Bids Sought for European Research Funding

A new call for tenders launched on 3 May by ESPON – a five-year programme for applied research into all aspects of European territorial development –
provides a great opportunity for UK researchers to bid for substantial European research projects. Research teams are being sought for ten projects with a combined value of £3,900,000.

Two projects in particular catch the eye, since they involve research on projects that were devised by UK bodies. Communities and Local Government is the lead stakeholder for a £300,000 project on Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) - a method for checking the likely impacts on places of sector policies and projects such as those for transport, energy, environment, and renewables. The “ESPON and TIA” project will test the practical use of TIA, with particular reference to the reactions of practitioners in the UK and the other two stakeholders in the project, Portugal and Slovenia. It will ask questions such as how can practising planners anticipate how EU Directives on such matters will impact nationally and regionally?

Another project “RISE” concerns Regional Integrated Strategies. This was the idea of the West Midlands Leaders Board and also involves regions in Sweden and Denmark as well as the Randstad, a conurbation in the Netherlands. The key focus of this project is on producing practical tools to use at regional level, with a particular emphasis on integration indicators, financing models and monitoring methodologies.

There are also two larger projects that should be of interest to UK academics and consultants. One is about the provision across Europe of essential services such as gas, water, electricity, health care, postal services, education and social housing etc. The project will look at how access to these “services of general interest” varies not just between states but also between urban and rural areas for example. This £855,000 project will ask how such services should be addressed through cohesion policies.

Researchers interested in maritime spatial planning are likely to be attracted to the £725,000 tender to do work on “European Seas in Territorial Development”. One of the key questions posed in this study is how can the different functions of the sea and the different activities both at sea and in coastal regions be coordinated in order to ensure sustainability in the view of, for instance, upcoming climate change effects?

Bids must be in by 28 June. For full details of all the projects go to www.espon.eu. For advice about how to get involved email research@rtpi.org.uk.

Notes to editors

1. ESPON (European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion) is a five-year programme for applied research into all aspects of European territorial development. It involves 27 nation states of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and the RTPI has been appointed by the UK Government’s Department of Communities and Local Government to deliver the ESPON UK Contact Point as part of the network of national contact points for the research programme.

2. ESPON UK Contact Point
The RTPI has been appointed by Communities and Local Government to deliver the ESPON UK Contact Point as part of the network of national contact points for the ESPON research programme. For further information visit www.espon.org.uk
3. The Royal Town Planning Institute
The RTPI is the largest professional institute for planners in Europe, with over 22,000 members who serve in government, local government, as advisors in the private sector, the voluntary sector, the development industry and Higher Education. It is a charity with the purpose to develop the art and science of town planning for the benefit of the public as a whole. As well as promoting spatial planning, RTPI develops and shapes policy affecting the built environment, works to raise professional standards and supports members through continuous education, training and development. For further general information, visit the RTPI website at: www.rtpi.org.uk
Royal Town Planning Institute
41 Botolph Lane, London, EC3R 8DL
RTPI, a charity registered in England 262865 and Scotland SC 037841