Annual Conferences• 2014 (Cluj-Napoca, Romania ?)

• Title:• 1st Conference on Neglected Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases

(EurNegVec): with MC and WG Meeting of the COST Action TD1303

• Date proposals• principle: which days of the week? WED-FRI?• Decided: 8-11 April 2014• Deadline for abstract 15 January 2014

• Number of participants to be reimbursed (n=87):• MC Members (n=40)• WG Members (priority to ESR) (n=47): based on abstract submission?

• Budget (72210 EUR)• Travel costs: 69600 EUR• Organisational support: 2610 EUR (from the Action’s Budget)

• LOS: Can ask additional support from COST• participation fee from participants not-eligible for reimbursement• sponsors, local public funds, institutional funds etc.

Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)COST Principles for STSMs:

• should specifically contribute to the scientific objectives of the COST Action• geographical and gender balance• applications from ESR should be privileged

Rules• STSM applicants must be engaged in a research programme as a postgraduate

student or postdoctoral fellow, or be employed by or officially affiliated to an institution or legal entity (public of private)

• Duration 5-90 days (single grant period) (may be extended 91-180 days for ESR)

NNC: Armenia, Algeria, Egypt, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Tunisia, Republic of Moldova, Albania, Morocco, Lebanon, Belarus, Georgia, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Palestinian Authority, the, Syrian Arab Republic, Jordan, LibyaIPC: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

STSMsFinancial support:

• based on the budget requested by the applicant and the evaluation by the Action responsible

• Maximum 100 EUR/day• Maximum 500 EUR for travel expenses• Maximum 2000 EUR/grantee (3000/grantee for a duration more than 91 days)

Our internal rules• Proposed: 25 STSMs/year | average 1000 EUR/STSM (Total budget 25000 EUR)• STSM Coordinator + WG Leaders + MC Chair (STSM Committee) (conflict of

interest!). The setup of the committee, its composition and the mandate to take decisions must be approved by the MC

• Application submitted continuously, but assessed 2 times per year• Deadline 28 February | Evaluation 1-31 March | Results 1 April• Deadline 15 June• If additional budget is available, the MC/CG can decide for one more

application session(s)• Is it necessary to limit the duration of a STSM? If yes, how much?

STSM rules draftDocuments required for application

1. Written agreement of the host institution2. Correctly filled on-line application form 3. CV4. Full work plan (study/research/training)5. Motivational letter (guidelines!)6. Recommendation letters7. Self-signed statement regarding any previous COST-related financing from the past

• Grading• points 4-5 graded from to 5 pts (excellent) to 1 pt (rejected)• ESR 0.3 pts• not in the same year (rejected)• not in the same lab (per action) (rejected)• Ranking• if more applicants get the same points, they will be ranked according to age, gender

(favor the minority gender), nationality (avoid repetitions)• waiting list (if selected applicants refuse from various resons)• the budget for each STSM will be decided by the STSM Committee, according to the

destination and according to COST rules

Training schools (TS)COST Principles and rules for TS:

• at least 3 trainees to 1 trainer• duration 3-15 days• location: any participating COST country/NNC Institution• MC/CG must decide on the eligible participants (trainees and trainers)• Selection criteria and eligibility for trainees

• affiliation to COST, NNC or EU-RTD• country and sex balance• priority to ESR

• Selection criteria and eligibility for trainees :• affiliation to COST, NNC, IPC, EU-RTD• maximum 4 invited speakers• no repetition of invited speakers is recommended

• Recommended budget• Trainers: similar to meetings• Trainees:

• maximum 160 EUR/day• maximum 300 EUR for travel expenses• maximum 1500 EUR/trainee

Training schools (TS)• Each WG has to organize at least one TS during the Action• Proposal (total 9 TS during the Action):

• WG1: 1 TSs• WG2: 3 TSs• WG3: 2 TSs• WG4: 2 TSs• WG5: 1 TSs

• Organized by the MC (under the coordination of the respective WG Leader) + Local organizing committee

• Proposed for 2014 (total budget 40000 EUR)• 2 TS (WG?, Location? Topic? Period?)

• Volunteers for 2014• For each TS: Total 20000 EUR:

• 20 participants (ESR) x 700 EUR = 14000 EUR• 4 trainers x 800 EUR = 3200 EUR (no lecture fees eligible!)• Organizational support 2800 EUR

• LOS: Can ask additional support from COST• participation fee from participants not-eligible for reimbursement• sponsors, local public funds, institutional funds etc.

