What does our existing Young Research community have to say?

“To other young individuals who are undecided about joining or participating in COST activities, I would say this: seize the opportunity! COST offers a unique platform for networking, learning, and collaboration. It’s a chance to be part of something bigger, to contribute to cutting-edge research, and to grow both personally and professionally. Don’t hesitate to join us, be enthusiastic, and proactive, and never doubt your own level of experience.” Laura Torella, Young Researchers Coordinator of GenE-HumDi

"For a PhD student or a young researcher, being involved in a COST Action network is a wonderful opportunity to communicate with other scientists around Europe. It brought many things to my career development, for example, more advanced communication skills, the possibility to work on a large project, gather new information about my research topic, and exchange ideas with peers.”
Dr Jane Varul, member of TEATIME

“This COST Action is one of the best things that happens to me: allowing me to increase my self-esteem and foster both general and professional development. As an early-stage researcher, I have been trusted to manage and work with an extraordinary group of highly motivated people focusing on youth development.” Dr Alen Mujčinović, Working Group Leader of Rural NEET Youth Network

“Joining COREnet as Iceland's Management Committee member in the early stages of my PhD proved invaluable. It gave me an opportunity to connect with academics from all over Europe and beyond. It also gave me a sense of belonging to a larger community, which is essential for PhD candidates. Participation in training schools, conferences, and formal and informal meetings initiated by this interdisciplinary COST Action played a significant role in my development as a researcher.” Goda Cicenaite, Management Committee member of COREnet

“I, myself, as an early career researcher, found the COST Action an excellent place to learn and find new networks, collaboration, and project skills, which prepared me, for example, for new Horizon Europe EU projects.” Dr Jarkko Leppälä, member of SACURIMA

“COST Actions provide a greater benefit to young scientists than I think many people realize. Many young researchers are able to give their first talk at an international meeting thanks to the funding provided by Actions such as COSY. Through the Action, they can also take their first steps in networking at meetings or in collaborating with other researchers by means of Short-Term Scientific Missions.”
Michael Gatchell, Science Communication Coordinator of COSY

“Being part of FUR4Sustain during my PhD and as a young researcher has given me many great opportunities. I was able to meet new people within my research area (through Training Schools and meetings), establish collaborations internationally (through STSMs) and present my work at international conferences (through an ITC grant). All of this wouldn't have been possible without the support and opportunities provided by the COST association.” Dr Beatriz Agostinho, member of FUR4Sustain

“Participating in my first ever COST Action has been a great opportunity for me as a young researcher. The learning curve has been intensive and the connections rewarding. We have only just started but I am looking forward to the next years of collaboration and creation of knowledge with a highly motivated group of specialists from all over Europe and beyond. If you are considering joining a COST project, I sincerely recommend it.” Sirrý Sif Sigurlaugardóttir, member of DIGI-net

“COST Actions are excellent opportunities for young researchers and investigators. With the support from COST Action (FeSBioNet), I got through a challenging period of my research career as a Postdoc. I met leading scientists and built a strong network, and was able to develop my research niche.”
Dr. Kourosh H. Ebrahimi, former participant of FeSBioNet and now Chair of FeSImmChemNet

“One of the best things about being involved in a COST Action network is that they bring together international professionals to champion one common purpose. This gives you an opportunity to collaborate and network with team members whom you normally may not interact with. Not only can you create close working relationships with these team members, but also learn more from their expertise, and perform better in your career.”
Dr Manjola Zaçellari, member of UniDive

Supporting Young Researchers: Best Practice Examples from our COST Actions

DIGI-net Young Researchers and Innovators Forum

In April 2024 Work Inequalities in Later Life Redefined by Digitalization (DIGI-net) established a Young Researchers and Innovators (YRI) Forum within the Action to foster career development, enhance research skills, facilitate networking, and promote activities among Young Researchers. This Forum is a dynamic networking platform, fostering valuable connections and collaborations among young members and facilitating mentorship between YRIs and senior researchers.

The aim is to provide learning opportunities and allow young researchers to benefit from the professional and personal experiences of established researchers, fostering knowledge sharing and connections across different career levels and backgrounds. The Forum also plays a crucial role in increasing the visibility of YRIs and their work within DIGI-net and other professional settings.
Going forward DIGI-net's YRI Forum will hold at least two biannual general meetings for its network members.

Lavinia Andreea Bejan, leader of the DIGI-net YRI Forum explains: "Providing a space for connecting young researchers and innovators with each other and with more experienced researchers is a fundamental achievement of DIGI-net. It reflects the significant impact of this COST Action on the professional and personal development of all researchers involved, and particularly young researchers, who are being provided with wonderful opportunities for involvement and growth. It is my sincere belief that the Forum will effectively benefit both young researchers and innovators, as well as the DIGI-net itself, in the process of fulfilling our mutual needs and expectations".

COREnet masters thesis award

Connecting Theory and Practical Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity (COREnet) has developed a master's thesis award. The network offered an exciting opportunity for Young Researchers to submit their master's theses for a chance to be selected to join the ISORECEA (International Study of Religious and Eastern and Central Europe Association) conference in Tirana, Albania, and present their research. All Master theses written from the period of 2020-2023 in the field of practice-based research on religious diversity and migration were eligible.

"There are a lot of master thesis projects going on all over Europe that could be described as small, often empirical research projects in the field of migration and religious diversity. These master theses conclude often with interesting results, that are relevant to the practice. But many times, these projects and their results are not known beyond the university unit where they have been written." explains Annette Leis-Peters, COREnet Vice-Chair.

