Overview
The programme focuses on the internal and external accessibility of the "Randstad", including the main ports and cities, for people, goods and information traffic. All of this within the broad framework of long-term trends in fields such as economic development, demographics, climate and energy.
The funded research is innovative, of a high scientific standard, multidisciplinary and internationally oriented. The research is relevant in the context of strategic knowledge demands at the participating ministries and other public parties as well as, possibly private parties. The research meets the NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) requirements of scientific quality and practical applicability and significance.
The themes to be addressed in the funded research are:
- Climate change and energy transition: consequences for the Randstad infrastructure
- External accessibility of the Randstad, particularly mainports
- Internal accessibility of the Randstad, particularly cities
- Synergy between urban networks and infrastructure networks
- Ecological quality and infrastructure networks
- Governance of transport and infrastructure.
The SAR programme has a Supervisory Board, a Programme Committee and ad hoc Assessment Committees. The Programme Committee is responsible for the coordination and coherence of the programme, assesses the progress and draws up the budget. In addition, this committee is responsible for prioritising the research proposals on the basis of the outcomes of one or more Assessment Committees and promoting knowledge transfer to the users. The Supervisory Board allocates subsidy on the basis of the Programme Committee's advice and oversees the implementation of the research programme.
The following three sub-programmes were approved in 2009:
- CESAR: Climate and Environmental Change and Sustainable Accessibility of the Randstad
- i-PriSM: Innovative Pricing for Sustainable Mobility
- SRMT: Strategy towards sustainable and reliable multi-modal transport in the Randstad
The following four sub programmes were approved in 2008:
- Synchronizing Networks: the modelling, use, governance and design of supernetworks
- The value of recreation: Now, and in a completely different future
- Towards a sustainable multimodal freight transport system for the Randstad
- TRISTAM: Traveller Response and Information Service Technology: Analysis and Modelling
The following three sub-programs were approved in 2011:
- The feasibility and impact of the transition to electric mobility in the Randstad
- Mobility management and climate change
- Sustainable Maintenance Policy for Infrastructure Networks in the Randstad: A climate change perspective
The following two sub-programs were awarded in 2012:
- Implementing Transit Oriented Development - iTOD
- Transit Oriented Development in the Randstad Southwing
Funding
The research programme will run for six years. During the first phase (2008), around € 3.5 million was awarded for research. A similar amount was provided for the second phase. The total budget consists of contributions from the Ministries of V&W, VROM, EZ and LNV and the NWO, and amounts to € 10.6 million.