Dr. Stephan Bartke | German Environment Agency | stephan.bartke@uba.de
European Soil Partnership Plenary Meeting | Rome, Italy | 20-21 March 2018
Soil Research Funding Platform
| INSPIRATION

Take home messages
 Bottom-up Strategic Research Agenda:
www.inspiration-agenda.eu
 New Soil and Land Research Funding Platform:
 A flexible, self-financed platform of European funders
 Granting and disseminating research on spatial planning,
sustainable management of soil and land
 Inception: Funders meeting in June 2018
 INSPIRATION is a neutral facilitator preparing this activity

Dr. Stephan Bartke | German Environment Agency | stephan.bartke@uba.de
European Soil Partnership Plenary Meeting | Rome, Italy | 20-21 March 2018
Part I:
INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION’s objectives
Call: Structuring research on soil, land-use and
land management in Europe
• Establish & promote a
Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)
• Consider current & future societal challenges
• Involve funders and create a network
Soil ManagementSpatial Planning Land Use
INSPIRATION Kick-off Berlin 2015

INSPIRATION’s ambition
 Bottom-up, co-design approach:
SRA based on real stakeholder
demands
 Refraining from silo-thinking
 Being relevant for practice
 Being feasible due to funders
involvement

Research
• Creation of knowledge
• Transfer of knowledge
• Uptake of knowledge
• Demonstration of applicability
• Codification & standardisation
MOST of our
research &
innovation needs
involve two or
more of each of
these activities

INSPIRATION
Research Agenda

INSPIRATION
Research Agenda
www.inspiration-agenda.eu

Inspiration4EU today
• Voluntary network till Aug. 2019 to
implement the SRA
www.inspiration-agenda.eu
www.
inspiration-
h2020.eu
•Background
•Deliverables
•Process
www.
inspiration-
agenda.eu
•Detailed agenda
•funding
interests
Your
National
Contacts
•In 17 countries
•Other countries,
EU networks

Inspiration4EU Contacts –
Details www.inspiration-agenda.eu

This presentation reflects only the author’s views. The European Union
is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
This project received funding from the European Union under
HORIZON 2020 under Grant Agreement No. 642372.
StadtLand
UG

Dr. Stephan Bartke | German Environment Agency | stephan.bartke@uba.de
European Soil Partnership Plenary Meeting | Rome, Italy | 20-21 March 2018
Part II: Soil and Land
Research Funding Platform

• strongly believing in the need for integrated soil and land
research in Europe.
• seeing added value through coordinating, co-funding and
disseminating cross-border research.
• seeking to establish a new self-financed platform of funders
to implement integrated, trans-/multidisciplinary research,
where the collaboration is flexible to respect every partner’s
objectives and domestic regulatory restrictions while
leveraging the potential of trans-national collaboration.
An initiative
by funders for funders

• Address the knowledge needs identified in the INSPIRATION
SRA and by other initiatives.
• Avoid excessive administrative processes and preserve
flexibility in coordination.
• Produce implementable research and focus on its uptake by
end-users, at all spatial levels.
• Grants are for the research topics and teams as specified by a
funder (e.g. country-specific).
Maxims

SRA
Starting point: Funding the
implementation of an integrated soil and
land management SRA (based on but not
limited to www.inspiration-agenda.eu)
Vision

An agenda that is reflecting actual
stakeholders’ demands.
SRA
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

SRA
Stakeholders
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
An self-financed, independent platform
for funders, who seek to implement parts
of this research agenda.
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
SRA
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Participating partners agree on the
governance of the platform, e.g.
establishment of a Platform Steering
Committee, Secretariat and Task Groups.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
SRA
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Suggestion: Ensuring a self-financed platform through a membership fee.
1. “Full members”
define strategy, provide overall direction, coordination of platform; initiate joint calls,
support the joint secretariat (ca. 5,000 to 10,000 Euro/year | in-kind contributions).
2. “Affiliate membership”
…
Participating partners agree on the
governance of the platform, e.g.
establishment of a Platform Steering
Committee, Secretariat and Task Groups.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
SRA
Projects
results
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Delivering results to stakeholders and
dissemination are regarded as very
important aspects of every funded project
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
SRA
Projects
results
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Full members are free to define the
budgets they are willing to assign in each
call (+specific associated call costs). 
specific funding per call.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Projects
results
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Implementing a call will follow a simple
Call procedure building up on experience
of partners of former SNOWMAN network
(e.g. existing templates, routines as basis).
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Projects
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Topic selection is a very important stage.
• Identifying windows of opportunity for
funding specific elements of the SRA.
• Avoiding redundancy with existing calls.
• All full members can suggest call topics.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Projects
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Specific funds and topics can be
determined by a limited number of
members…
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Projects
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Specific funds and topics can be
determined by a limited number of
members… and affiliate members can join!
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Projects
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Suggestion: Ensuring a self-financed platform through a membership fee.
1. “Full members”
2. “Affiliate membership”
time-limited and only open for research funds granting organisations or
administrations in order to participate in a dedicated call and its associated costs.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking

Contracting
/ steering
Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Call
procedure
SRA
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
Projects
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Each funder – in accordance with
domestic regulation – executes
contracting and steering of research
teams in the projects. Projects shall
include different countries.
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Draft
call
Public
call
Consul-
tation
SRA
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
The call procedure could be split in a draft
phase with consultation and the public call
phase.
Contracting
/ steering
Projects
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Draft
call
Public
call
Consul-
tation
SRA
from
participating
countries
can apply in
consortium
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Only researchers from participating
countries may ask for funding in a
proposal.
Contracting
/ steering
Projects
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Draft
call
Public
call
Consul-
tation
SRA
from
participating
countries
can apply in
consortium
Review of
calls
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
All technicalities, e.g. the reviewing of
calls, are following a template or are
modified and specified by the participating
call members. Contracting
/ steering
Projects
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Draft
call
Public
call
Consul-
tation
SRA
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Periodically updating the research agenda
based on emerging gaps and challenges –
seeing the INSPIRATION SRA as a starting
and living document open to other inputs. Contracting
/ steering
Projects
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder

Platform Steering Committee
Secretariat, Task groups
Specific
topics
& budgets
Draft
call
Public
call
Consul-
tation
SRA
Administration Dissemination & Communication Networking
results
Topic
selection
Draft commitments
Soil and Land Funding Research Platform
Potential roles of ESP:
• Stakeholder
• Contributor to (Pillar 3)
• Updating SRA
• Consultation
• Administration
• Network
Contracting
/ steering
Projects
Stakeholders
Researcher
Funder
Soil and land
stakeholder
European Soil
Partnership
Review of
calls

• Where do you see an ESP engagement?
• Details on governance of the Platform
will be discussed and agreed with each potential partner.
• An inception workshop shall identify basic common ground,
(June 2018).
How to engage?

Your INSPIRATION National Contact and I are
looking forward to answering your questions

Thanks!