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With this call, we cordially invite all VU researchers to submit their socially oriented impact projects for the calendar year of 2025. Connected World will award three projects with a max. of €10.000,- (e.g. salaries, material costs) each. The call is open to a wide range of social impact, from, e.g., an art project to the development of a social app.

Connected World

Today’s world is a Connected World, with 24/7 online communication, millions of citizens closely packed in metropolitan cities, and people, goods and ideas travelling around the globe as never before... Connected World brings together what can be (re)connected. Fellow human beings, no matter how different. Society and nature. City and countryside. Past, present and future. The real and virtual world. Human and artificial intelligence. Local, national and international politics and society. Connections that create space for expression of one’s own identity and those of others. Where there’s room for debate, but also a willingness to change and come closer together. With our research we aim to have real impact in unleashing the potential of the Connected World

Who can apply?

All VU staff (a collaboration with students is also possible) with the collaboration of an external societal partner.

What do we offer?

In addition to monetary contributions of up to €10,000, we offer also guidance during the duration of the project in the form of:

• A startup event at the beginning of the project involving various stakeholders such as the CW team, IXA-GO and C&M;

• An interim evaluation halfway through the project in which the different projects share their initial findings with each other.

• An end event where the projects present the outcomes of the project at the annual CW summer event. During the duration of the project, participants can be supported in the further development of their project by the above-mentioned stakeholders.

Conditions call:

The best impact projects will be rewarded with €10,000,-. The following conditions for this call apply:

• The impact project must be socially oriented and fit within the mission and vision of the Connected World profile theme;

• The researcher collaborates with at least one social, external partner;

• Collaboration with students is a plus;

• The project must contain a disseminating aspect;

• At the end of the project, a product or part of the product is delivered where the 1st step has been taken towards the social partners and where these partners have already been able to give an initial response to the outcome/product of the project.

• The project must appeal to the imagination (imagination factor);

• The project has a maximum duration of 1 year.

How to apply?

Applications must contain the following documents:

• The Societal Award template specifying a description of the impact project, objectives, partners, societal relevance (min. 2 applicants, of which one is a VU staff member; including a 200-word abstract).

• A budget overview. The budget overview must be submitted in table and the following information has to be mentioned.

1. The total requested amount;
2. All costs made for the project;
3. All income made by the project (like conference fees etc., if applicable);
4. The co-finance of third parties who will co-finance the (research) project (if applicable).
5. All costs have to be made within the year the application has been granted.

• The financial administration of the funding is the responsibility of the applicant(s). Therefore a WBS element on which the funding can be booked is mandatory when applying for funding. If you have no WBS element you can contact your Business controller of your faculty, the head of your department or the chair were you work for to make arrangements to use an existent WBS element. Without a WBS element or a remark that the WBS element will be arranged the application cannot be reviewed.

All applications should be addressed to the Connected World policy officer, Rita van der Schriek-Hermans and sent to connectedworld@vu.nl. The required documents have to be send in one pdf. As soon as all documents have been received, the applicant will be sent an acknowledgement of receipt.

Deadline for application

Deadline for submission proposals: 11 November, 2024 before 23:59 hrs.

Communication of winning proposals: 12 December, 2024.

Funding amount

For each awarded impact project, the program will fund costs to a maximum of €10.000,- (e.g. salaries and material costs).

Selection criteria

Proposals are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

• quality of the proposed project;
• the fit to the Connected World profile theme;
• the visibility of the impact project;
• the expected outcomes of the project i.e. societal impact;

Final report

The applicant is required to send a final report including overview of the costs incurred within six weeks after the project has ended.