Challenges in the design of a research and development programme on conflict and cooperation over natural resources - Conflicts Over Natural Resources in the Global South - page 196

competitive procedure that included a preliminary and final proposal stage, as well as
peer reviews.

11.2.2 Design of the programme
The steering committee proposed a set of guiding principles for the design of the
programme. They are as follows:

• Demand-driven priorities for knowledge, research and innovation

• Practical use of the research findings

• High scientific quality

• Linkages to on-going regional or thematic programmes

• Development of capacity to innovate

Departing from these principles, a set of more specific design principles was devel-
oped for CoCooN projects. These design principles are related to and based on eight
major expectations of the CoCooN programme and its projects. The eight expec-
tations either refer to procedural aspects of the programme (project management,
operational procedures and systems) or to its expected results and impacts (i.e. con-
tents). The design principles, including structural and procedural elements, aim to
ensure that these expectations will be met (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific
Research 2009). Table 11.1 summarises the eight expectations and the corresponding
programme design principles. As stand-alone features, these principles are not unique.
However, the combination of these principles within one programme is quite inno-
vative. The expectations and related design principles are elaborated in the following
section.

11.2.3 Definition of expectations and related design principles
Knowledge and knowledge sharing are the focal points of the programme. The assump-
tion is that considerable knowledge on ways of dealing with conflicts and enhancing
cooperation is already available. However, this available knowledge needs to be made
more accessible. Such knowledge may be contained in research, but it may also exist in
non-research institutions (non-research may include civil society, NGOs, government
and private sector). Consequently, two expectations emerge from this central focus.
The first expectation is that the programme will create intensive exchange on dif-
ferent types of knowledge and skills by bringing together different types of institutions
within one project team. While the integrated programmes of NWO-WOTRO are
traditionally led by a (Dutch) research institution, which collaborates with different
stakeholders based on relevance and felt needs, CoCooN projects are to be steered and
managed by a consortium. A consortium should consist of representatives of at least
four different institutions (or project partners): (i) a southern-based research institute;
(ii) a northern-based research institute; (iii) a southern-based non-research institute;
and (iv) a northern-based non-research institute. Non-research institutes may include
organisations ranging from governmental to non-governmental and private sectors.
Given this setting of different knowledge based institutions united within one project,
it is expected that the emergent internal project dynamics are aimed at sharing and