vbid/9783642015243

Description

COST � the acronym for European COoperation in Science and Technology � is the oldest and widest European intergovernmental network for cooperation in – search. Established by the Ministerial Conference in November 1971, COST is presently used by the scientific communities of 35 European countries to coop- ate in common research projects supported by national funds. The funds provided by COST � less than 1% of the total value of the projects � support the COST cooperation networks (COST Actions) through which, with � 30 million per year, more than 30,000 European scientists are involved in – search having a total value which exceeds � 2 billion per year. This is the financial worth of the European added value which COST achieves. A �bottom up approach� (the initiative of launching a COST Action comes from the European scientists themselves), ҈ la carte participation� (only countries interested in the Action participate), �equality of access� (participation is open also to the scientific communities of countries not belonging to the European – ion) and �flexible structure� (easy implementation and light management of the research initiatives) are the main characteristics of COST.Typham this is the title: Towards Digital Optical Networks COST Action 291 Final Report 1st Edition