Call Open: Virtual Mobility (VM) Grants for MedPlants4Vet Researchers prioritized for WG6

What is a Virtual Mobility Grant?

A Virtual Mobility (VM) Grant supports collaborative activities conducted remotely among researchers in the MedPlant4Vet network. These grants aim to:

• Foster capacity building and knowledge exchange.
• Promote integration of data, methods, or protocols
• Support development of online tools, publications, databases or training materials.

VM Grants enable researchers to stay active in the network without needing physical travel, making them ideal for interdisciplinary, international collaboration.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must:

• Be a participant of the MedPlant4Vet Action (CA22109).
• Be affiliated with a legal entity in a COST Full or Cooperating Member or Near Neighbour Country (NNC).
• Have an updated e-COST profile (https://e-services.cost.eu).
• Participation from Early Career Investigators (ECIs) and applicants from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITCs) is strongly encouraged.
• For WG6, the strategic priority is to strengthen understanding and practical insight into the clinical use of herbal veterinary medicinal products (HVMPs). Applications are open to veterinarians and other professionals with demonstrated experience in veterinary clinical practice or applied animal health settings. Candidates without relevant clinical or applied veterinary experience will not be eligible.

Eligible Activities

Eligible VM activities are as follows:

• Prioritized Activity: Development of a case study template.
  • Identify the key data points required for a clinically sound case study, ensuring completeness and practical relevance,
  • Organize the case template into clear sections, including:
    • Clinical history and examination
    • Husbandry context
    • Diagnostic approach
    • Therapeutic plan incorporating HVMPs
    • Pharmacological considerations, dosage, and safety
  • Follow-up with the trainees to prepare the case study and to answer their questions before the course.
  • Design a standardized assessment grid to support interviews with veterinary practitioners on the use of HVMPs in real-world clinical settings.

Application Requirements

Applications are submitted via the e-COST system and must include:

• Virtual Mobility Grant Application (Annex 1)
• CV (maximum 2 pages, PDF)
• For Prioritized WG6 activity applicants:
  • Mail of confirmation from the WG 6 leader (to be attached as pdf)
• A valid veterinary card.

Grant Amount and Budget Framework

• Each Virtual Mobility Grant awarded under this call provides a fixed contribution of €1,500 to successful applicants.
• The grant is a flat-rate contribution intended to cover the time and resources invested by the grantee in virtual collaboration. It does not require receipts or expense reports.
• Activities to be covered the VM call will be between 18.11.2025-05.12.2025. All expected excel files to be filled and a report to be submitted to the WG leaders at least 07.12.2025.
• Payment is made after the successful submission and approval of the final report in e-COST.
• The number of funded VM Grants:1
• All activities must be completed within the current Grant Period and must comply with COST rules as described in the  COST Annotated Rules (COST 094/21) and the Grant Awarding User Guide.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the MedPlant4Vet Grant Awarding Committee based on:

• Applications will be evaluated with consideration for country distribution, ensuring sufficient diversity to cover various native languages relevant to the analysis
• A confirmation email from the WG leader
• Relevance to the MedPlant4Vet MoU and COST Excellence and Inclusiveness Policy
• Applicant’s background and contributions to the Action

Results will be communicated shortly after the deadline.

Reporting and Reimbursement

A report (Annex 2) must be submitted via e-COST within 10 days after completion. A short report version of the grantees’ of their experience to be published in the newsletter and to contribute with content (posts, pictures, short videos etc) for the Action social media and Website (Annex 3).

The grant is paid after approval of the final report by the Grant Awarding Coordinator and Grant Holder.

Important Dates

Deadline for applications: November 13th, 2025

Need Help?

Grant Awarding Coordinators

Begum Yurdakok Dikmen (byurdakok(at)yahoo.com)
Juliana Trifkovic (julijana.trifkovic(at)pof.ues.rs.ba)

Administrative matters

Maura Ellenberger (maura.ellenberger(at)fibl.org)

Concerning the Action Chair

Theresa Schlittenlacher (theresa.schlittenlacher(at)fibl.org)
Marta Mendel (marta_mendel(at)sggw.edu.pl)

For scientific alignment

Contact the Working Group Leader