WIOMSA, with funding from the Government of Sweden, is implementing a four-year Cities and Coasts (C&C) Project (2018-2021), whose main objectives are to:

• improve scientific knowledge and to stimulate research directed at underpinning effective and efficient responses by coastal cities to current and foreseeable challenges they face. Support will be given only to high quality, demand-driven, and policy-relevant action research;
• support capacity building and the transfer of knowledge and expertise;
• support the sharing of knowledge between cities in the region, develop cost effective and minimal technology solutions, and undertake successful community engagement;
• forge partnerships among stakeholders from the academic, practitioner, private sector, civil society, and coastal city policy-making communities.

One of the main activities of the C & CP is a call for research proposals for full proposals for conducting research that generates solutions-oriented knowledge required to address the complex challenges facing coastal cities in the WIO region, improve broader planning of coastal cities as well as identifying opportunities offered by coastal cities for advancing sustainable development. The C&C Project aims to mobilizing scientists to collaborate with other key stakeholders in coastal cities such as local authorities, city planners, policy makers from central government, the private sector, civil society and citizens, in research co-design and co-production of the knowledge and production of decision-support tools, needed to support the transformation of coastal cities towards sustainability. The C&C Project-funded research projects must deliver both excellent science and clearly identify how the research will lead to tangible positive outcomes for target groups at the levels of policy, technology, environment, and the wellbeing of coastal communities.

Further, the Project will also invite proposals for supporting the organization of training courses/workshops. These proposals should seek to involve different groups including scientists, policy-makers, city planners, NGOs and local government representatives. Proposals should focus on regional priority issues and aim at building the capacity of key stakeholders in coastal cities to address these.