Open Call Ways to Well-being

the mobility challenge in the Netherlands
The negative impact of our mobility system on the climate and our well-being is untenable. Besides the emission of hazardous substances, building and using infrastructure leads to a deterioration of our living environment at the expense of social cohesion, spatial quality, recreational possibilities, nature conservation areas and or experience of the landscape. In addition, a growing number of people is confronted with transport poverty because of the increasing pressure on affordable, accessible and available mobility.

Fundamentally new mindsets and problem-solving approaches are necessary to arrive at a sustainable mobility transition. We must think beyond the ‘classic’ infrastructural expansion measures and capacity bottlenecks. The mobility challenge requires an integral and multidisciplinary approach which is inextricably linked to social issues in the field of health, climate and the living environment, to name but a few. And most of all, an approach showing awareness that mobility is a distribution problem in which reciprocity plays an important part.

Proposals can be submitted by spatial designers entering into a broad coalition of stakeholders, from policymakers and implementers to managers and experts. Think, for instance, of provinces, waterboards, municipalities, transport companies, landowners, area and project developers, social initiatives, artists, heritage specialists and mobility experts, but also civilians or groups of civilians.

Please note: Designers act as the main applicant and are responsible for the project. Collaborative parties act as co-applicant.

The open call focuses on projects that develop innovative spatial narratives, perspectives, strategies and/or solutions for a sustainable and social mobility transition, based on research by design.

The challenge is to be approached from one ore more of the following perspectives:
- The necessary transition to sustainable mobility from the broad welfare concept. The accessibility issue is positioned next to people’s mobility needs.
- Mobility as a means to increase quality of life. The relationship between a sustainable mobility system and our living environment is put central.
- Mobility that puts the well-being of people central in a broad sense. This requires the need to engage the mobility system in organizing new destinations and ways of meeting.

The perspectives and the term ‘research by design’ are explained in the Open Call Ways to Well-being.

The Open Call Ways to Well-being is divided into:

first phase
The assessment of the applications in the first phase is split into two parts, namely:
- canvas application: In this phase, you draw up a concise application by means of the Spatial Design Action [SPA] project canvas. The closing date for this phase is 27 February 2023. The advisory committee assesses these applications and selects a maximum of 27 proposals. This selection will be announced in the first half of April 2023. Co-financing is not mandatory for this phase.
- project application: Only the 27 selected applicants can submit a complete project application in phase 1b. The closing date for this phase is 31 May 2023. To draw up this project application, the selected applicants receive a grant of € 3,000 as financial compensation. The advisory committee assesses these applications and eventually selects 15 proposals that will be awarded a grant of a maximum of € 30,000 (€ 25,000 for research by design and € 5,000 for knowledge sharing). Co-financing is mandatory for this phase.

first phase after selection
After the final selection in June 2023, you will work on the research by design from July 2023 up to and including March 2024, during which period you focus on strengthening new cooperative ventures with sectors outside the creative industry and developing new working methods, insights and design proposals. During this period, the Fund will organize a number of intervision and knowledge sharing meetings.

follow-up phase
At the end of the first phase, the 15 applicants who were selected in the first phase can apply for a maximum of € 40,000 (€ 35,000 for research by design and € 5,000 for knowledge sharing) for the follow-up phase. You will be working on this from April 2024 up to and including January 2025. The objective of the follow-up phase is to engage the power of design to further develop the results obtained from the first phase. In the follow-up phase, the Fund will also organize a number of intervision and knowledge sharing meetings.

impact phase
At the end of the follow-up phase, it is possible to enhance the impact of the supported projects with a maximum amount of € 7,500. The impact phase is from February up to and including June 2025. The impact grant is meant for activities that support the partners in systematically embedding results from the research by design in their regular working methods.

In order to prepare the application, it is important to acquire the right information based on the following documents:

Open Call Ways to Well-being
Applications are assessed on the basis of the Open Call Ways to Well-being, which describes the reason and objective, perspectives, phasing, criteria and procedures.

Spatial Design Action project canvas and explanatory notes
The Spatial Design Action project canvas (in Dutch only) is the core of your application. Check it out in advance so you know what is required of you. Also read the Explanatory Notes to the Spatial Design Action project canvas (in Dutch only).

Open Call Grant Scheme
Applications are assessed on the basis of the Open Call Grant Scheme, which describes the general conditions, grounds for rejection, manner of publication, submission procedure, assessment, the award and any grant obligations.

Canvas applications are assessed on the basis of the Open Call Ways to Well-being and the Open Call Grant Scheme.

assessment criteria
- research question in relation to the open call’s theme;
- positioning with respect to existing knowledge on the theme within the area of expertise, and how that positioning is translated into an approach;
- relevance of the intended collaborations with respect to the approach to the issue.

The assessment criteria for the canvas applications are explained in the Open Call Ways to Well-being. This also contains the assessment criteria for project applications.

Please note: Article 8 (Contents of the application) of the Open Call Grant Scheme does not apply to the canvas application within this open call.

acceptance
When you have submitted your application, the Fund Desk will check if your application complies with the formal requirements of the Open Call Grant Scheme.

assessment
An independent advisory committee will assess your application on the basis of the Open Call Grant Scheme and the Open Call Ways to Well-being. The committee advises the Fund’s Board.

decision
The Board takes account of the committee’s advice in its decision on the rejection or provision of the grant. You will be notified about the result in a decision.

accountability
If you receive a grant from the Fund, then you will have to comply with the obligations. Two weeks before the conclusion of your project, you will be asked by email to submit your accountability form in the application environment.

Open Call Ways to Well-being
Open Call Grant Scheme
Spatial Design Action project canvas (in Dutch only)
Explanatory Notes to the Spatial Design Action project canvas (in Dutch only)
Grant Application Guidelines