EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS: TU1204 – People-Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World The City Sounding Board Working Group (part of the COST Action People-Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World (TU1204)) http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/tud/Actions/TU1204 invites you to participate in a Short Term Scientific Mission in Dublin, Ireland. The application deadline is July 1, 2015. The STSMs will take place during the first two weeks of September 2015. BACKGROUND The Dublin Seed-bed Interesting things have been happening in Dublin in the last 5 years, partly due to the severe economic recession, but also due to the particular social, cultural and economical ecology of the city. Dublin has a young working population with a strong international profile, drawn by the promise of employment in key sectors, but also by a city that offers a diverse cultural experience and a tradition of intense social engagement. The economic momentum of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ years, followed by contraction in funding and paralysis in the institutional response, prompted a societal reflection and discourse which questioned the prevailing values, and created an appetite for new ways of doing business. The post-recession years saw the emergence of new groups, existing outside the conventional institutional landscape, inspired by a value system which bridged economic, cultural and civic spheres, and equipped with the tools of the "hyper-connected world". It is proposed that the STSMs for Dublin will explore the following urban interventions which took shape during this period:
Designing Dublin Fumbally Exchange Block T/Mabos Join the Dots Pivot Dublin Hack the City/Science Gallery
The brief will require each researcher to explore and document one of the above initiatives with reference to a range of criteria (see below). In line with the Lucca experience (see below for more details on past STSMs), the 5 researchers will also be required to work together, in order to: consider the broad city-context from which the initiatives emerged; analyze, assess, and evaluate the cumulative impact of the initiatives in terms of changing conventional governance and institutional relationships to generate a culture of citizen engagement; and, document/report on the extent to which a platform for collaborative urbanism has been created for the future and whether this can be replicated in other city-contexts.
Research on the Urban Interventions- Suggested Criteria:
Why did the initiative emerge- what was the prompt culture? Who were the core partners/collaborators/champions? What did it set out to do/ did it achieve this/did it morph into something else? What was the structure/how did it see itself politically/position itself ? Describe its process? How were costs covered / was there any requirement for impact reporting? How was technology/social media used? What was the relationship to formal authority/institutions? Did it relate or show awareness of a wider bottom-up community/network?
STSMs – Operating as a City Sounding Board As well as providing an external perspective and carrying out objective research, it is also proposed that the 5 STSMs will operate as an action CSB. The central thrust of the CSB is that it can intervene in complex urban contexts, drawing multiple stakeholders to the table, and in answering human need, employ inter-disciplinary capacity to generate data/storyline, recognize relevant patterns, and prioritize objectives and interventions. Here we have a number of innovative urban initiatives, which may have operated largely in isolation from each other. The action CSB could consider the collective platform they present, to operate as a dynamic network, providing new competencies in working together, and suggesting new structures in support. It could form a communication channel between the communities of urban interventions that will be investigated, but also between the communities and the formal authorities/institutions. We have an opportunity to use research as a vigorous prompter of transformative change and place the young researchers/STSMs at the coal-face, testing a CSB model in a real city context. While the successful STSM applicants will be asked to work collaboratively via the CSB model, each researcher will be expected to submit their own report (6,000 words) at the completion of the research. Research methods/methods of work should include (but are not limited to) datagathering and mapping exercises. Mentorship Mentorship formed an important part of the STSMs for Lucca. A number of senior members of COST TU 1204 led briefing sessions to initiate the research in Lucca and participated in the final day’s presentation of the research findings, including the Director and several of the chairs of the Working Groups. It is proposed to replicate this process in Dublin. The opening day could also include a short workshop, attended by members of the Lucca STSM team, where insight and experience could be shared. While the Dublin team of researchers will of course plan and develop their own programme of interviews etc, a list of relevant contacts for the specific projects will be available. Past STSMs as part of Working Group 5 – The City Sounding Board Short Term Scientific Missions are encouraged under European COST projects in order to facilitate focused research into specific contexts within limited timelines. In the case of TUD 1204 this has been applied to designated reference cities. Historically STSMs have operated on the basis of a researcher working alone. A new approach was developed in the case of the Lucca STSMs [Sept 2014] when 5 young researchers operated as a team, responding to individual aspects of the brief, but also exploiting the potential of a dynamic unit with the freedom to move creatively in response to local factors and circumstances.
