“The calls will provide opportunities for proposals on 11 new themes of Applied Research projects, on one project supporting the ESPON Scientific Platform and on Transnational Networking Activities of the ESPON Contact Point Network ”, Peter Mehlbye, Director of the ESPON Coordination Unit, said. “In addition, the possibility for stakeholders to propose ideas for and receive Targeted Analyses based on ESPON results will also become open. Stakeholders will be invited to express interest for up to 10 new Targeted Analysis” he added.

The European Commission – DG Regio and the Swedish EU Presidency will open the Info Day and Partner Café by presenting the policy demand behind the need for further ESPON results. Then a detailed presentation will launch each of the 5 Calls.

In the afternoon, the event includes an ESPON Partner Café creating a forum for dialogue between potential project partners. The ESPON Partner Café is an opportunity to meet partners for setting up Transnational Project Groups aiming at submitting proposals for ESPON projects as well as discussing with Stakeholders on common interest in targeted analyses. The registration deadline to attend the Info Day and Partner Café is 10 September 2009 at 15h00 via the ESPON Website.

Call for Proposals for Applied Research: 11 themes, 8.650.000 Euro

Applied Research Projects are thematically defined by the demand of policy makers. Projects shall support policy development by creating European wide, comparable information and evidence on territorial dynamics, potentials and challenges focusing on development opportunities for regions and cities.

The Call includes the following 11 themes:

Attractiveness of European regions and cities for residents and visitors

European patterns of land use

Territorial cooperation in transnational areas and across internal/external borders

Transport accessibility at regional/local scale and patterns in Europe

Secondary growth poles in territorial development

Territorial dimension of the innovation and knowledge economy

European perspective on specific types of territories

Continental territorial structures and flows (globalisation)

Indicators and perspectives for services of general interest in territorial cohesion and development

European seas in territorial development

Territorial and regional sensitivity of EU Directives

Calls for Expression of Interest for Targeted Analyses: up to 10 new project ideas (that will be followed up in a Call for Proposals, 3.500.000 Euro)

Targeted Analyses are defined by stakeholders interested in adding a new European perspective to the generation of activities and development opportunities. Introducing a new European perspective, Targeted Analyses provide an opportunity for stakeholders (1) enhancing their understanding of the larger territorial context, (2) making comparisons to other territories, regions and cities, and (3) hereby providing a European perspective to considerations on the development of their territories.

Calls for Proposals for Targeted Analyses: 2 themes, 360.000 Euro

Targeted Analyses are defined by stakeholders who will participate in the project implementation. It is a new type of projects supporting the use of existing ESPON results in partnership with different groups of stakeholders. The expertise needed to carry through the analyses is found by Calls for Proposals based on Project Specification developed by the involved stakeholders and ESPON in close collaboration.

The projects shall address the following targeted themes:

Potential of Rural Regions/PURR

Transnational Support Method for European Cooperation/TranSMec

Call for Proposals for the Scientific Platform: 1 theme, 400.000 Euro

The Scientific Platform represents a core element in the knowledge base being created by ESPON. Projects carried through shall contribute with solid facts and methodologies in support of quality evidence to the policy development processes. In addition, they shall contribute to the building of European datasets, indicators and tools that constitute a foundation for a scientific community in the field of European territorial science.

The theme of this project is “Territorial Indicators/Indices”

Call for Proposals for Transnational Networking Activities by the ESPON Contact Point network: up to 7 proposal can be selected, 2.000.000 Euro.

The Transnational Networking Activities shall provide targeted transnational capitalisation, awareness rising and dissemination of ESPON results with the specific objectives of (1) involving policy makers, practitioners, scientists and young academics and (2) promote the European perspective of territorial development, competitiveness and cohesion.