NWO KIN Knowledge in Action: Transition Towards Planetary Health

Grant funding to support short-term, practice-oriented research projects led by partnerships between knowledge institutions and societal organisations in the Netherlands to co‑develop and test innovative interventions that accelerate the transition to planetary health.

The Knowledge in Action – Transition Towards Planetary Health (Kennis in Actie – Transitie naar planetaire gezondheid) call for proposals is launched by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO – Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) in collaboration with Klimaatonderzoek Initiatief Nederland (KIN – Climate Research Initiative Netherlands).

This call supports transdisciplinary, practice-oriented research projects that accelerate just climate transitions through experimentation and co-creation. Projects should bring together scientific and societal actors to explore and implement transformative interventions that help embed planetary health (the interconnected wellbeing of people, other living beings, ecosystems and societies) into practice.

The call emphasises system change rather than incremental improvements, encouraging projects that test new approaches, generate practical knowledge, and contribute to mainstreaming planetary health in areas such as healthcare systems and the built environment. For this call, NWO is explicitly seeking applications that have their starting point in at least one of the following two intervention domains:

• A) Healthcare and health systems.
  • Broadening the concept of health with an ecosystem perspective to planetary health.
  • Integration of ecological dimensions into care practices.
  • Healthcare innovation coalitions with a strong ecological/planetary health agenda such as Green Healthcare Alliance, Planetary Health Hub, new mental health etc.
• B) Living environment, physical systems and living conditions.
  • Climate-proof living conditions, design of space, cities, buildings and ecosystems.
  • Relationship between health and living environment and ecosystem.
  • Integration of medical and social domains with ecology.

At the same time, NWO acknowledges that system change requires an integral approach. Therefore, NWO requests applications to reflect on how projects, starting from their point of departure in A and/or B, are connected to domains C through F:

• C. Community and commons structures.
• D. Food and production systems.
• E. Education, knowledge and new learning.
• F. New economy and value systems.

It is precisely these cross-connections that are essential to truly mainstream planetary health. Please note that applications that primarily depart from domains C through F fall outside the scope of this call. These themes are of great value for the desired transition and will be addressed further in future KIN Knowledge-in-Action programmes.