Every other Wednesday at 3PM CET, Jan, our chair, will host a meeting where anyone from FABER (and possibly beyond) can ask questions. He’ll do his best to answer or direct you to the right person.
Save the invite here.

1. Can I take part in FABER?
   Yes, definitely! FABER is open to newcomers all the time.
   Read here (in full details) the conditions of your involvement related to your country of residence.
2. How to apply to FABER?
   Apply to us via this link. During the application, you must first fill in the e-cost profile. Once this is done, you can apply to any COST Action within the second step. Please, choose CA23109 Action. Without finishing this second step, your application to us is not finalized; we do not see it.
   Most information on our events and activities is provided to users via FABER mails. If you do not ask for the inclusion of your name to its maillist, we cannot efficiently send that info to you due to GDPR. So, do not hesitate much, and join us.
3. What happens once I applied?
   Your application will be evaluated by the FABER Core Group (CG), which normally meets every two weeks. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will receive a response sooner than 1–2 weeks after submitting your application. Once the Core Group has reviewed your profile, you will be informed through the COST e-COST system whether your application has been accepted. Rejections are rare and usually occur only when an applicant’s profile and expertise are not related to FABER’s scope, i.e. fatigue of metallic materials and structures. After acceptance, the e-mail address provided in your application will be added to the users of the FABER Microsoft Teams workspace, which serves as the main repository for documents, meeting information and internal communication. If you do not receive access (for example because you do not use Microsoft Teams), please contact Jan Papuga or the relevant Working Group Leaders (see the list here) to request access or discuss alternative ways of following FABER activities. Within a few days after acceptance, you will also receive an e-mail from [email protected] inviting you to register in the FABER Members Database. This database is the central tool for managing participation in Working Groups (WGs) and WG Tasks.During registration, you will be able to specify your interests by selecting one of two roles for each WG or Task:
   
   

   – Subscriber – you wish to receive information and updates.
   – Contributor – you wish to actively participate in the activities.

   For newly accepted members, these initial selections are inherited from the preferences stated in the original COST application. However, you may update them at any time, and your changes will be reflected immediately in future communications distributed through the database. To explore activities beyond your selected roles, you may consult the “FABERschedule.xlsx” file available in the Microsoft Teams workspace under General → Files → Meetings. This file contains information on planned meetings, workshops, training schools and other FABER events.

   Again, if you feel forgotten, do not hesitate and write to the WG Leader to let him/her know – (s)he’ll forward your request to the right Task Leader.

4. I applied to FABER, but there is no response. What should I do?
   Please, read our instructions given above from start to finish. Very likely, you omitted parts of it. If you still do not see any activity despite of that you did all right, write to Jan Papuga, the Chair of FABER.

Research funders, policymakers, students, industry professionals, and other stakeholders are invited to join FABER’s mission.

Fill out our contact form or email us at [email protected] to learn more about participation opportunities. This revised content ensures consistency with FABER’s goals while improving readability and engagement.

Let us know if you’d like further adjustments or additional sections!