COST Vision 2020 is framed by the Strategic 2020 Vision for the European Research Area (ERA). In Europe's balanced multitude of different systems for the support of research, education and innovation, COST continues to play a very distinct role and to complement other actors in the ERA, providing openness and equality of access to activities in a unique way. There continues to be a strong demand for coordination of bottom-up research activities, and the basic principles of COST – flexibility and openness – are widely recognised. Therefore the level of COST's activities has been maintained and those activities broadened.

COST's Vision of its place in the European Research Area in 2020 is:

* COST continues to be a flexible, fast, effective and efficient tool to network and coordinate nationally funded research activities at project level, bringing motivated scientists together under light strategic guidance and letting them work out their ideas, thus contributing to overcome the fragmentation of research in the ERA. A significant share of the European scientific community is involved, directly or indirectly, in COST activities.

• COST responds to future needs; it acts as an exploratorium for ideas and addresses emerging and unforeseen developments. It addresses ambitious goals and more complex questions and has enhanced its precursor role. COST Actions are objective-driven and often multidisciplinary. Their objectives are clearly defined and information arising from COST Actions provides well-structured evidence-based input for policy making and they contribute to Europe's competitiveness and socio-economic development. Whilst maintaining its bottom-up character, COST is open to support longer-term planning processes in the development of new COST Actions.
• COST acts as a catalyst for long-term networking and in particular supports early career scientists and newly established research groups, strengthening their future participation in European and other international research initiatives.
• COST provides a framework for pre-normative cooperation leading to international norms and standards.
• COST is an inclusive and flexible international framework for the benefit of the European scientific community. COST has a worldwide geographical coverage which will be further extended in a pragmatic way by continuing to involve Non-Member Countries in its Actions and through a more structured series of collaborative arrangements.

Source: Leonardo Piccinetti/Europe for Business.