The brief for the Lucca STSMs revolved around an ambitious regeneration project, within the historic walled city,[The PIUSS Project] which had begun to run into trouble and which has since failed. In order to understand what had happened, the brief required researchers to: [1] understand the relationship of the city and its citizens within the walls, to the city outside the walls; [2] understand how the footprint of the regeneration project related to the urban form and the morphology of public space; and, [3] get to grips with the narrative of public engagement for the project. The brief also evolved to require the STSM team to reflect on how the emerging concept of a City Sounding Board could help resolve differences between multiple stakeholder groups, and build a process to generate discourse and action towards common goals. During the process an innovative methodology of interrogative infrastructure was developed aimed at revealing how major stakeholder groups utilized the hard and soft infrastructure of the city. Subsequent to Lucca, the recent MC meeting in Glasgow in March reflected on how the STSMs and the team approach in Lucca, could help develop a network of young researchers. This took shape through a Young Researchers Symposium, where 8 researchers presented their work. It is planned that the STSM initiative for Dublin will build on the platform provided by Lucca and Glasgow and provide an opportunity to further expand the Young Researchers Network. Keeping the focus on the COST Action TU1204 (People Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World), the brief for the 2015 Dublin STSMs seeks to retain a core focus on the following areas which are at the heart of our COST project: Collaborative Urbanism; Citizen Engagement; Human Needs; Governance; Top-down-Bottom-up Approaches; Design; Co-production; Systems-Thinking; Hard and Soft Infrastructure; and, the City Sounding Board.
SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON STSMs
A STSM grant is a fixed contribution based on the requested budget which is evaluated by the STSM Committee. The grant is for travel and subsistence costs only. It does not necessarily cover all such expenses. The Management Committee of the COST Action TU1204 will award up to 5 STSMs. The budget will be divided among the successful applicants (called Grant Holders) in accordance with COST rules. Successful applicants will receive an allowance of €120/day and €500 (maximum) for travel up to a maximum total budget of €2,000. After the STSM, the Grant Holder must submit a scientific report to the Host and to the STSM Coordinator within 30 days after the end of his/her stays. Moreover, the Grant Holder must request a signed acceptance letter of his/her scientific report from the Host (senior researcher at the Host Institution), which the Host sends to the STSM Coordinator. The STSM grant will be paid after the Grant Holder’s scientific report and the acceptance letter from the Host institution have been approved by the STSM Committee. The Grant Holder must therefore pre-finance costs related to the STSM (travel, stay, meals).
EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS: TU1204 – People-Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World APPLICATION PROCESS 1. STSM applicants must be engaged in a research programme as a postgraduate student or postdoctoral fellow, or be employed by or officially affiliated to an institution or legal entity. 2. Applicants must send the following application documentation to Dimitra Xidous (STSM Contact; see full contact details below): o Completed STSM Application Template (see attached). o Letter of invitation from the Host Institution o CV (including list of publications) EVALUATION 1. The application will be evaluated by the STSM Committee (consisting of the STSM Coordinator, as well as the Chair and the Working Groups Chairs of COST Action TU1204). 2. Notification of the Committee’s decision will be sent to the applicants by Au gust 1, 2 0 15
FINAL REPORT 1. The Grant Holder will receive payment after his/her scientific report of the Grant Holder and the acceptance letter from the Host Institution has been approved by the STSM Committee. The scientific report is typically about 10-20 pages long. It must include: Purpose of the STSM; Description of the work carried out during the STSM; Description of the main results obtained; Future collaboration with the Host Institution (if applicable); Foreseen publications/articles resulting from the STSM (if applicable); and Other comments (if applicable). IMPORTANT DATES: Deadline for applications: July, 1, 2015 Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2015 Period of STSMs: First two weeks of September 2015. **Note: Successful applicants must be available to present preliminary findings at the COST Action Meeting taking place in Madrid, Spain September 30-October 2, 2015.** Prior to the award applicants are required to read and abide by the instructions in Section 6 of the COST Vademecum - Short Term Scientific Mission (http://www.cost.eu/participate/guidelines, pp. 32-35). Contact person: Dimitra Xidous (xidousd@tcd.ie )
EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
APPLICATION TEMPLATE– SHORT TERM SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS: The City Sounding Board COST ACTION TU1204 – People-Friendly Cities in a Data Rich World Note: To be eligible, STSM applicants must be engaged in a research programme as a postgraduate student or postdoctoral fellow, or be employed by or officially affiliated to an institution or legal entity. This institution is considered as the Home institution. Institutions may be public or private entities. Completed applications should be sent to xidousd@tcd.ie
Prior to filling out your application, please ensure you have read the COST Vademecum section on STSMs - http://www.cost.eu/participate/networking
Applicant Name: ____________________________________
Home Institution: ____________________________________ Motivation Letter (800- 1000 words) As part of your motivation letter, please include information on how your expertise relates to the objectives of the City Sounding Board as outlined in the brief(please attach motivation letter as a separate document). Additional Material to be included with application: Letter of Support from the Home Institution Letter of invitation from the Host Institution Detailed CV (including publications)
Applicant’s Signature: __________________________________________ Date: __________________________