Programme for Educational Research (PROO) – Arithmetic in Primary Education – Research & Development

The programme Arithmetic in Primary Education – Research & Development seeks to provide an extra incentive for R&D research in this field. This programme assumes an approach that in principle covers the entire chain from fundamental research through to application in the class, but which can focus on a certain part of that chain, making use of current knowledge and insights.

Who can apply

A research proposal can only be submitted by a main applicant who is a researcher holding a doctorate and in the permanent employment of a Dutch university/para-university institute recognised by NWO. The main applicant and co-applicant(s) should be able to remain effectively involved in the research proposed for the period covered by the requested grant. The institute should make it possible for the applicants to adequately supervise the research during the application process and the research project.

What can be applied for

A proposal contains a description of the main research question, the theme, the proposed methodology, the relevance for educational practice, the products that will be delivered and the manner in which the main research question shall be answered.

A maximum of € 900,000 is available for a proposal. Funding can be requested to cover both the personnel and the material costs that need to be made for the research. For this funding round of the R&D research programme into arithmetic in primary education, a budget of € 1,800,000 has been reserved for the period 2011-2014. This means that probably only two of the three research subjects described in Chapter 2 can be funded.

In the application it should be stated what the budget will be used for. The distribution of the budget and the estimates of the necessary research time and the requested resources shall be assessed by the evaluation committee and the PROO in relation to the results and/or end products to be delivered.

When can be applied

• Closing date for the submission of proposals was 16 December 2010

Criteria

The content of the proposals will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Scientific quality

• Research question
• Design and methods
• Multidisciplinary nature
• Organisation

Scientific significance

• Scientific importance
• Originality
• Scientific added value
• Expected scientific output

Practical significance

• Relevance to the problems of schools
• Relevance for educational practice
• Quality of the consortium
• Feasibility R&D route
• Everyday practical knowledge
• Potential use of research results, products or materials in everyday practice
• Relationship between the resources applied for and the results and/or (final) products to be delivered.

Procedure

The grant applications will initially be assessed and commented on by two members of an independent evaluation committee that will be appointed by the PROO. After that the applicants will have ten working days in which they can respond to these comments. The response from the applicant should be no longer than 1000 words and may not contain any partial or complete modification to the original grant application, but only an explanation of points made in the assessment comments.

The evaluation committee will then discuss the application, the comments of the members of the independent evaluation committee and the response from the applicant and they will use this information to compile a written advice for the PROO concerning the quality of the application. The PROO will take a decision about which applications will be awarded funding. The PROO can modify the prioritisation for policy-related reasons.

Committees

The evaluation committee will be appointed by the PROO. The members of the committee will be chosen on the basis of their expertise and non-involvement in the applications. The committee will be chaired by a technical chair. In accordance with NWO’s Code of Conduct on Conflicts of Interest, members of this committee who are involved in an application will not take part in the assessment of the application concerned.

The names of the members of the evaluation committee will be published on the PROO website, www.onderwijsonderzoek.nl, after the procedure has been completed.

Budget

Budget for this subsidy round is € 1,800,000.

Financiers

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

Contacts

• Mr E. Hubers Msc
  phone: +31 (0)70 349 43 13, fax: +31 (0)70 383 28 41, e-mail: e.hubers@nwo.nl
• Dr R.A. Strijp
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 05 66, e-mail: r.strijp@nwo.nl
• Ms A. Moerland
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 09 30, e-mail: a.moerland@nwo.nl