The COST Action CA22124 – ECO4ALL (EU Circular Economy Network for All: Consumer Protection through Reducing, Reusing, Repairing) successfully organized its 8th ECO4ALL Webinar, entitled “Insights from ECO4ALL Grant Winners: Lessons for Researchers.” The event brought together more than 100 unique participants, including researchers, Early Career Investigators, grant beneficiaries, and members of the ECO4ALL network from across Europe, confirming the growing interest in COST networking opportunities and research capacity-building.
The webinar provided a dynamic platform for sharing practical experiences, success stories, and recommendations on COST networking tools, proposal preparation, and international research collaboration. Through interactive discussions, participants gained first-hand insights into how COST grants can support academic development, strengthen international partnerships, and foster research excellence.
The event was opened by Prof. Olesea Plotnic, Chair of COST Action CA22124 – ECO4ALL, who welcomed participants and highlighted the Action’s commitment to supporting Early Career Investigators and Young Researchers through networking, capacity-building, and international collaboration. She also underlined the remarkable growth of the ECO4ALL network, which now brings together more than 600 members from over 50 countries, creating an inclusive and multidisciplinary research community.
The webinar was jointly moderated by Prof. Olesea Plotnic, Prof. Isidora Milošević, ECO4ALL Grant Awarding Coordinator, and Dr. Tarlan Ahmadov, ECO4ALL Young Research Mentor. Together, they guided participants through an interactive programme focused on practical advice, proposal development, and opportunities available through the COST Programme.
A key highlight of the event was the Grant Journey Roundtable, where Esma Nur Cinicioglu, Jelena Ruso, and Tatia Dolidze shared their personal experiences, challenges, and lessons learned as ECO4ALL grant beneficiaries. Their presentations provided practical inspiration and valuable guidance for future applicants interested in COST networking tools.
The webinar also featured the session “Anatomy of a Fundable Proposal”, delivered by Prof. Isidora Milošević, offering participants practical recommendations on preparing competitive grant applications. The event concluded with a Real-Time Proposal Calibration session led by Prof. Olesea Plotnic and Dr. Tarlan Ahmadov, where participants received strategic advice and key takeaways for future grant applications.
The high level of participation and active engagement demonstrated the increasing interest of the ECO4ALL community in research mobility, networking opportunities, and international scientific cooperation. By sharing real experiences and practical recommendations, the webinar reinforced the core COST principles of excellence, inclusiveness, networking, capacity building, and support for the next generation of researchers.
The ECO4ALL Action sincerely thanks all moderators, speakers, grant beneficiaries, and participants for contributing to the success of this webinar. Their active involvement continues to strengthen the Action’s mission of building an international research community capable of addressing societal challenges through collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
Visit www.eco4all.org and become part of our growing international network of more than 600 members from over 50 countries, offering opportunities for networking, Training Schools, Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs), grants, webinars, publications, and international research collaboration.
