COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology is a funding organisation for the creation of research networks (COST Actions) offering an open space for collaboration among scientists across Europe (and beyond) and thereby giving impetus to research advancements and innovation. It is bottom up: researchers can apply to the COST Open Call to create a network focused on their research interests, in any science field.

COST Actions are highly interdisciplinary and it is possible to join ongoing Actions, which therefore keep expanding over their 4-year funding period. They are multi-stakeholder, often involving the private sector, policymakers, and civil society. COST funding intends to complement national research funds, as they are exclusively dedicated to cover collaboration activities, such as workshops, conferences, working group meetings, training schools, short-term scientific missions, and dissemination and communication activities.