Researchers from Social Sciences/Humanities (SSH) are invited to apply to the Programme ‘Transformations to Sustainability‘ (T2S) on behalf of a consortium. T2S will contribute to restructuring the broad field of sustainability research by placing social science and humanities at the heart of interdisciplinary research.The deadline for the first stage of Outline Proposals is Wednesday 5 April 2017.
Climate change, environmental degradation and resource pressures have created unprecedented situations for societies worldwide. In particular Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMIC) are likely to be disproportionally affected by this. The slow progress on many pressing challenges of global environmental change and global development has led to increasing emphasis, both in research and policy, on the need to go beyond the study and encouragement of incremental change. Conventional knowledge and capacity building to tackle the challenges associated with sustainability have had some positive impacts but are ultimately not fully adequate.
Consequently, there is growing attention to the need for more fundamental transformations in the way societies interact with each other and with the natural environment as the basis of sustainability. Societal transformations refer to profound and enduring systemic changes that typically involve social, cultural, technological, political, economic and environmental processes.
A comprehensive and concerted research initiative is needed that can boost research on transformations to sustainability, and catalyse new kinds of solutions to environmental and social challenges.
It is important that projects in this research programme be led by a Main Applicant from social sciences/humanities (SSH) and primarily predicated not on the development and demonstration of technological innovation, but rather on enhancing our understanding of societal aspects of transformation in relation to sustainability.
Depending on all conditions of eligibility and peer review being met, the budget earmarked by the participating funding agency NWO for this call will be up to €750,000. Up to €250,000 can be requested per project, which can be used for a PhD or post doc position. NWO will thus finance up to three projects.
Each proposal must be written by a project team. A project team must involve at least three national research teams, based in three different countries, and eligible for the funding from three different T2S funders. These are: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Japan, USA.
