The Mobile Lives Forum funds research in the humanities and social sciences and that of an artistic nature. This is part of its programme founded on two axes:

Axis 1: Understand how our contemporaries structure/arrange their lifestyles, how these are then lived out in territories and over time thanks to their movements, and are now being reshaped by digital and communication technologies.

Axis 2: Identify and propose the implementation of transition policies towards desired and sustainable lifestyles (spatial distribution of activities throughout the territory, of the organization of rhythms of everyday life, alternative transport, etc.)

In order to respond to the aspirations to live daily life in greater proximity to home and to better control the pace of life, as expressed in the survey carried out by the Forum in 2016, two themes are distinguished: work-related mobility and leisure-related mobility (leisure and tourism) and their implication in territorial organisation, which leads to the design of a new mobility system and the evaluation of the current proposed alternatives (autonomous vehicles, bicycles, low-tech, carpooling, etc.)

We’re looking for innovative, useful, forward-thinking research projects.

• We are looking for socially useful projects that explore important dimensions of contemporary lifestyles from a mobility standpoint and help shed light on the challenge of transitioning towards desirable, sustainable lifestyles, both now and in the future.

• We prefer topics that are not necessarily considered in traditional academic fields, which is why we typically do not finance academic dissertations that can be funded by universities.

• Projects may be rooted in academic disciplines (geography, sociology, history, management, etc.) or be multi-disciplinary, and be based on qualitative/quantitative or participative methods (research-action) in a local, national, international or comparative perspective

• These disciplines may be combined with the arts, e.g. photography, video, audio recordings, painting, or other forms of expression.

• They may relate to experiments as part of the Area 2 of the program
  
  

Our involvement

We are deeply involved in the discussions of research and/or artistic projects, which we enjoy co-building with the authors, be it with regard to the topic itself, the methods used or how the value of project is enhanced through dissemination and public engagement. (See "Enhancing the value of the research" below).

Provision of research findings and data

Once the research has been concluded, we will publish the results on our website. Our goal is to make the quantitative/qualitative data and metadata produced (interviews, etc.) available to the entire scientific community.

• Rigor and scientific transparency… …so as to promote the scientific nature of the research and discussions as regards the administration of evidence.

• Re-use of data and public utility… …likewise to facilitate the use of research projects other than those for which the data was originally produced. We want to make their re-use possible. This is in line with the European program Es Fri and French projects headed by the CNRS’s Institute of Human and Social Sciences, such as Be Quali).
  
  

Enhancing the value of the research

In addition to the sharing of research findings, the Forum strongly encourages their wider dissemination through media, including books, films, comic books, photos, press kits, etc. tailored to the stakeholders (urban planning/transportation professionals, businesses, elected officials, the general public, etc.), in language that is accessible to them.

How to submit your project?

Applicants must submit a three-page concept note with the rationale for the project noting its significance for policy and / or academic debates, how it relates to the Forum’s agenda, research questions, methodology, team, schedule and estimated cost. Since this is a concept note there is no need to include a list of references. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. The duration of projects is for a maximum of three years and there is no funding limit: either small or big project might be accepted , depending on their pertinence for the Forum.

Please send your proposals (in French or English) to : thomas.evariste@forumviesmobiles.fr

We will get back to you within two months of your proposal.