Applications Invited for TYPCities Research Call

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About the Organization

Fondation Botnar is a Swiss philanthropic foundation working to improve the health and wellbeing of young people living in cities around the world. Advocating for the inclusion of youth voices and the equitable use of AI and digital technology, the foundation invests in and supports innovative programs and research, and brings together actors from across sectors to create dialogue and partnerships.

About the Grant

Today, more than half of the world’s population live in urban settings. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise even further, to 6.5 billion people, with the vast majority being young people. Even by 2030, an estimated 60% of urban populations will be under the age of 18. It is therefore young people who are, and will be continuing to, drive the future of our cities.

This rapid urbanisation goes hand in hand with another global trend: the fast-growing spread of data-driven, digital technologies that are being used to improve the administration and governance of cities. These digital urban infrastructures can facilitate inclusive, democratic, and participatory decision-making, but they can also have the opposite effect. They can be used to surveil, monitor, and “datafy” people in public spaces, thereby potentially endangering rights. Therefore, we need to better understand how data-driven and digital technologies can support or threaten young people’s health, wellbeing, and livelihoods.

Responding to this need, and to ensure cities ethically and equitably deploy data-driven and digital technologies to give young people a greater say, we are inviting applicants to submit research proposals as part of our new interdisciplinary research program: ‘Technology and youth participation in governing intermediary cities in LMICs’ (TYPCities). The program will run for three years (2023-2026).

A call for innovative proposals about technology and youth participation in governing intermediary cities in low- and middle-income countries (TYPCities)

TYPCities will generate original research analysing how technology can be used to enable youth participation in the  governance of intermediary cities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The program will produce empirical insights and analytical findings about the role of various technologies in urban governance, based on multi-sited research within and across cities and countries.

The thematic areas for this call are:

• Technology and youth participation – differentiating youth
• Youth and urban governance – distinguishing policy domains
• Urban governance and technological innovation – understanding contexts

The proposals are expected to have a minimum funding volume of CHF 400,000 and a maximum of CHF 1 million, for a duration of three years. The total available amount available for this call is CHF 5 million.

How to Apply

Two virtual information sessions will be held for researchers and consortia interested in applying for a TYPCities project. These sessions provide an opportunity to clarify questions and exchange with our program staff. The two events will be on Thursday, 11 August 2022:

• Session 1: 9.00 – 10.30 CET
• Session 2: 16.00 – 17.30 CET

Please send an email to typcities@fondationbotnar.org to receive registration details.

Applications to the TYPCities program will undergo two phases. Pre-proposals must be submitted to Fondation Botnar via the email address typcities@fondationbotnar.org.

• 31 August 2022, 23.59 CET: Deadline for submission of pre-proposals
• 25 November 2022, 23:59 CET: Deadline for submission of full proposals

For more information please check the Link 

Tags Governance Innovations and Technology Research Others