27 Journeys That Built Bridges
A Short-Term Scientific Mission is more than a travel grant. When Stefana Belbe left Bucharest for Bern in 2022, she wasn't just visiting a lab - she was building a research relationship that would lead to joint publications, return visits, and a transformed career trajectory. Her story repeated 26 more times across the network.
Between 2020 and 2024, COST Action CA19130 funded 27 physical research visits and 39 virtual collaborations, investing over EUR 117,000 in researcher mobility. But the real return wasn't measured in Euros - it was measured in the collaborations, publications, and career progressions that followed.
The most active mobility corridor ran from Romania to Switzerland - three separate STSMs that connected researchers from Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca with the Swiss fintech ecosystem centered in Bern and Zurich. This wasn't coincidental: the SNSF project coordinator was based in Bern, making Switzerland a natural destination for ITC researchers seeking to collaborate with the network's leadership.
Ioana Coita
Romania to Switzerland - 11 days
Received EUR 2,500 for an 11-day research visit. Two years later, she had been promoted to Science Communication Coordinator for the entire Action - a career trajectory that began with a mobility grant.
Stefana Belbe
Romania to Switzerland & Germany - Multiple visits
The only researcher to receive multiple STSMs - first to Switzerland (12 days, EUR 2,700), then to Germany (10 days, EUR 1,900). Each visit built on the previous, creating lasting research partnerships.
The network prioritized early career researchers for mobility grants, recognizing that international experience early in a career has outsized impact. These weren't just lab visits - they were introductions to research communities that would support entire careers.
Karel Kozmik
Czech Republic to Germany
23 days - the longest STSM in the network. Extended missions like this allow deep collaboration rather than surface-level networking.
EUR 3,000 grant
Tomas Plihal
Czech Republic to Switzerland
13 days connecting Central European research with Swiss fintech expertise. Research on financial market transparency.
EUR 4,000 grant
Bekir Cetintav
Turkey to Portugal - 2024
The most recent STSM in the Action's final year. 12 days building ITC-to-ITC collaboration.
EUR 2,645 grant
"My STSM wasn't just about accessing equipment - it was about sitting in the same room with researchers whose papers I'd cited for years. That personal connection changed how I approach collaboration."
The pandemic could have frozen the network. Instead, it accelerated a different kind of collaboration. Virtual Mobility grants - originally a minor program - became the primary mechanism for keeping researchers connected when travel was impossible.
Before Pandemic (GP1-GP2)
Virtual Mobility grant
During/After Pandemic (GP3-GP5)
Virtual Mobility grants
The surge wasn't just necessity - it was discovery. Researchers found that virtual collaboration could be surprisingly effective for code development, data analysis, and paper writing. The tools built during pandemic years - shared repositories, video conferencing protocols, asynchronous communication practices - became permanent fixtures of network collaboration.
Every mobility grant required a work plan and deliverable. But the real outputs went beyond any formal requirement.
Joint Publications
Mobility visits became the starting point for co-authored papers. Researchers who met in person were more likely to collaborate on publications than those who only knew each other from conferences.
Career Progressions
STSM recipients like Ioana Coita moved into network leadership roles. The visibility and connections from mobility visits accelerated career development.
Method Transfer
Researchers brought techniques back to their home institutions. A method learned in Switzerland appeared in Romanian publications; German approaches influenced Czech research.
Lasting Networks
The relationships formed during mobility visits outlasted the Action itself. Researchers continue collaborating years after their funded visits ended.
ITC Priority in Action: 53% of all mobility grants went to researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries. This wasn't charity - it was strategic investment in building research capacity where it was most needed. When a young researcher from Romania visits Switzerland, they bring knowledge back to an entire institution.