Transformations to Sustainability (T2S) Call for Project Outline Proposals is now open

The Belmont Forum and NORFACE launch the Programme “Transformations to Sustainability” (acronym: T2S). T2S will contribute to re-structuring the broad field of sustainability research by placing social science and humanities at the heart of interdisciplinary research in a step change in scale and scope for research programming on this topic. Co-production of knowledge and research problem formulation is considered to be critical to the process of societal transformation. Researchers from social sciences/humanities (SSH) can apply to T2S on behalf of a consortium. The deadline for the first stage of Outline Proposals is April 5, 2017.

Objectives and themes

To study the challenges targeted in this call, both inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that enable researchers to address the interconnections and interdependencies between natural and human systems, as well as between science and society, are needed. This program has two major objectives:

• To develop understanding of and promote research on transformations to sustainability which are of significant social, economic and policy concern throughout the world and of great relevance to both academics and stakeholders
• To build capacity, overcome fragmentation and have a lasting impact on both society and the research landscape by cultivating durable research collaboration across multiple borders, disciplinary boundaries, and with practitioners and societal partners. This includes facilitating the development of new research collaborations with parts of the world which are not often involved in large-scale international research efforts, notably low- and middle-income countries

The programme is structured around three themes, every research project should focus on at least one of these themes:

1. Governance and institutional dimensions of transformations to sustainability
2. Economy and finance of transformations to sustainability
3. Well-being, quality of life, identity, and social and cultural values in relation to transformations to sustainability

Funding
The total funding available for this T2S programme over a period of three years has been set at a minimum of 13 M€ across the international funding partners. Small and large projects are equally welcome. The total funding requested from the T2S partners must not exceed € 1,500,000 across all participating partners for each project. Projects can last up to 36 months.

Procedure
Proposals to the T2S research programme will be processed in two stages. In the first stage, Outline Proposals are invited with a deadline of April 5, 2017. The Outline Proposals are abridged versions of the Full Proposals. All applicants will receive notification of the shortlisting decisions in June 2017. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a Full Proposal, with a deadline of 26 September 2017.

For programme details please refer to the call documents.

Please note that the BFGO Proposal Portal will be operational January 23, 2017.

The objective of the Transformations to Sustainability (T2S) is to support research projects that enhance our understanding of how societies can transform their relationship with the environment to achieve a sustainable future.

It will investigate processes through which such transformations take place, globally, regionally and locally, by looking at how they unfolded in the past, what drives such processes and with what outcomes. The objective is to move beyond description to an understanding of the complex processes of societal transformation in order to identify opportunities for intervention and to secure effective, equitable and durable solutions targeted to real problems in specific contexts and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

T2S will contribute to re-structuring the broad field of sustainability research to place social science at the heart of interdisciplinary efforts and will contribute to a step change in scale and scope for research programming on this topic.

T2S Teleconference 22 September 2016

Pre-Announcement