Additional support approved

After the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation approved the financial contributions for 13 projects of the National Research Programme "Baukultur" (NRP 81) in December 2024 at the suggestion of the Steering Committee, additional funds were granted within the programme a year later to strengthen specific aspects of the programme.

With the funding recommendation, the Steering Committee decided that the 13 research teams would be invited to expand their projects through a supplementary call for proposals. This involved topics that had not yet been addressed to any great extent. Specifically, four of the original nine objectives were referred to in the call:

• Linking Baukultur to social and ecological transition

• Promoting material and resource use and standards by considering sufficiency, traceability and stewardship

• Addressing the effects of a qualitative Baukultur on well-being, users’ mental and physical health

• Promoting research into responsible investment methods, i.e. those means and processes that can enhance the ecological and social transition through Baukultur

The response was pleasing and a number of research teams applied with interesting project enhancements. In late autumn, the Steering Committee was able to select five additional projects from promising submissions, which will now receive additional funding. We are very pleased to see our programme gaining a broader base!