Call for proposals — The European Investment Bank Institute proposes a new EIBURS sponsorship under its Knowledge Programme

(2015/C 233/07)

The European Investment Bank Institute channels most of its research grants through its Knowledge Programme, consisting of two different funding schemes:

EIBURS provides grants to university departments or research centres associated with universities in EU, candidate or potential candidate countries working on research topics of major interest to the Bank. EIBURS sponsorships, of up to EUR 100 000 per year for a period of 3 years, are awarded through a competitive process to interested university departments or research centres with recognised expertise in the selected area. Successful proposals entail the delivery of a variety of outputs that will be the subject of a contractual agreement with the European Investment Bank.

For the academic year 2015/2016, the EIBURS programme is seeking proposals on one new research theme:

How can larger organisations also be innovative organisations?

The objective of the research project is to examine how established organisations can best use projects and/or initiatives as the basis for successful radical innovation, and to then develop a range of approaches, common tools and techniques that can support those innovation projects or initiatives.

Many established organisations are built around their ability to replicate existing processes efficiently and securely, and/or to make incremental innovations to existing products and services. As cycles of change become more compressed, organisations may increasingly turn to alternative approaches to achieve more radical innovations or changes.

This study would focus on how organisations with stable core processes can also encourage radical innovation and change. The research should concentrate on execution — how can established organisations best implement change once decided? The study would identify models for radical innovation and change within established organisations, and then use these as a framework to propose tools that the organisation should adopt to foster such innovation.

The first stage would review the range of models for radical innovation that have been envisaged or implemented within established organisations and it should include lessons on effective implementation based on empirical evidence.

The second stage would focus on different approaches to implementation, once a desired strategy or outcome has been selected. It should examine:

The analysis should also take into account factors such as company culture, and the wider business environment.

The third stage would build on insights from the first two stages and focus on developing:

The project may involve any additional activity that the university centre would consider important for successfully undertaking the research and disseminating its results, including:

Proposals should be submitted in English or French by 30 September 2015 24.00 (CET). Proposals submitted after this date will not be considered. Proposals should be sent by email to:

institute@eib.org

For more exhaustive information on the EIBURS selection process and on the EIB Institute, please visit: http://institute.eib.org/