Call for Expressions of Interest for establishing an International Research Program on Walking as a Mode of Transport (IRP-Walking)

Dear colleagues in the VREF Community,
We are pleased to announce a Call for Expressions of Interest for establishing an International Research Program on Walking as a Mode of transport (IRP-WALKING).

The Call refers to an international research consortium in which multiple researchers and relevant practitioners work together in a thematic program, focusing on joint knowledge production, learning, and the sharing of insights on walking as a mode of transport in urban environments. 

The Call is a two-step process. In this first step (December 2024 – May 2025), VREF invites researchers at universities (and research institutes of academic standing) to submit an EoI to establish and lead an IRP-WALKING. 

  • Each EoI will serve as an application for a VREF planning grant to prepare a full proposal for an IRP-WALKING. VREF plans to approve 3-5 planning grants. 
  • An EoI should be submitted to VREF no later than 1 April 2025. 

In the second step (June-September 2025), only applicants who have received a planning grant will be invited to submit a full proposal for an IRP-WALKING. 

The envisaged outcome of the second step is a VREF decision in December 2025 to fund one IRP-WALKING for 4 years 2026 – 2029 with up to 25 MSEK (approx. 2,2 M€). 

Q&A

This is where we will publish and answer questions regarding the Call.
If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us via secretariat@vref.se.