The STSM must have a minimum duration of 5 calendar days that includes travel. The STSM needs to be carried out in its entirety within a single Grant Period and always within the Action’s lifetime.

STSM Grant Details (Grant Period 1: November 2024 – October 2025)

The management committee of CA23133 has allocated up to €2,000 for each individual STSM during this period.

The STSM grant covers travel, accommodation, subsistence, project implementation, report submission to the COST Action Management Committee (MC), and overall effort. Grantees can carry out their missions anywhere in the world. However, the grant is a contribution and may not cover all expenses.

As participant grants are non-commercial transactions, they are not subject to VAT deductions. It is the responsibility of each participant to comply with their national tax rules and obligations regarding the grant.

STSM Grantees must arrange their own personal security, health coverage, taxation, social security, and pension matters.

Applications will be assessed based on eligibility, scientific merit, alignment with LILY objectives, impact, contribution to COST excellence and inclusiveness policies (e.g., support for young researchers and gender balance), and the potential for fostering interdisciplinary collaborations based on the following criteria:

Scientific quality of the proposal:

• Relevance: Alignment with the scientific scope of COST Action LILY.
• Innovation: Contribution to interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, and new knowledge within LILY’s objectives.
• Feasibility: The likelihood of achieving the proposed objectives within the STSM timeframe.
• Career Impact: How the STSM will enhance the applicant’s professional development.
• Access to resources: Utilization of unique facilities, expertise, or equipment unavailable at the applicant’s home institution.

Applicant qualifications:

• CV and research background: The applicant’s qualifications, experience, and research contributions.
• Publication record: Preference will be given to applicants with publications related to the LILY Action themes.

Prioritization Criteria:

• Young Researchers and Innovators (YRI): Preference will be given to applicants under the age of 40 and PhD students.
• Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC): Priority will be given to applicants affiliated with institutions in ITC countries, though applications from non-ITC institutions are also welcome.
• Gender balance: LILY is committed to promoting gender equality in all activities.

Applications should be submitted via e-COST platform.

To be filled in e-COST:

• Title of the activity
• Start and end date (must fall within the active Grant Period, i.e., no overlap across two consecutive Grant Periods)
• Budget requested
• Information about the host institution and contact person (the host institution must be in a different country than the applicant’s affiliation)

To be uploaded to e-COST:

• Application form (template available on e-COST) including:
  • Goals of the activity
  • Description of the work to be carried out
  • Expected outcomes
  • Contribution to the Action’s MoU objectives
• Confirmation from the host institution agreeing to receive the applicant.

As part of WG1, this STSM aims to support a scientist visiting a research institute to contribute to the synthesis of NbS-Health gaps, frameworks, methodologies, and best practices. The STSM will focus on advancing the conceptual and methodological foundations for NbS and their health impacts by addressing knowledge gaps, refining impact assessment methodologies, and identifying key indicators.

Objectives of the STSM:

The selected researcher will collaborate with experts at the host institution to:

• Support the synthesis of gaps in current NbS-Health approaches and assist in reviewing relevant literature, datasets, and methodologies.
• Contribute to the development of assessment protocols for evaluating NbS-Health impacts under current and future environmental conditions.
• Refine the NbS-Health conceptual framework, mapping outcomes, causal pathways, and indicators based on interdisciplinary input.
• Analyze potential indicators for NbS-Health evaluation, assisting in the development of measurable, policy-relevant metrics.
• Identify and assess novel data sources for NbS-Health research, including existing databases, statistical approaches, and new data collection methods.
• Support task groups by contributing to protocol development, framework conceptualization, and indicator design.
• Address issues of inequality and vulnerability in NbS-Health assessments, with a focus on ethical considerations and inclusivity.
• Prepare a synthesis report summarizing findings, proposed methodologies, and recommendations for NbS-Health implementation and evaluation.

Expected Outcomes

• A gap synthesis report summarizing current challenges in NbS-Health research.
• A draft protocol for assessing NbS-Health impacts.
• An initial conceptual framework outlining key NbS-Health pathways and indicators.
• Identification of best practices and novel data sources for NbS-Health research.
• Contributions to a workshop or discussion panel with interdisciplinary experts.

The STSM will facilitate knowledge exchange between the visiting researcher and the host institution, fostering collaboration and advancing the scientific coordination of NbS-Health within COST Action LILY.

