ESPON Projects

ESPON Projects

Under the ESPON 2013 Programme new projects are contracted by the Managing Authority following a competitive process. The projects are carried out by Transnational Project Groups (TPG).

The projects cover a wide range of research areas in order to support policy development related to territorial development and cohesion. The focus is on territorial structures, trends, perspectives and impacts of sector policies.

  • Applied Research Projects, conducted under Priority 1 of the ESPON 2013 Programme, are thematically defined by the demand of policy makers. Projects create European wide, comparable information and evidence on territorial potentials and challenges focusing on opportunities for success for the development of regions and cities. Cross-thematic applied research is a major activity integrating existing thematic analysis as well as studying impacts of EU policies.
  • Targeted Analyses, conducted under Priority 2 of the ESPON 2013Programme, are a new type of projects supporting the use of existing results in partnership with different groups of stakeholders. Introducing a new approach to the generation of project ideas as well as to the implementation of projects, Targeted Analyses provide an opportunity to stakeholders for (1) enhancing their understanding of the larger territorial context, (2) making comparisons to other territories, regions and cities, and (3) hereby providing a European perspective to considerations on the development of their territories.
  • The Scientific Platform, Priority 3 of the ESPON 2013 Programme, represents a core element in the knowledge base being created by ESPON. It includes data, indicators and analytical tools that can be used in considerations on territorial policies.