Driving Urban Transistions (DUT)
Partnership website: https://dutpartnership.eu/
The Driving Urban Transitions is an co-funded partnership, bringing together private and public stakeholders in the research and innovation ecosystems. The DUT partnership incorporates all urban stakeholders (local authorities, municipalities, business and citizens) to co-create innovative, systemic and people-centric approaches, tools, methods and services in support of urban transformative transitions.
CET Partnership aims to achieve this through annual calls addressing three transition pathways, further divided in three themes:
- Circular Urban Economies (CUE)
- Built environment as a resource base
- Integrated approaches with social cohesion and resource issues
- Regenerative urbanism
- Positive Energy Districts (PED)
- PED as a tool to decentralise the energy system
- PED as a socio-technical concept
- Mainstreaming and replication of PED concept
- 15-Minute City (15mC)
- Sustainable urban mobility
- People-centred urban planning
- Smart logistics
A co-funded partnership: participation in Flanders
There are two active Flemish participating members in the DUT call: Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) and the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO). The latest DUT call for Flemish participants is open until 21 November 2023.
VLAIO
For consortia applying through VLAIO, more information can be found on the official webpage. Applications can include a research project, a development project or a PILBO application.
VLAIO has a total budget commitment of €800.000. A project can attain a maximum funding of €500.000.
PILBO has various requirements and funding characteristics:
- In case a Flemish local government wishes to apply, at least one Flemish company has to be part of the consortium
- no more than 70% of the project budget can go to one partner
It is highly advised to contact VLAIO to ensure project funding eligibility (see contact details below).
FWO
For consortia applying through FWO, more information can be found on the official webpage. Applications can include fundamental research ("FO") and strategic basic research ("SBO").
FWO will support at least three Flemish projects with a maximum funding support of €250.000. A project can run for a maximum of 36 months.
A project coordinator can only apply for one DUT project as coordinator. Project applicants can only join a maximum of two different DUT projects/consortia.
It is highly advised to contact FWO to ensure project funding eligibility (see contact details below).
The DUT Partnership has a matchmaking platform for interested parties to connect and collaborate.
Key documents
- Draft partnership proposal (June 2020)
- Driving Urban Transitions Partnership Roadmap
- DUT Partnership in a nutshell
- DUT partnership 2023 call information
- VLAIO PILBO application document
Contact
- DUT Partnership call secretariat
- Transition Pathway coordinators for questions related to the DUT partnership pathways:
- CUE coordinator Björn Wallsten & Ann Maudsley
- PED coordinator Christop Gollner
- 15mC coordinator Maximilian Jäger
- VLAIO contact person for questions related to Flemish participation of companies and public governments:
- Veerle Desmet (+32 (0)2 432 43 02)
- FWO contact persons for questions related to Flemish participation of researchers and research institutions:
- Toon Monbaliu (+32 (0)2 550 15 70) - fundamental research
- Kristien Peeters (+32 (0)2 550 15 95) - strategic basic research
What are partnerships?
Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.
How to use partnerships?
-
orientation
Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points. -
networking
Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents. -
ecosystem analysis
Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain. -
steering the agenda
Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.
Testimonial
RUSTICA - Converting organic residues into bio-based fertiliser products
The RUSTICA project obtained funding under Horizon 2020, more in particular under the topic ‘Closing nutrient cycles’. RUSTICA focuses on demonstration and implementation of circular bio-based nutrient valorisation chains, focusing on waste from the fruit and vegetable agro-food system. The project kicked off in 2021 and will run until 2024. It will use a strong multi-actor approach to co-create both socio-economic and technological knowledge in four case study regions in Europe and one in Colombia. The Flanders-based company DRANCO is one of the project partners and acts as technical project manager for the entire project. DRANCO participates in the project to develop its own technologies, to network and to help make the transition to a more circular based economy.
