α Added Value

The aim of Added Value for the Humanities is to encourage humanities researchers to make their research results usable in collaboration with their partners and/or users and to increase the involvement of partners and users.

This one-off funding round will enable teams of researchers and partners/users to make humanities knowledge suitable and usable for third parties (outside of the scientific domain) so that they can use and apply this knowledge. Activities and/or products will be developed, realised and used in collaboration with partners/users.

Who can apply

Applications can be submitted by teams that consist of researchers and partners/users. One of the researchers (lecturer, senior lecturer, professor employed by a humanities faculty or institute of a Dutch university or an NWO or KNAW institute) acts as the main applicant. He or she submits the application on behalf of the team. The partners and/or users who act as co-applicants should play a role in using the intended knowledge utilisation or in making this usable.

What can be applied for

A project grant for a maximum of 12 months paid in the form of a lump sum. A budget of € 300,000 is available for this one-off funding round. Per project a minimum of € 10,000 and a maximum of € 40,000 can be applied for.

Both material and personnel costs (or a combination thereof) can be applied for.

When can be applied

• Closing date for submitting applications for α Added Value was 10 January 2011

Extra Information

α Added Value is part of the Programme for the advancement of knowledge utilisation Added Value, a joint initiative between the Divisions for the Earth andLife Sciences (ALW), Humanities (GW) and Social Sciences (MaGW).

Criteria

For the qualitative evaluation of the proposals the committee uses the criteria given below. The size and nature of the involvement of partners/users in the project (e.g. apparent from the size of the matching) can be decisive in the evaluation and prioritisation process.

Potential of the knowledge utilisation

• aim (what is the intended purpose of the knowledge utilisation?)
• target group (who is the knowledge utilisation aimed at?)
• efficacy (suitability of the activity or the product for the proposed aim and the target group)
• impact (social/cultural/economic/democratic impact, and degree of impact (explain))
• scientific quality of the research results that must lead to knowledge utilisation

Project approach

• approach (which activities will be deployed to make the knowledge usable for third parties and which activities will be deployed to reach the target group?)
• expected returns (what are the intended deliverables?)
• planning and phasing of the activities
• financing plan
• arguments for the budget

Team

• suitability of the team (experience and expertise of the team that is important for the intended knowledge utilisation)
• size and nature of involvement of the partners/users

Procedure

For each application two committee members (one scientific and one societal) will compile a written advice. These advices will be sent to the applicants for a rebuttal. Based on these initial advices and the rebuttals, the committee will evaluate the applications during a meeting using the quality criteria outlined in the call. It will then prioritise these and issue an advice to the Board of the Division for the Social Sciences. The Divisional Board will decide which applications should be awarded after checking whether the procedure has been followed correctly. If the application pressure is disproportionately high in relation to the budget available then a preselection phase can be applied.

Committees

A one-off committee will be appointed by the Division for the Humanities to evaluate the applications. The committee will have a chair (member of the Divisional Board for the Humanities), two scientific members with considerable experience and knowledge of knowledge utilisation, and two members from societal sectors who are experienced in making scientific knowledge usable outside of science and/or using such knowledge (the so-called partners).

Members of the selection committee

Budget

The available budget for this one-off round is € 300,000.

Financiers

NWO Division for the Humanities (GW

Contacts

• Ms drs. M. Berendsen
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 06 91, e-mail: m.berendsen@nwo.nl