• Selection criteria for trainees? Same as STSM?• Selection of Trainers should be the responsibility of the WG.

PublicationsTypes:

• produced during an Action’s lifetime (funded by the Action’s Budget):• books (hard copy or electronic), reports, journal articles, brochures, flyers and

other types of publication, including in electronic format e.g. DVDs and CD-ROMs

• website• participation to other meetings

• produced at the end of the Action (funded by COST Office)• Final Action Publication

• COST strongly recommends e-publications or the use of environmentally friendly materials or print-on-demand

Budget 2014:• 6300 EUR• Eligible costs:

• The purchase and distribution of a fixed number of copies• Proofreading, editing, production and distribution costs• Multimedia material production costs• The production of proceedings• Production of other materials (e.g. flyers, posters, postcards)• Website development

PublicationsEurNegVec Publications:

• Articles published in peer-reviewed journals• When an EurNegVec member co-authors a scientific paper in the field of the

Action, in the Acknowledgement section: “The work of initials was done under the frame of EurNegVec COST Action TD1303”

• Thematic journal issues in peer-reviewed journals• To be decided within the MC• Discussion with Editors-in-chief• To decide (all proposals to be sent to the Publication Coordinator):

• Journals? Topics? Number of articles? (how many invited reviews, original research etc.)

• Eligibility of publication fees? Should we pay from the Action’s Budget?• Methodological guidelines

• standardized diagnosis and surveillance of vectors and vectors-borne diseases• proposals from each WG? First WG Meeting should come with clear proposal.• horizontal approaches? (inter-WG)• Manuals for the TSs?

• Monographs• proposals?• editors/coordinators?

• Proceedings• Annual Conference abstracts

Proposal from Agustín Estrada-PeñaGuideline(s) for the collection of “bugs” in Europe:• where in the habitat collect the bugs, with instructions about how and where carry out

active surveys• how to identify the species, including illustrations for immatures and adults*• in which parts of Europe is necessary to carry out periodic active surveys to detect or to

monitor populations of spreading or native arthropods• what are the variables that have influence on development and survival of arthropods, to

avoid people to frequently reinvent the wheel, and to check the variables that really matter.

• distribution maps? *The point 2 is of special importance, because nobody has adequate keys, everybody use the first thing found on Internet and there is not an adequate knowledge of the taxonomy necessary for determination of arthropods. Bar coding is not yet working well as to identify vectors. We need to provide with drawings and probably there is the need to centralize the preparation of keys (and drawings) and to invest some money in the salary for a professional team making drawings. SEM are not useful. Such guide should be ideally published in an open access format allowing everyone for easy and free download.

Ticks, Sandflies? Any other?

Proposal from Agustín Estrada-PeñaGuidelines with procedures to detect DNA of pathogens in arthropods:• Detailed protocols• Detailed primers• Detailed instructions about “if you found something different, please do not report it,

better first check it twice”. This is expected to contribute to stop (or to decrease) the publication of “garbage”.

• It should with coordinating editor and multi-author approach

Website• Detailed rules are available in the COST regulations• Website management:

• General: Action Chair• Specific contents

• STSM Coordinator• Conference Coordinator• Publication Coordinator• WG Leaders

• Budget:• 2014: 3000 EUR• 2015: 1000 EUR• 2016: 1000 EUR• 2017: 1000 EUR

Website

EURNEGVEC: EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR NEGLECTED VECTORS AND VECTOR-BORNE INFECTIONS

About the Action

• Abstract and keywords

• Background

• Objectives & benefits

• Scientific programme

• Organisation & Timetable

• Dissemination plan

The network

• By country

• By topic

• By WorkGroup

Events and news

• MC Meetings

• WG Meetings

• Annual Conferences

• Training Schools

• STSMs

Publications

• Monographs

• Guidelines

• Fliers and brochures

[News] [Links] [Downloads] [Private area] [Contact]

• Alphabetical • Scientific papers

• Maps

• Press realeses• Available positions

Logo (Designer Oana Onit)

Logo (Designer Anna Benczedi)

Logo (Designer Ana Amaro)

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Still missing countries• Austria• Bulgaria• Cyprus• Denmark• Iceland• Latvia• Lithuania• Luxembourg• Malta• Sweden