Calls for proposals � ESPON 2013 Programme

The European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON) supports policy development related to EU Cohesion Policy. It is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Objective 3 for European Territorial Cooperation and by 31 countries (the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

In the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, Calls for Proposals are now open. Potential beneficiaries are public and private bodies from the 31 countries. Researchers and research institutions, universities, scientists, experts, academic teams are invited to apply. The Call on Transnational Networking Activities is dedicated to the institutions confirmed as national ESPON Contact Points.

1. Call for Proposals for Applied Research projects:
- European Neighbour Regions (budget €750,000)
- Small and Medium sized Towns in their Functional Territorial Context (budget €650,000)
- The territorial dimension of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Europe (budget €750,000)
- Economic Crises: Resilience of Regions (budget €759,153)

2. Call for Proposals on Targeted Analyses based on Expressions of Interest by Stakeholders:
- Growth Poles in South-East of Europe (budget €360,000)
- Key Indicators for Territorial Cohesion and Spatial Planning (budget €360,000)
- Liveable Landscapes for Sustainable Territorial Development (budget €379,796)
- Landscape Policy for the 3 Countries Park (budget €360,000)
- North Sea - Spreading Transnational Results (budget €340,000)
The themes indicated for the Targeted Analyses will be included in the call under the condition that an agreement is signed with the stakeholders behind the project ideas. The themes will therefore only be confirmed when the call is launched on 24 August - details will be published on the ESPON website.

3. Call for Proposals within the ESPON Scientific Platform:
- EU Territorial Monitoring and Reporting (budget €598,000)
- ESPON Atlas on European Territorial Structures and Dynamics (budget €150,000)
- Detecting Territorial Potential and Challenges (budget €350,000)
- Territorial Evidence Packs for ERDF Programmes (budget €500,000)
- ESPON Online Mapping Tool (budget €150,000)
- Territorial Monitoring in a European Macro Region — A test for the Baltic Sea Region (budget €360,000)

4. Call for Proposals for Transnational Networking Activities by the ESPON Contact Point network:
- Capitalisation activities at transnational level by the ESPON Contact Point Network (budget €600,227).

The deadline for submitting proposals is 20 October 2011.

An Info Day and Partner Café for potential beneficiaries will take place on 13 September 2011 in Brussels.

All the documentation related to the Calls, including the procedure for applying, the eligibility rules, the evaluation criteria and the application form, is available at the ESPON website

Reference: 2011/C 245/08

(Added 2011-08-24)