Call for Research Projects 2018

A call is open for research projects matching the Turku Urban Research Programme. The research funding is provided by the City of Turku, the West-Finland Housing Association of Public Utility, the University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi University. The call applies to interdisciplinary research groups, led by and including researchers affiliated with the University of Turku (UTU) and Åbo Akademi University (ÅA). The consortiums can involve also researchers from other universities and research institutes.

The call is for research proposals involving one or several of the following topics:
 

1. Significance of fast mobile data connections (5G etc.) to urban development
    
2. Supply and attractiveness of housing options in Turku urban region
    
3. Culture and urban culture as an attraction factor
    
4. Other urban research topic—defined by the applicant—in line with the aims City of Turku’s strategic programmes
    

The research funding will be provided up to a maximum of €600,000. The expectation is to fund four projects, valued €150.000 each.

The Turku Urban Research Programme’s funding rules are as follows: The workload of the project director (and potential directors of sub-projects in a consortium), usually a professor, is considered as the university’s self-funding, which is not covered. However, a working hours calculation (e.g. a Sole report) is not required. The employment costs of researchers hired for the project are fully covered, calculated with real employer’s costs (e.g. not with multipliers of “the full cost model”). A fixed 18% overhead is accepted in the funded part of the project. The funder accepts the use of funding as salaries and grants, as well as data and travel costs. The research projects are required to begin during 2019, and to finish by the end of 2020. The City of Turku will nominate a steering group for each project.

The Turku Urban Research Programme provides funding for academically relevant research, which is expected to deliver also policy advice. The evaluation of applications (a research plan) will focus on the scientific merit, feasibility, applicability, topicality, and originality of the contributions. The desired applicability is insights into options for influencing urban development or improving governance – with future orientation, but acknowledging the importance of understanding historical perspectives, too. The funded empirical research does not have concern Turku, if the applicability of the results for developing Turku is otherwise justified.

The call is arranged in two stages. The City of Turku will inform applicants selected for the second round how their research plans should be developed. The final plans are not expected to be much longer than the initial versions.