Required skills for the STSM – WG1 (NbS-Health Framework Development)

Scientific and analytical skills:

• Background in Nature-based Solutions (NbS), public health, or environmental sciences.
• Experience in systematic reviews, gap analysis, and indicator development.
• Familiarity with quantitative/qualitative research methods and data analysis tools (R, Python, GIS).

Conceptual and framework development

• Ability to develop conceptual models and causal pathways for NbS-Health impacts.
• Understanding of health and environmental policy indicators.

Communication and collaboration:

• Strong scientific writing, reporting, and presentation skills.

This Short-Term Scientific Mission aims to generate the basis for mapping and categorising stakeholders engaged in nature-based solutions and health, ensuring an inclusive approach that integrates diverse knowledge systems. Within this mission, a standardized data collection instrument will be developed that enables COST network members to conduct systematic stakeholder mapping.

Stakeholders mapping will be designed to capture key structural, institutional, and actor-based dimensions of stakeholder engagement and ensure a comparable approach across Europe.

Additionally, it will include a training component, equipping COST network members with the necessary skills to apply the method correctly and consistently on their own in their respective countries.

Objectives & contribution:

This STSM will contribute to a systematic and evidence-based methodology for stakeholder involvement in nature-based solutions and health. By developing a systematic and standardized data collection instrument, it will enable COST network members to identify, map, and categorize stakeholders of the nature-based research landscape based on their roles, interests, perspectives, potential contributions, and decision-making influence.

Furthermore, this STSM will enhance knowledge exchange and collaboration with the COST network equipping its members via training with the skills necessary to effectively implement stakeholder mapping in their country. By ensuring a systematic and consistent approach to data collection, it will lay the groundwork for evidence-based policy recommendations, improved stakeholder engagement strategies, and a more integrated approach to biodiversity governance.

Methodology:

This STSM will develop a standardized data collection instrument for stakeholder mapping in nature-based solutions, ensuring a systematic and comparable approach across member countries of the COST network. Additionally, a train-the-trainer capacity-building workshop will be organised.  The training will focus on best practices for stakeholder identification, data structuring, ensuring methodological consistency of a harmonized and high-quality data collection process across different national contexts.

Expected outcomes:

Results of this STSM will feed into a research publication showcasing a comprehensive stakeholder map and categorisation at national level, highlighting key actors, their roles and interests. This STSM will help strengthen the methodological framework for stakeholder involvement, supporting more effective decision-making and research strategies in genetic diversity.

Creation of the NbS-Health network and data platform

Scientific Impact: LILY will create a network and data platform using Large Language Models (LLMs), which will gather information from existing NbS databases, offering a comprehensive overview of gaps and needs within the field and facilitating further research and innovation.

Technological Impact: The platform will showcase the potential applications of novel technologies and their applications in indicator-based monitoring of NbS.

Societal Impact: The platform will serve as a hub and network site for NbS implementers, decision-makers, and academia, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange going beyond the Network and this Action. This will further facilitate innovation in both research and practical implementation within the NbS community.

Objectives of the STSM:

• Develop a pilot for NbS-Health data platform.
• Integrate LLM to extract, categorize, and structure case study data.
• Facilitate networking and knowledge exchange between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
• Ensure seamless data integration and usability for stakeholders.

The selected researcher will collaborate with experts at the host institution to:

• Design and structure the database for the NbS-Health platform.
• Develop and implement data parsing scripts for existing NbS databases.
• Integrate LLMs to extract, summarize, and categorize key case study information.
• Optimize prompt engineering to enhance LLM output accuracy.
• Conduct internal testing with a selected group to evaluate data consistency.
• Develop APIs to facilitate platform interoperability.
• Create documentation and training materials for end-users.
• Coordinate with WG3 and stakeholders for feedback and refinement.

Expected outcomes:

• A functional NbS-Health network and data platform with structured case study information.
• Enhanced data accessibility for research, policy, and implementation.
• A tested and validated LLM integration for efficient text processing.
• A user-friendly interface for accessing NbS-related datasets and insights.
• A framework for matchmaking between study sites and academia.

Required skills:

• Database design and management (SQL, NoSQL, or similar).
• Programming (Python, R, or similar) for data parsing and LLM integration.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) and LLM prompt engineering.
• API development for frontend-backend communication.
• Data visualization and web-based data representation.
• Experience with cloud platforms and server-side components.
• Scientific communication for documentation and stakeholder engagement.