COST’s Final Impact Assessment under Horizon 2020, reflecting on the past seven years’ activities has been carried. The in depth study highlights the massive role played by COST in the European research and innovation landscape and provides an overview of the networking, scientific and societal impacts of COST activities. The Final Impact Assessment addresses the relevance of the COST Programme and also indicates the areas and topics to be developed for the next Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, which starts in November 2021.
The Final Impact Assessment vividly highlights the relevance of COST within the European Research Area (ERA), as an integral and complementary element of the European Framework Programmes. In that respect, COST truly is the largest and most important networking instrument for researchers in Europe.