Matty Berg secured funding for his research through the NWA-ORC call of NWO. How did IXA-GO, VU Grants Office support him in this endeavor?
The biodiversity in the peat meadow area around Amsterdam is under severe threat, with one of the causes being intensive land use. How can this be mitigated to restore biodiversity? Matty Berg, a wildlife ecologist and professor of Trait-Based Community Ecology at VU Amsterdam, gathered a consortium in early 2022 to obtain funding in the third round of the Dutch Research Agenda - Research along Routes by Consortia (NWA-ORC) program of NWO. Throughout the entire application process, IXA-GO, VU Grants Office provided support.
The first time, Berg missed the mark with the same consortium. "About a year and a half earlier, we fell just short in the Living Lab NWO call," he explains. "But when this NWA-ORC call was announced, the problem still persisted, and all the partners were eager to compete again." The consortium included not only academics from ecology, social sciences, and economics but also stakeholders connected to the peat meadow area, such as land managers, conventional and organic farmers, the municipality, and province, species protection organizations, banks, and retailers.
This time, Berg received guidance from IXA-GO, VU Grants Office during the application process. He says, "It was invaluable because this call was much more applied and had a different structure than what I was used to, requiring a different way of thinking. For instance, instead of starting with the scientific question, such an application begins with the problem you want to address and possible solutions. Additionally, I had to write an impact plan, outlining how my project would impact the issue. It was very helpful to brainstorm about this with IXA-GO, VU Grants Office because it wasn't always clear to me what the funder wanted to hear, and they had a lot of experience with this."
After the preliminary application and the actual application, Berg received referee reports to which he could respond. Here too, IXA-GO, VU Grants Office provided support. Subsequently, he was invited for an interview.
"We extensively prepared for that interview, and IXA-GO, VU Grants Office was present with valuable tips," Berg recounts. "They raised questions that hadn't initially occurred to us. They also provided advice on assembling the team for the interview and how to divide the questions from the evaluation committee among the team members."
What Berg remembers most is the strong involvement of IXA-GO, VU Grants Office in his application. "They regularly checked in to see if I had heard anything. This shows that people genuinely care in the background. They not only offer their insights but also want to know whether it was successful, whether positively or negatively."
Fortunately, it turned out positively for Berg. His project, VeenVitaal (website available in Dutch only), received 2 million euros and will run until 2027. "I have already advised several individuals planning NWA applications to get in touch with IXA-GO, VU Grants Office. For any application that differs from the standard NWO application, I would definitely reach out to them because they have highly specialized knowledge for various types of applications. Each application has its own peculiarities and sensitivities, and it's always good to gather information about them."
If you want support with your NWA-ORC proposal please contact IXA-GO, VU Grants Office via: subsidiedesk@vu.nl
This interview has been made possible with the support of:
Text: Erica Renckens (Tatataal)
Image: Sander van Iersel (Jester and Wylde)