Research Proposal

What research areas can my proposal be about?
A key basis for each application is a sound research proposal. As an applicant, you are free to design research proposals according to your individual interests and abilities. However, you must ensure that your research is within scope of the DLGS and will:

1. address the topic of the current DLGS call ; and/or DLGS scientific profile and remit
2. align with IOER research areas (one or several)
3. have a thesis supervisor (professor) at the TU Dresden / IOER (suggest up to three)

What format should my short research proposal have for the first step: expression of interest for the scholarship application?
Your research proposal should be limited to text only with a max. length of 5000 characters (incl. blank spaces). The text must be inserted into the online form, no pictures or tables can be included. Your proposal should provide a clear description of the research you intend to carry out, include references to support your argument, and must be structured by the following headings:

1. Problem outline: state clearly the problem statement that you identify and wish to address in your proposed research.
2. State of the art: state the relevant literature, current research on the topic you want to address and how does it contribute to the topic?
3. Research objectives and research questions: what are main objectives of your proposed research and what are the main questions you want to address?

What format should my detailed research proposal have, for the second step pf the scholarship applications?
Your research proposal should be limited to text only with a max. length of 13 000 characters (incl. blank spaces). The text must be inserted into the online form, so no pictures or tables can be included. It should provide a clear description of the research you intend to carry out, include references to support your argument, and must be structured by the following headings:

1. Background and motivation: What is the specific research subject and problem you want to address?
2. State of the art: What is the current scientific knowledge and debate in this field?
3. Research approach: What are your research questions and objectives, and what concepts and theories do you use to address them?
4. Research design: What methodology do you propose to answer your research questions?
5. Work plan: What are the main tasks, and what is the timeline of your research?

What characterizes a transdisciplinary research approach?

DLGS considers a research proposal transdisciplinary where the approach and the entire research process (identifying research needs and setting-up joint research initiatives, problem diagnosis, solution design, decision-making, implementation, evaluation) is characterized by using and merging different forms and stocks of knowledge by actors from science and practice, as well as by the joint production (co-production) of new knowledge. For e.g. urban experiments and urban living labs in which stakeholders can participate substantially and continuously in the research process (as researchers in citizen science, or as project partners with equal rights).

To ensure feasibility, transdisciplinary approaches can be proposed only in relation to the local DLGS context (Dresden/Saxony region - requires German language proficiency) and pertinent IOER projects.