UK authorities have successfully proposed research requests under 'Priority 2' of the first round of calls for ESPON projects. Working with other regional partners, they have identified the need for analyses of the development potential of rural regions and the impact of urban agglomeration on economic development. ESPON will be contracting researchers, to work with the policy makers, under the call announced on 20 August.  

Four UK institutions are involved in the first round of successful bids for applied research under 'Priority 1'. The UHI Millennium Institute is the lead partner for the project exploring development opportunities in rural areas. Further calls will also be made on 20 August for research on climate change and on territorial indicators.

The map on the right - Factors of Sensitivity to Globalisation - was taken from Scenarios, one of the many reports produced by ESPON 2006.