Call for Proposals

Operational Experience Feedback and Industrial Safety

The Institute for an Industrial Safety Culture (ICSI) is funding a Call for Proposals for research allowing a better understanding of operational experience feedback and organizational learning activities, and the ways in which they contribute to improving industrial safety. The scientific motivations and practical details of the call are outlined in this document.

Demonstrating their interest for research on this subject, the ICSI's industrial partners have agreed to open a certain number of industrial sites to researchers. These sites involve several types of activity (chemicals manufacturing, petrochemicals, energy and transport) and are located in France as well as a certain number of European countries. With a budget of 800 kEUR, this call is primarily intended to finance PhD grants (90 kEUR over three years for each selected project). The PhD grants will be partially sponsored by industry. Other types of financing, such as research contracts with individual laboratories, will also be considered. The Call for Proposals is open to French and international research teams, in all scientific disciplines that are relevant to the theme.

This Call for Proposals on operational experience feedback offers a rare occasion to work in collaboration with significant industrial partners, in a multidisciplinary context. The theme of the call is both timely and significant for society.

Research proposals using the following Response Form, should be sent before March 31 2005, by email with a copy by the post, to the Scientific Director of the ICSI:

Gilbert Casamatta (Gilbert.Casamatta@icsi-eu.org)
Institut pour une Culture de Sécurité Industrielle
5 rue Paulin Talabot, BP 1301
31106 Toulouse Cedex 1, France

A jury comprising members of ICSI's Scientific Steering Committee will meet in April in order to select the projects. Selection criteria include the interest of the proposed research and the quality of the research team. Initial funding will be allocated for a pre-study phase, which will allow the research teams to negotiate the details of the research programme with representatives of the industrial sites concerned. The second phase of funding will be allocated in September 2005, for a period of three years.

For further information on the Call for Proposals, please contact Eric Marsden (Eric.Marsden@icsi-eu.org or +33 (0) 534 615 270).