Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources (SUSUSE)

In 1998 the NWO PRIORITY programme Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources was launched. This programme focuses on the causes of the problems involved in the exploitation of marine living resources and tries to find solutions for them. The assessment of subsidy applications, execution and coordination of this PRIORITY programme is delegated to NWO’s Earth and Life Sciences Division together with the Social Sciences Research Division.

Programme structure

The structure of the PRIORITY programme is that of a standard Earth and Life Sciences programme with more than one external sponsors. Such a programme has a Programme Committee and a Programme Office.

• The Programme Committee consists of researchers in the field and representatives of the co-sponsoring Ministries of Agriculture and Transport.
• The Programme Office is staffed by NWO’s Earth and Life Sciences. NWO’s Social Sciences is co-responsible for the programme and takes part in the Programme Committee’s meetings as an observer.

The lines of research are formulated in the document PRIORITY programme Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources. The document can also be retrieved from Earth and Life Sciences.

Aim

To stimulate high-quality scientific research into the problems involved in marine exploitation and to find solutions for these problems.

Who can apply

Grants can be applied for by qualified researchers employed by universities or research institutes who have at least taken a master’s or engineering degree or are otherwise sufficiently qualified. They must have research experience and must direct the project for which funding is sought for the full duration of the project. If temporary employees (postdocs) put in a proposal they will have to make it extra clear what infrastructure (facilities and knowledge) is available to carry out the project; it will also have to be clear who has final responsibility for the project.

What can be applied for

Focused Call Theme 4: Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources

The PRIORITY programme Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources consists of four themes:

1. Analysis of the spatial scales over which populations of marine organisms interact, and the possible mismatch with the scales of human exploitation systems.
2. Analysis of the temporal scales of development of populations of marine organisms, and the possible mismatch with the scales of human exploitation systems.
3. Review and analysis of natural and anthropogenic processes that affect marine species diversity.
4. Design of better systems for the exploitation of marine living resources to ensure sustainability, taking explicitly the scales of ecological processes and human exploitation systems into account.

The first three themes are in their finishing stages, so now all attention goes to theme 4. There is a call for proposals for five different postdoc positions of two years each in order to round off the previous themes and on that basis formulate proposals for better sea management. The requested proposals are further explained in the Call for Proposals - Theme 4. Grants can be applied for to cover all reasonable project costs that are necessary for the research, such as the appointment of personnel, material facilities (equipment, consumable goods, travel expenses etc.) and field work. NWO has transferred employership of PhD students and postdocs to the universities/research institutes.
Regarding personnel costs: postdoc, maximum of two years, has preferably taken his or her PhD no longer than two years ago at the moment he/she enters into office. The reimbursement of personnel costs will take place in the form of a lump sum in 4 (postdocs) and 5 tranches.
As opposed to the Open Competition of Earth and Life Sciences programme applications (consisting of 2 or 3 interconncted projects) can be submitted within the framework of the PRIORITY programme.

When can be applied

• 1 November: call for applications
• 3 March: deadline for applications
• 15 March: applications sent to referees
• May: applicants’ replies; middle of June: subsidies awarded

Extra Information

The application guidelines for PRIORITY projects are largely the same as those for the Open Programme of Earth and Life Sciences. Applications must be submitted electronically via Iris.

Criteria

In order to obtain a substantive scientific assessment referees will be contacted who have been nominated by the Programme Committee. This committee integrates the contacted referees’ scientific advice and sets up a ranking based on the following elements:

• the referees’ scientific assessments and the applicant’s written reply
• testing against policy criteria

This is necessary because the PRIORITY programme is funded by several different ministries. The scientific quality is assessed on three counts:

1. originality/innovative character of the research proposal
2. quality of the research proposal
3. quality of the research group

For this the general NWO scoring (excellent=1; moderate=9) is used. Proposals that score more than 3.7 points are not eligible for subsidy. All proposals that score between 1 and 3.7 points are tested against the following policy criteria:

1. political/societal relevance
2. international embedment
3. thematic fit
4. urgency and feasibility

Procedure

In case a subsidy is awarded Earth and Life Sciences expects you to submit the name of the person who will carry out the research by 1 October 2005 at the latest. No later than 1 January 2006 the project including researcher must have started. If this deadline is not met the subsidy will be withdrawn. Subsequent elements of the programme are allowed to pass a date set well in advance by no more than 3 months before subsidy is withdrawn.

Committees

Programme Committee Sustainable Use and Conservation of Marine Living Resources

Budget

The total budget for this programme amounts to 3.63 million euro.

Financiers

NWO Divisions for Earth and Life Sciences and Social Sciences, Ministries of Agriculture and Transport.

Contacts

• Dhr. drs. A. Bijlsma
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 08 45, fax: +31 (0)70 381 90 33, e-mail: a.bijlsma@nwo.nl
• Prof.dr. W.J. Wolff, e-mail: w.j.wolff@biol.rug.nl

no documentation available