"Master thesis is an important step in academic career paths and an important contribution to developing (local) practices and research. Many small important research projects are conducted on master’s level that deserve more attention beyond their very context, so we developed the idea to highlight master theses by awarding a prize for the best master thesis in this field," she concludes.
Following evaluation, Ahmed Deniz from Tilburg University was selected as the winner. Ahmed’s master’s thesis 'Our Places versus Their Places. Turkish-Dutch Adolescents’ Perceived Social Identity and Perception of the Converted Amsterdam Faith Mosque' delved into the social and religious identity of male Turkish Dutch Adolescents (TDA) through their connection to the Fatih Mosque, employing qualitative methods, in-depth interviews, and fieldwork within an ethno-case study framework.
COREnet is planning to award this prize next year as well.

Career development within the geothermal sector

Deciding on a career path can be challenging for Young Researchers. Should you stay in academia or explore opportunities in the non-academic sector? This is exactly the questions raised and discussed by Research network for including geothermal technologies into decarbonized heating and cooling grids (Geothermal-DHC) in their career workshop for Young Researchers and Innovators. This participatory workshop was designed help participants understand their own preferences, skills, and strengths, and investigate how these personal attributes can guide career choices.
Before concluding its networking activities in Spring 2024 Geothermal-DHC went on to collaborate with sister geothermal COST Action FOLIAGE to co-host the first virtual meet and greet event for young careers in geothermal energy. The lack of professionals working in the industrial geothermal sector is a barrier towards a strong development of geothermal energy use in Europe. This virtual event aimed at establishing connections between Young Researchers and industrial representatives to create a platform for networking and recruitment.

GenE-HumDi webinar series by Young Researchers for Young Researchers

Early on in the formation of their network GenE-HumDi identified Young Researchers as a key stakeholder for their mission to accelerate the translation of Genome Editing technologies to the treatment of human diseases. The Action set clear capacity-building objectives to support the career development of Young Researchers and they also want to provide a forum where these members could express themselves and actively take part. In this regard, GenE-HumDi member Laura Torella, a young researcher herself, was nominated as the networks ‘Young Researchers Coordinator’.

Being entrusted by COST to lead the youth in our Action fills me with immense pride and excitement. It’s a testament to the trust they have in our potential to make meaningful contributions to the scientific community, especially in areas like gene editing. I strongly believe that our Young Researchers community is growing in such an exciting scientific season. Gene editing is a current reality, and we as young researchers can’t do any better than stay up to date with its innovation and be involved, from bench to bedside.”

Dedicated to young researchers looking to expand their knowledge and network, Laura has launched a dedicated Young Researcher Seminar Series. Each session features an invited speaker sharing insights on cutting-edge topics in science and career development. It is followed up with a one-on-one 'Meet the expert' session for those wishing to delve deeper into science and career development.

"Our goal in starting this series is to nurture the next generation of genome editing experts and contribute to its growth by giving them a forum where they can express themselves and drive the conversations about therapeutic genome editing," explains Dr Fco. Javier Molina Estevez, GenE-HumDi's Science Communication Coordinator.

In May, leading Professor Marc Güell joined the first event in this series to discuss 'Strategies and tools for ex vivo and in vivo genome editing'. "We invite renowned science and field leaders to our seminar series. These figures inspire many of us, yet they are hard to reach because of their complicated schedules. With this initiative, we pursue to provide an opportunity for young investigators and early career members to be able to reach these leaders and provide the space for personal interaction. We hope this can be an encouraging or even transformative experience for many young members and a great way to strengthen our network and promote colligability." adds Molina Estevez.

For more information read our COST Action blog on how GenE-HumDi supports Young Researchers.

COSY 'Listen To My Presentation' workshops

Confined Molecular Systems: From a new Generation of Materials to the Stars (COSY) organises an interactive workshop to improve the research presentation skills of the youngest members of their network. The overall goal is to equip Young Researchers with practical skills, communication abilities, and the confidence to engage actively in the fields covered by COSY.

"The original idea was to organise the group 'Read My Proposal' to improve the writing skills of Young Researchers. However, after attending the COST Academy training on how to present your COST Action to journalists we thought it would be much more effective to organise a 'Listen To My Presentation' workshop. We have noticed that Young Researchers can be less self-confident with their presentations and we just wanted to create a safe space where they can feel comfortable and receive feedback." highlights María Pilar de Lara-Castells, Chair of COSY.

This opportunity gives physicists the chance to present complex research concepts to an audience with varying degrees of familiarity with their fields. Experienced researchers and colleagues within the COSY network then provide valuable feedback on the presentations and help refine communication strategies.

"COST Actions provide a greater benefit to young scientists than I think many people realize. Many young researchers can give their first talk at an international meeting thanks to the funding provided by Actions such as COSY. Through the Action, they can also take their first steps in networking at meetings in collaborating with other researchers by means of STSMs. In COSY we are doing what we can to help early career researchers make the most of the possibilities provided by the Action, be it through workshops such as this one, Training Schools for young scientists, or initiatives such as FemCOSY where we shine a light on challenges face by women in physics and chemistry." concludes COSY's Science Communication Coordinator Michael Gatchell.

EpiLipidNET Young Researchers and Innovators Committee

EpiLipidNET is not alone in creating a committee of dedicated Action leadership positions to represent the interests of Young Researchers within their networks. To name but a few, DepolarisingEU has a dedicated role ‘Young Researcher and Innovator Manager’, GRADE has nominated an 'Inclusivity Coordinator', TREASURE has created the ‘Gender-Balance and Young Researchers Coordinator’ post, CLILNetLE appointed a 'YRI Coordinator', and PAAR-net have 2 dedicated positions, one for older co-creators and one for Young Researchers and Innovators.