ASI Call for Integrative Project Proposals

One of the main objectives of the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI) is to promote the VU profile theme of ‘Science for Sustainability’. This is realized by bringing together VU researchers from different faculties and disciplines whose work is relevant to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its wide range of urgent scientific and societal research challenges – the ASI mission is: Integrating knowledge for sustainable societal choices. 

ASI now calls for integrative project proposals to receive a ‘seed money’ contribution of 6-12 kE. If you have an idea that would (strongly) encourage and strengthen ‘Science for Sustainability’ at Vrije Universiteit under the ASI umbrella, then we invite you to send this to us at: nicolien.vander.grijp@vu.nl 

 Successful ideas may include: 

• Organization of integrating workshops on emerging sustainability issues at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 
• Exploratory smaller researches to identify options for larger sustainability research funding 
• Proposals to write profiling interdisciplinary research papers 
• Proposals for small pilot projects and ‘proof of concepts’ involving stakeholders and users 
• Other inspiring ideas will also be considered, since we are dealing with a field of ‘moving targets’. 

Key conditions for acceptance are: 

• Active contributions of VU researchers from two or more different faculties at Vrije Universiteit. 
• Topics should fall under the scope of one or more ASI Thematic Clusters: Behavior and Governance in the Context of Sustainability Science; Plastics, Environment and Society; Urban Futures; Climate Change and Energy Transition; Food, Agriculture and Land Use; Water Security, Migration, and Justice. However, proposals to other themes are also welcome. 

The ASI Scientific Steering Committee will decide which of the submitted project proposals will qualify for receiving ASI ‘seed money’ – based on innovativeness, interdisciplinarity, inclusion of multiple VU Faculties, societal relevance and impact, and contribution to the ASI Thematic Clusters. 

Deadline for submission: 1 October 2019 – in the first round up to five proposals will be awarded, and all proposals will receive feedback with possibility to re-submit. A task group of the ASI Scientific Steering Committee will decide ultimately by 1 November 2019. 

Please use the attached template for submitting your proposal