The proposed research studies the conditions that enhance the potential of crowdfunding as a source of income for the cultural heritage sector. This is important because crowdfunding, the raising of external funding from a large audience approached via social networks or social media, is an emerging phenomenon that is hardly studied by scientists. Our research is also highly practical relevant for the cultural heritage sector as it is facing voluminous reductions of subsidies and requires alternative sources of income. The research proposal answers two questions: 1. What characteristics are typical for successful crowdfunding projects? A postdoc project will look into this in a comparative analysis of previous Dutch crowdfunding projects. The challenge for crowdfunding is to move beyond an initial financing by family and friends (first tier crowdfunders) to people at a larger social and geographical distance (second tier crowdfunders). Demonstrating the mechanisms that successfully extend crowdfunding projects from first tier to second tier crowdfunders forms the focus of this analysis. 2. How do characteristics of individual crowdfunders and project characteristics influence donation behavior in crowdfunding projects? After conducting a literature review a PhD researcher will execute multiple field experiments in which we control for project characteristics (e.g. rewards, control and participation). The research will be conducted by researchers from Organization Sciences and Philanthropic Studies at VU University Amsterdam. The research team also includes experts of four crowdfunding firms: Voordekunst, Seeds, Flintwave and Douw&Koren. The field experiments exclusively involve cultural heritage organizations. Key words: 1. Crowdfunding 2. Online volunteers 3. Donation behavior 4. Rewards 5. Motivation 6. Cultural heritage

Research summary The Dutch railway network is highly sensitive for disruptions. To moderate the disruptive effects, the network must be robust. ProRail aims for whole system performance and has, with other partners established the OCCR to this aim. But the OCCR is also just a node in a much bigger system that encompasses both the technical system and the social systems of communication and organization. We therefore conceptualize the operation of the rail network as a complex system. The objective of this project then is to improve whole systems performance during service disruptions in 24/7 operations through an analysis of the nature and workings of cooperation within the OCCR and between the OCCR and the regional control rooms of ProRail, the other railway service providers, train personal when coping with such disruptions. The central question of this research is: how do practices of coordination and communication, in the complex network of coping with disruptions, influence the efficient solving of disruptions? To answer this question we will perform a dynamic social network analysis to analyse and visualise the change in flows of information during disruptions. Data for the dynamic social network analysis (DSNA) is gathered through interviews and ethnographical observations. This allows us to understand the project participants? perceptions and their daily practices of collaboration. In addition, a comparative research with other comparable infrastructure-based systems and railway networks abroad will show how the Dutch railway network performs in terms of complexity and robustness and provides us with best practices. The project will help to identify and design strategies for enhanced coordination and communication in disruption management, and put these in to practice using serious gaming. Utilisation summary The utilization and implementation of the research results ex-durante in actual practice consists of two major parts: 1) We will organize four principal workshops at the beginning of each research year and one final concluding workshop that serve a number of purposes:  Operationalization of the research plan and the identification and planning of the research activities in cooperation with ProRail.  Validation of the preliminary results from interviews and observations.  Preparations and planning of the simulation sessions.  Reflection upon the results of the simulation & the comparative research and the possibilities for implementation of these results in the operation of the railway system.  Reflection on the final research results and the possibilities & challenges for the future. 2) Data from the DSNA and ethnographic study will be used to build a simulation, that will serve two purposes: (1) the modeling will be done in cooperation with ProRail. As such, the process of modeling becomes an exercise for both ProRail and the researchers to consider and reconsider the operation of the system in terms of communication and coordination; (2) the finished model will be used for training purposes with ProRail staff. It will let them try and work with different disruption scenarios in order to improve the communication and coordination.

A sustainable future hinges on innovative ideas, new methods and techniques. Physical experimentation environments such as Living Labs, enable involved actors to test and showcase their sustainable innovations, not only on campus but also in local neighborhoods. In this project, four universities, two applied science universities, and a multiregional vocational education institute are working together with partners to discern why certain innovations and lessons succeed while others fail. Utilizing these insights, they collaboratively develop new methods, techniques, and training programs for the next generation of change-makers.

In today’s society, stress is often unavoidable. Prolonged stress can result in (mental) health problems for an individual, and in reduced functioning of organizations. Employees, employers and occupational health professionals currently have little grip on stress. They often intervene when it is too late, treat symptoms rather than their causes, and their collaboration is suboptimal. In DESTRESS, researchers together with employees, employers, and occupational health care providers aim for proactive early detection of stress to facilitate a safe and collaborative dialogue between employers and employees and allow timely and tailored actions. Hereby, we hope to strengthen individual and organizational resilience.

Urban areas are complex constitutions of social, natural and technological worlds in which critical infrastructures are crucial for the wellbeing of modern citizens. Our study focuses on the interaction of the underground and the governance of critical infrastructures. Special attention to the underground is needed due to competition over space, to it’s unpredictable and untamed nature and to the significant threat of construction work to the quality and society’s use of public space. In this study a socio-technical approach is used to include the subsurface in the inter-organizational decision-making over infrastructure networks. Inter-organizational collaboration is highly promising as this supports synergy between infrastructures and allows for responsiveness and flexibility. At the same time inter-organizational collaboration has serious institutional, legal and behavioural challenges for decision-makers and asset managers. The aim of the study is to explore examples of successful inter-organizational collaboration and institutional arrangements for the governance of subsurface networks. We combine standard ANT methods with multi-sited ethnography to study inter-organizational collaboration in three cases. This allows for developing deep knowledge on governance of networks, for involvement of non-humans in the accomplishment of infrastructure networks and for interventions in the joint decision making process. By analyzing the dynamics of the socio-technical networks and the inter-organizational collaboration we can identify the possibilities of a more adaptive decision making process, to be implemented in governance procedures of network operators. Our study helps NGInfra partners to materialise the full potential of synergy by facilitating a transformation towards more effective, joint decision-making.