COST's objective is to add value to research investment by coordinating, integrating, and synthesising results from ongoing nationally-funded research within and between COST member countries. COST does not fund the research itself, although synthesising research is a valuable scientific exercise in its own right. COST is funding coordination, management, workshops, meetings, exchange visits, and training schools through its COST Actions which normally have a duration of 4-5 years.

COST stimulates European research by bringing researchers together in Actions (networks) to exchange knowledge, synergise working groups, conduct comparative studies, and jointly synthesise findings. Actions are proposed by active scientists (rather than being designed in a «top-down» manner), and, by involving both young and more experienced scientists, COST helps to create international networks for the future.

COST Actions aim to deliver scientific syntheses and analyses of best available practice to aid problem identification, risk assessment and policy development.

http://cost.cordis.lu

In 1999, the scope and the terms of reference of the Technical Committee were enlarged to reflect the convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, and information technologies in the information society and the title of the Committee was modified into «Telecommunications and Information Science and Technology» (TC-TIST). The grant total of TIST Actions is now more than 100.

These Actions have also assisted in extending the scientific co-operation to all the COST member states and in some cases globally, which is a true evidence of the usefulness and complementarity of COST. There have been many contributions from TIST both to technology standards and to new products and services and this trend is continuing and growing. In addition to the fundamental contribution to science and technology, COST-TIST activities have been instrumental in bringing together scientists with entrepreneurial spirit who started successful companies in Europe on the frontiers of modern technology. These Actions have also assisted in extending the scientific co-operation to all the COST member states and in some cases globally, which is a true evidence of the usefulness and complementarity of COST. There have been many contributions from TIST both to technology standards and to new products and services and this trend is continuing and growing. In addition to the fundamental contribution to science and technology, COST-TIST activities have been instrumental in bringing together scientists with entrepreneurial spirit who started successful companies in Europe on the frontiers of modern technology. This highly dynamic field is increasingly underpinning the competitiveness of Europe in the global digital and knowledge based economy and the associated Information Society. It is therefore essential to maintain a coherent long term research effort in order to ensure that Europe has a sufficient base of new knowledge and human potential to sustain the future evolution.

As the lifecycle of these developments is very short, effective co-operation is required to achieve critical mass and timely and cost-effective research involving both academic and industrial research. COST is a well placed mechanism to contribute to this effort and to bring together different national and industrial efforts in focussed actions addressing specific problems and issues.

TIST Actions involve more than 3000 leading scientists from key research institutes and universities, network operators, and technology providers, from the 35 COST countries and from non-COST countries.

TIST Actions involve more than 3000 leading scientists from key research institutes and universities, network operators, and technology providers, from COST and non-COST countries

TIST Actions are mainly addressing the following research sub-domains:

• e-society
• Algorithm technologies
• Information security
• Health issues and user aspects
• Biometrics, authentication & security
• Antennas, radio propagation & interference
• Nanotechnologies & optical components
• Knowledge & information management
• Wireless & mobile communications
• Network design & analysis

The research program is divided in four parts:

• Photonic Crystal Fibres: modelling, fabrication, characterization and devices.
• Rare Earth Doped Fibres: modelling, characterization, standardization and devices.
• Distributed measurement and nonlinear fibre optics: Raman, Brillouin and Kerr effects, linear and nonlinear distributed measurement techniques, supercontinuum generation and ultrashort pulse propagation in standard and photonic crystal fibres.
• New concepts in fibre sensors: new devices, new interrogation and multiplexing methods, applications and standardization of fibre sensors.