| Line of action | : | Science for society |
| Secretariat | : | ALW |
| Participating NWO Institutes | : | NIOZ |
| Apply | : | No, a new round is (still) uncertain |
The ZKO programme focuses on strengthening the understanding and knowledge of coastal development, the role of cycles and particle flows in relation to water quality, capacity for a sustainable yield of the ecosystem, change in the biodiversity, the role of the sea and ocean in climate change and the effects of climate change on the marine system. This understanding must provide the basis for possible predictions. The ZKO wants to facilitate the cooperation between different research institutes in this area.
The theme North Sea has been developed as part of the ZKO. The North Sea is under considerable pressure and its resilience is decreasing. This is the result of human activities both directly via the economy and indirectly in the form of climate change. The opportunities and threats for the North Sea and other European coastal seas are receiving full attention within the EU. The following key concepts have been established for this call: user space, multifunctional use, sustainable management and the impact of changes. The research area covers the European continental plate north of the English Channel. Proposals must focus on the relationship with the Dutch continental plate and the impact on the North Sea.
The necessary analyses require an integrated approach that involves the joint contributions of knowledge institutions.
The call for full proposals is only open to applicants who submitted a preproposal before 18 May 2009 and, after the acceptance of the advice by the ALW Divisional Board, have received notification that they could further elaborate their preproposal into a full research proposal.
Only one application per main applicant is permitted.
Subsidy to cover all reasonable additional costs that must be made for the research, such as personnel (gross salary based on VSNU scales), material provisions (equipment, consumables, travel costs) and fieldwork (incl. shiptime up to a maximum of 25 cruising days per application). For applications that can be elaborated into full proposals, an indication shall be given of the financial conditions and maximum payments. No subsidy can be requested for student assistants, overheads, general laboratory equipment and maintenance and insurance costs.
There is no separate application form for shipping time.
The following criteria apply to the proposals:
During the assessment of the full proposals the originality, innovation and scientific quality (of both the proposal and the associated group) will be examined as well.
The full proposals shall be evaluated for scientific quality by an independent international panel. In this process the panel may also consult additional external peers. The applicants shall be given the opportunity to issue a rebuttal. The independent members of the ZKO Programme Board shall draw up a policy recommendation concerning the relevance for the call, application feasibilities and the possible availability of external resources. Based on the panel's assessment, responses from applicants, the policy recommendation and the resources available, the ALW Divisional Board shall take a funding decision about the contribution to be made from the ZKO. With this the awarding percentage shall be limited to a maximum of 50% of the full proposals. In the event that there are insufficient suitable proposals for one of the 3 principle lines, part of the budget shall be reserved for an additional call.
The composition of the review panel will be announced once the proposals have been awarded.
At least 2 million euros.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, NAM, NWO Division for Earth and Life Sciences and NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.
