European Network for Valorizing Food Processing Waste into Sustainable Fibers (ENFiber) STSMs

Funding from the COST-funded ENFiber initiative to support short-term scientific missions (STSMs) relating to sustainable fibre extraction.

Founded in 1971, COST is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical research, designed to connect research initiatives across Europe and beyond and enable researchers and innovators to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers.

The COST European Network for Valorizing Food Processing Waste into Sustainable Fibers (ENFiber) action aims to transform food processing waste into high-value sustainable fibres using innovative and sustainable methods, making it both commercially viable and environmentally sustainable. The Action promotes green extraction technologies, standardised characterisation, sustainability assessment, and market-oriented product development in line with European circular economy and Green Deal objectives.

ENFiber provides funding for Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs), which involve exchange visits in which a researcher travels to an institution in another country for a short period to conduct a specific research project, learn new techniques, or access data and infrastructure not available at their home institutions. These missions strengthen collaboration across the ENFiber network, promote interdisciplinary research on sustainable fibre extraction, and provide invaluable training opportunities, especially for early career researchers.

The visiting researcher (STSM Grantee) receives funding to perform research in a new environment, accessing expertise or equipment unavailable at home, while the host institution gains an active collaborator and strengthens ties within the network.