Deadline: 12-Dec-23
The Nordic Programme on Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities is issuing a call for proposals for a synthesis essay that describes the main results of its four projects.
The Nordic Programme on Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities is a collaborative effort between the Academy of Finland; Formas – a Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development; Forte: the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare; the Swedish Energy Agency; the Research Council of Norway; and NordForsk.
The aim of the Nordic Programme on Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities is to promote co-operation between knowledge communities in the Nordic countries in order to enhance opportunities and address challenges relating to sustainable urban development and smart cities. The primary objectives of the programme are to enhance Nordic research collaboration and to fund excellent research with impact within and beyond academia. The programme seeks to develop innovative and interdisciplinary analyses and methods in studies of urban development, smart cities, and the application of essential knowledge for successful implementation.
The objective of the synthesis essay is to map significant advances in urban planning processes and reflect on their usefulness to urban planners and citizens.
Overarching Perspectives of the Programme:
- Integration of different dimensions of urban sustainability in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Co-production – a means of expanding research activities to bridge gaps between knowledge, understanding, and action
Targeted Themes of the Programme:
- Challenges to basic human needs (e.g. water, food, renewable energy, waste management, and fossil-free transport systems) and scaling of their integrated solutions
- Inclusiveness and equal opportunities as preconditions for human well-being and sense of identity
- Heritage, decision structures, and planning processes
- Physical, mental and economic barriers, segregation, and urban structures
- Global change (including climate change) and local urban life
- The balance of power and shared understanding in urban planning and housing
Funding Information
- Applicants are invited to apply for funding to establish a project with a budget of a maximum of NOK 1.5 million and a duration of up to 11 months. The intention is to provide funding for one project under this call.
- Funding may be used for:
- Salaries for researchers
- Research-related costs (such as data collection and analysis, Open Access charges)
- Project-related costs (such as collaboration activities with project partners and stakeholders)
- Communication, stakeholder involvement and outreach activities
- Travel, accommodation, and mobility costs
The synthesis should be based on:
- the scientific outputs of the four projects (the NordForsk administration will provide access to the publications);
- professional, non-academic output supporting municipal administration and civil society. The output can be in Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, or Swedish; and
- interviews of project leaders and group leaders.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for funding, the following conditions must be met:
- Proposals must be submitted electronically through the NordForsk Call and Application Portal by the call deadline.
- All proposals must be written in English and follow the structure set out in the application form that is available on the NordForsk Call and Application Portal.
- The host institution (Project Owner) for the research project must be an established organisation based in a Nordic country that actively undertakes research. In this context, the Nordic countries are defined as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.
- The project leader must be a senior researcher employed by the host institution.
- A researcher may only serve as a project leader for one application under this call. However, research institutions may be affiliated with more than one application.
- The project leader and researchers must not be in close collaboration with the four projects funded under the Nordic Programme on Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities.
- Researchers and research groups must be based in organisations that actively undertake research and that have relevant expertise in and understanding of urban planning in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
- The proposal must clearly indicate the persons responsible for writing the synthesis essay.
- The proposal must include a signed Letter of Commitment from the project owner, signed by a person authorised to take on financial commitments on behalf of the institution for the duration of the project.
- Applications that do not fulfil the above eligibility criteria will not be processed.
For more information, visit NordForsk.