Urban Regions in the Delta

The aim of the FES programme Urban Regions in the Delta is the development, sharing and application of knowledge necessary to achieve a sustainable spatial policy in urban networks within the Dutch section of the North-western European metropolis, in which water, nature, agriculture, housing, employment, recreation and mobility are optimised. The research will be conducted through practical case studies.

Who can apply

• A subsidy application can be submitted on behalf of a consortium by a professor or senior university lecturer employed at a Dutch university. Professors and senior university lecturers in fields of infrastructure, traffic & transport , mobility, spatial planning, climate, energy, water, social sciences, management studies, social geography, economics and the like are invited to submit a proposal;
• A consortium must consist of 2, 3 or 4 cooperating university research groups in Europe, of which one of the leading researchers must have a proven track record. At least one of the research groups must originate from a university outside the Netherlands. - To stimulate inter-university cooperation and cooperation between universities and colleges, it is the intention that a subproject will be conducted by researchers who are affiliated to various universities, research institutes or colleges (in the Netherlands and abroad). The multidisciplinary cooperation within and between the sub-programmes is also an important aspect of the URD programme.
• Foreign co-applicants must originate from a country which is also a member of the JPI “URBAN EUROPE”. The following countries are involved in this European cooperation programme: Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Austria, Spain, Turkey, Sweden and Switzerland. - Applicants are expected to be prepared to bear scientific, organisational and financial responsibility for the research, if the subsidy is granted. This entails the compilation of progress reports, contributing to the interim and final evaluations and participating in the handover of research results, both interim and final, to potential users, by means of workshops, congresses, trade publications, book contributions, etc. Furthermore, all applicants are expected to be willing, if asked, to give advice based on already acquired knowledge.
• Research groups affiliated to foreign universities can also receive a subsidy from the URD programme, but not directly. A Dutch university remains responsible for the total awarded subsidy amount and the stated subsidy conditions remain in force (see also Section 3.2)
• An important aspect from the very start of this programme is the handover of the developed (as well as available and relevant) knowledge to the users and problem owners, such as the water boards, regional and local governments, companies and other stakeholders of the case study. It is recommended to include problem owners in the consortium.

What can be applied for

The URD programme is multi- and interdisciplinary in nature and is geared towards international comparative case studies research with a maximum running time of 2 years. The research will be conducted by a multidisciplinary consortium of 2, 3 or 4 university research groups, college lecturers and/or public research institutions such as TNO or Deltares. The lead and coordination of the implementation of these research projects will be in the hands of the main applicant. Eligible as main applicants are professors and senior university lecturers from any of the Dutch university research groups. Subsidy can be requested for research projects consisting of a combination of post-doc projects, other (non-university) researchers, associated materials and costs for the formation of an international network. The subsidy award is up to a maximum of 950,000 euros per application. The subsidy period will run for a maximum of two years. It should start no later than 15 April 2012 and will end before 15 April 2014. The minimum required co-financing is 20%, meaning that the maximum URD subsidy for a project is 80%. With a subsidy award of 950,000 euros, the co-financing will be a minimum of 237,500 euros, and the total project will amount to 1,187,500 euros. For more specific information please check the brochure.

When can be applied

• The closing date for submitting a Letter of Intent was 8 September 2011 (12:00 noon).
• The closing date for submitting the full proposal was 14 November 2011 (12:00 noon).

To gauge interest and to be able to sufficiently set up the review procedure, Letters of Intent (LOI – preliminary proposal) are to be submitted. 

Applications cannot be corrected or supplemented after the deadline. Applicants who do not submit a Letter of Intent first are not permitted to submit a full proposal. Submitting a Letter of Intent is compulsory! For more specific information please check the brochure.

Criteria

Relevance to Society and Policy

• Realisation of the research in practice by setting up a case study with the problem owners;
• Connection of the research to strategic key questions as described in Section 2.2;
• The extent to which the research brings a solution to societal and policy issues closer to tangible reality;
• The extent with which, through international comparative research, new insights and knowledge can be gained regarding intervention in urban regions;
• The connection between fundamental and applied research, and the applicability of the intended results;
• How the research results will be disseminated to the (potential) users in the government ministries (IenM, BZK/WWI en EL&I), local and regional governments, civil society organisations and/or the business community.

Scientific Objective

• The proposal must fit within the framework of the research as described in this brochure;
• The proposal should connect to knowledge in this field in other countries, and to make use of that knowledge (international connection and anchoring). - International cooperation is essential;
• Inter-university cooperation is required;
• There should be multi-disciplinary cooperation within and between sub-projects;
• The integrative nature of the application: there should be good cross-connections between the sub-projects.

Scientific Quality

• The scientific relevance of the research in theoretical, methodical and analytical respects;
• The originality of the problem as formulated, contribution to the creation of new theories or research methods;
• Methodological and technical structure, appropriateness of the methods and techniques, availability of any data, clarity and motivation;
• Completeness, coherence and consistency; clear development of the problem, including in relation to the theoretical framework; clear delineation of the proposed research;
• Workability and feasibility of the sub-projects, including a work and publication plan.

Organisation and Finances

• The consortium should consist of 2, 3 or 4 research groups from two or more universities, and the leading researchers, problem owners and field experts should have a convincing track record;
• The consortium must have an interdisciplinary composition; GIS experts, management experts, energy and environmental specialists, transport and infrastructure experts and/or spatial and social scientists, etc. (depending on the chosen theme) ;
• Management of the research programme;
• Organisation of national and international cooperation;
• Co-financing is required. The minimum required co-financing is 20%, the maximum URD subsidy of a project is 80%. This means that in a research project of € 1,187,500, co-financing brought in by the participating civil organisations must amount to € 237,500 and € 950,000 is the URD subsidy amount.

For more specific information please check the brochure.

Procedure

Valid applications (see Section 3.5) will be assessed in an “open competition”, in which a selection of proposals that could be subsidised is made based on the programme’s assessment criteria: scientific quality, relevance for policy and relevance for the research question posed by the programme.

Committees

The URD research programme has a Programme Committee, an ad-hoc Assessment Committee of external experts and a Supervisory Board.

The co-financing ministries of I&M, BZK/WWI and EL&I are represented on the Programme Committee, which also includes a number of scientists recommended by NWO. If necessary, the Programme Committee can be supplemented by several ad-hoc members during an assessment round.

Budget

Applications cannot be corrected or supplemented after the deadline. Applicants who do not submit a Letter of Intent first are not permitted to submit a full proposal. Submitting a Letter of Intent is compulsory! For more specific information please check the brochure.

De 2nd URD call is partially financed by FES funds which were made available by the Government, and by the NWO divisions of Social Sciences (MaGW) and Earth and Life Sciences (ALW). There is a total budget of 3.85 million euros available for this part of the programme.

Financiers

NWO Divisions for Social Sciences (MaGW) and Earth and Life Sciences (ALW)

Contacts

• Mr drs. M.G. van Leeuwen
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 09 31, e-mail: m.vanleeuwen@nwo.nl
• Ms. J.M. Brouwer
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 09 83, fax: +31 (0)70 383 28 41, e-mail: j.brouwer@nwo.nl