Frequently asked questions

About the Action

What is NetSec, in one paragraph?

NetSec is a four-year COST Action (CA24154, Networking European Security Knowledge) running from October 2025 to October 2029. It brings together researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners working in or alongside European security studies, with the aim of bridging the academia–policy divide and cultivating the next generation of security scholars. Funded by the European Union through the COST programme; the legal Grant Holder is Universiteit Leiden.

Who runs the Action?

The Action Chair (Dr Moritz Weiss) and Vice-Chair (Dr Marie Robin) lead the Action politically and scientifically. Day-to-day, four Working Groups drive the work, each with a Leader and Co-Leader. The Grant Awarding Coordinator (Dr Eliza Gheorghe) and the Science Communication Coordinator (Mr Eugenio Sánchez) hold cross-cutting roles. See Action Leadership on the home page for the full picture.

When does the Action end?

09 October 2029. Four-year duration is the standard COST Action length; there is no extension mechanism.

Joining & participating

How do I join the directory?

Submit your bio via the public Google Form. It takes about five minutes and asks for your name, country, affiliation, working groups of interest, a short bio, optional links (ORCID, LinkedIn), and an optional headshot. After a brief human review your card appears on the Network page within a week.

Do I need to be an MC member to join the directory?

No. The directory is open to MC representatives, Working Group participants, and the wider community of researchers and practitioners with an interest in European security. Anyone engaged with the field is welcome.

I'm a newly appointed MC member. What do I do first?

There's a step-by-step on the members' Wiki at Onboarding for new MC reps. The short version: log in to e-COST, confirm your participation, submit your bio to the directory, and join the mailing list.

Can I be part of more than one Working Group?

Yes. Many members contribute to two or more WGs. You declare your interest via the Google Form (or by updating your entry later); there is no quota or cap.

How do I update my bio, photo, or affiliation later?

Submit the form again with the updated information. The sync job matches your new submission against your previous one (by email address) and updates your entry. Your leadership role and working-group position are preserved across updates.

Grants & funding

What grants can I apply for through NetSec?

Five schemes are documented on the Grants & Calls page: Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSM), Virtual Mobility grants, Young Researcher and Innovator Conference Grants, ITC Conference Grants, and Dissemination Conference Grants. Maximum reimbursement is typically up to €2 100 per grant; exact ceilings depend on grant type and trip distance.

How do I apply for an STSM?

Applications go through e-COST: log in, navigate to the STSM section, fill out the application form, attach a CV and a host invitation letter, submit. The Grant Awarding Coordinator (Dr Eliza Gheorghe) and her Co-Lead (Dr Chiara Libiseller) handle the assessment. Plan for a four- to six-week turnaround. A step-by-step is on the members' Wiki at How to apply for an STSM.

When are calls open?

STSMs are open year-round, subject to remaining budget for the Grant Period. Conference and Training School grants follow specific calls announced by the Action; watch the Grants & Calls page and the mailing list.

Can I bring a co-author or collaborator on a Conference Grant?

A Conference Grant funds one attendee, the named applicant. Travel companions, co-authors not from the Action, and observers must fund themselves.

What does an STSM cover financially?

A flat daily allowance for accommodation and subsistence, plus travel costs up to a country-distance-dependent ceiling. STSMs are not salary; you remain employed (or stipended) by your home institution throughout. Detailed rates are in the COST Annotated Rules.

Why don't I see the grant I want on the e-COST portal?

The e-COST portal filters what each applicant sees based on their profile. ITC Conference Grants only appear to applicants affiliated in an Inclusiveness Target Country; the Young Researcher and Innovator Conference Grant only appears to applicants under 40. If a scheme listed on the Grants page isn't visible on your e-COST dashboard, your profile doesn't make you eligible, that's by design.

Why might my grant application be rejected?

Two common reasons. (1) The grant type is not in NetSec's Work and Budget Plan. The e-COST portal can surface grant types from other COST programmes; submitting one of those to NetSec results in a rejection by the Grant Awarding Coordinator. The five schemes on the Grants page are the only ones in our WBP. (2) The eligibility criteria for the specific grant aren't met (country of affiliation, accepted presentation, no double funding, etc.).

Meetings & reimbursement

When does the next plenary happen?

The first MC plenary will be announced shortly after the Action's formal launch. Plenary dates and locations appear in the Roadmap section of the home page and in the mailing list.

Where do I find meeting agendas and minutes?

On the members' Wiki at Meeting notes & agendas. For closed-door material, contact the Action Chair.

How do I claim reimbursement after attending a meeting?

Through e-COST. Log in, find the meeting under My Activities, and follow the reimbursement workflow. You will need scanned travel tickets and accommodation receipts. The Grant Holder (Universiteit Leiden) processes reimbursements; expect four to eight weeks from submission.

What if my reimbursement is rejected?

First, read the rejection note, most rejections are because of a missing document or a date that falls outside the eligibility window. If you are still stuck, contact the Grant Awarding Coordinator.

Website & directory

How is the directory on this site different from the cost.eu listing?

The cost.eu listing is a flat list of formally appointed MC representatives. The NetSec directory is broader: it includes the wider community (Working Group participants, ECIs, interested researchers) who have opted in via the Google Form. The two are complementary; the directory is updated weekly from the form, and country-level MC information is also synced from cost.eu.

Why do some members have leadership cards on the home page and others don't?

The home page surfaces the Action Leadership, the Working Group Leaders, and the Working Group Co-Leaders as cards near the top. Every other member appears on the Network page but not on the home page. The distinction follows the formal MoU structure.

Who do I contact about the website?

Drop a message via the contact form. It reaches the site maintainer (Dr Arthur Laudrain, MC member CH) and the Action Chair. For security issues, follow SECURITY.md in the repository rather than posting publicly.

Why is the site so minimalist? Where is the analytics, the cookie banner, the chat widget?

Deliberate. NetSec does not run analytics, tracking pixels, or third-party chat widgets. No cookies are set; therefore no banner is needed. The privacy posture is documented on the Privacy page.

How do I see the full bio of a member from compact view?

The directory has two view modes: detailed (photo, role, affiliation, WG chips, bio, contact icons) and compact (a denser one-row layout). Switch between them with the small grid / list icons in the toolbar. In compact mode, click any card to expand it in place, the clicked card flips to its detailed form while the rest of the grid stays compact. Click outside the card, press Esc, or click another card to collapse it. The URL gets a #slug anchor so you can share a deep-link to a specific member's profile.

For NetSec members

Where's the working space for members?

On the members' Wiki. It holds meeting notes & agendas, the decisions log, how-tos (STSM application, bio updates, funding acknowledgement), the WG landing pages, templates & press kit copy-paste material, external resources, and lessons learned. Anyone with write access to the main repository can edit any wiki page directly in the browser, no PR, no review queue. See the Wiki home page for the full table of contents.

How do I acknowledge NetSec funding in a publication?

Three standard forms (full / short / one-line credit) and copy-paste text live on the Press kit page §5, and on the Wiki's Templates page. For a complete walkthrough see the Wiki's How to acknowledge NetSec funding.

How do I suggest a new FAQ entry?

Two options: (1) use the contact form with "FAQ" in the message, quickest for non-technical contributors; (2) open a pull request against faq.html in the repository if you're comfortable with GitHub.