2021 Transnational Access Campaign: list of funded projects

The 1^st Co-UDlabs Transnational Access (TA) Call has been officially awarded! Our project’s facilities and installations are already set up to make arrangement with selected user groups. The call has been successful in raising awareness about how relevant and pathbreaking innovation and research can be in the field of sustainable urban drainage, and the response of practitioners and the academic community has been greatly encouraging.

✍️ The results in key figures

• 13 projects selected from 10 countries
• Access to 10 facilities from 5 TA providers

You can download the list of the selected projects here.

Co-UDlabs 1st Transnational Access campaign: some statistics

The awarded slots were the outcome of a six-month process of dissemination, application, and evaluation, our first call saw the participation of 15 user groups, led by institutions in 11 countries and including members and researchers from a total of 19 different countries. 100 users from 60 different institutions were part of the teams that submitted their proposals, showing that the call was effective in promoting team building and the establishment of multidisciplinary partnerships that brought various sectors and scientific approaches together.

The call was also an opportunity to enhance diversity and participation in an initiative which builds on cooperation, sharing, and mutual learning. 25% of all users are female, a low but growing figure which will have to be the focus of more innovative and inclusive recruiting in the future. The call was also successful in mobilising interest and participation outside of university: 45% of staff involved in the proposals came from non-academic institutions and partners. 

Co-UDlabs is also as an opportunity for junior researchers to be actively involved in high-level, interdisciplinary innovative activities in an international and very diverse context. TA user groups include junior researchers and students. At least 8 PhD students will be involved in the projects to be carried out at our facilities, and several new positions will be made available in user-group institutions because of their participation in the TA. 

What’s next?

User groups will now begin to arrange their visits with the facility providers. All experiments and projects will be carried out from now through the second half of 2023.

We will be sharing as many updates as possible on the experiments that are run in our facilities in the framework of our TA programme on our website and on social media. Co-UDlabs will also open a new call for applications for a second global TA call in October 2023. In the meantime, remember that all interested partners and institutions can: 

• Start setting up new teams and design their own innovative ideas and projects on our always-open Ideas Marketplace: our 2^nd TA call opens in October 2023, and it can be a valuable opportunity to test new approaches, technology, and methods in a high-level research environment. 

• Contact the facility providers of Co-UDlabs installations any time for additional information on their current and future availability, as well as for details on the technology and infrastructure available at their sites. 

We look forward to even more innovative proposals to push research, policy, and technology on sustainable urban drainage and water management even further!