Flagship Initiative Research Articles

The Africa CDC Guidance for Strengthening NCDI-MH Surveillance Systems: The role of HIS assessments

Abstract Deaths due to NCDs, injuries and mental health conditions are expected to at least triple by 2063 in the region of the African Union. Population-based data for NCDI/MH and their determinants remain scarce in many AU MS; therefore, NCDI/MH surveillance is a flagship initiative in the Africa CDC NCDI/MH Strategy. In a survey conducted by Africa CDC and RKI in 2022 on the impact of COVID-19 on NCDI/MH in 10 AU MS, countries signaled the need for a continental guidance document. In 2023, Africa CDC and RKI performed desk reviews and facilitated peer-to-peer multi-country HIS assessment workshops, based on modified WHO and IANPHI tools. The first workshop took place in Zambia with experts from Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo/DRC, Kenya and Zambia. The second workshop was hosted in Ghana and included DRC, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Participants came i.a. from ministries of health, national public health institutes or academia. The process included a virtual introductory meeting as well as half-day training sessions at the physical meeting for participants to familiarize themselves with the tools. Peer-to-peer assessment sessions took place on days 2 and 3. Day 4 was reserved for site visits to (public) health institutions of the hosting countries. On day 5, participants presented their findings to the plenary, which included high-level representations from host countries. The combined results from the survey, desk reviews and workshops informed the development of the continental Africa CDC Guidance for strengthening surveillance for NCDI/MH, launched at the 3rd Conference on Public Health in Africa. In four chapters, the Guidance covers recommendations on indicators, data sources and data types; surveillance system capacities; surveillance integration with existing systems; and data use. Implementation of the Guidance, including development of core health indicators, has been initiated by Africa CDC in 2024.

The status of health information systems and digital transformation in the European Region

Abstract Although there have been investments in health information systems (HIS) and digitalization, WHO/Europe’s work with Member States (MS) shows that much can be improved still. Typically, there is a strong focus on data collection, but less on analysis and knowledge translation, resulting in available data not being optimally used to support decision making. Standards for data exchange and interoperability have not yet been fully implemented. Efforts are underway to train healthcare professionals, yet only half of MS have developed policies for digital health literacy. Fewer still have implemented a comprehensive digital inclusion plan, leaving disadvantaged populations at risk of falling behind. In line with the traditionally strong focus on HIS strengthening in WHO’s work, the European Programme of Work 2020-2025 (EPW) emphasises the need for MS to improve and modernise their HIS to ensure that decisions are data driven. One of the EPW flagship initiatives is Empowerment through Digital Health, promoting the leveraging and scaling up of digital transformation for better health. The Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023-2030 outlines the strategic actions needed to achieve this, while fully respecting the values of equity, solidarity and human rights. Collaboration with MS and international partners is vital in this work. WHO/Europe has established several MS-driven health information networks in the past, most notably the European Health Information Initiative (the EHII). The EHII in 2023 has made a restart in the form of the European Health Information Network (HIN). The HIN will guide the work under the EU-funded action ‘Supporting Member States in the WHO European Region in strengthening health information systems and boosting health data governance’, which will be implemented by WHO/Europe. This strong European Commission and WHO/Europe partnership will be a main catalyst for HIS improvement in the Region the coming years.

Measuring rising heat and flood risk along the belt-and-road initiative

China’s global infrastructure financing flagship, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) encompasses countries hosting over 60% of the global population and one-third of worldwide GDP. It is based mainly on long-term loans that will mature decades into the future, and timely repayments are only possible if they remain commercially viable. But despite its vast global scope, little is known about the climate risks that could imperil the operations of BRI projects over the next few decades, and, consequently, threaten their long-term sustainability. We narrow this gap by estimating the impacts of future climate change on 217 BRI projects across 70 countries and 9 sectors in two dimensions. First, the effects of increased heat stress on human physical work capacity are calculated using the wet bulb globe temperature and an assessment of the workload for each selected BRI project. Second, the potential structural damages from more frequent flooding incidents are measured by return period (RP), where a shorter RP signals heightened risk. Both have direct impacts on human productivity and infrastructural integrity, which are essential to maintaining the operational viability and financial stability of BRI projects. We compared projected changes on both measures for the mid- and late-twentieth centuries (2041–2060 and 2081–2100) to the historical baseline (1981–2010). We found that BRI projects face escalating vulnerability to climatic risks on both counts. The results underscore a broad variance across different future carbon emission scenarios measured under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (including SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). BRI’s aggregated climatic risks are substantially elevated under a high carbon emission scenario compared to a low emission scenario. By the end of the twentieth century, labor workability under SSP3-7.0 (31%) could potentially decrease three times more compared to SSP1-2.6 (10%). Under an intermediate-emission scenario (SSP2-4.5), floods with a historical return period of 10 years could have a return period of 5 years in the future. Significantly hampering the utilization and economic return generation potential of infrastructure projects. In addition, regional geography contributes to risk heterogeneity, with 100-year floods occurring every 15 years in South Asia and every 24 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. Such climate risk implications, potentially overlooked by development financiers, represent significant risks to the sustenance of the BRI, estimated to be worth $1 trillion.

Birsa Harit Gram Yojana: Fostering Rural Employment through Afforestation and Sustainable Development in Jharkhand, India

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of environmental concerns and the necessity for sustainable development. The Birsa Harit Gram Yojana (BHGY), a flagship initiative launched by the Government of Jharkhand, seeks to promote rural development through environmental conservation. Drawing inspiration from the vision of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, the scheme aims to revitalize rural landscapes, enhance livelihood opportunities, and promote sustainable growth. This article provides a detailed analysis of BHGY in Jharkhand, exploring its objectives, implementation strategies, impact on environmental sustainability and its role in generating employment. Based on government reports and academic research, the article emphasizes the importance of BHGY as a transformative initiative in rural development within Jharkhand. This article examines the year over year trends in total beneficiaries, land area covered and fruit trees planted under BHGY across all districts of the state during FY 2021-22 AND FY 2022-23. Using paired t-tests, the statistical significance between the data of the two fiscal years were analyzed. The results indicate no significant changes between the two years for the total number of beneficiaries, the total area in acres pr the total number of fruit trees planted with p-values of 0.2835, 0.4369 and 0.4444 respectively. These findings suggest that the scheme outcomes remained stable across the two years with ant observed differences likely due to random variation. The results highlight the consistency in scheme implementation and offer insights for future planning and resource allocation.

Governance, institutions and human development: Rethinking government flagship projects and initiatives in Ghana

Governance, institutions and human development: Rethinking government flagship projects and initiatives in Ghana

Learning mobility in European higher education: How has the Union’s flagship initiative progressed?

AbstractIn 2010, the European Commission set out the development of an economy based on knowledge and innovation as one of the priorities of its Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. This culminated in the ‘Youth on the Move’ flagship initiative, aimed at enhancing the performance and international attractiveness of Europe’s higher education institutions and raising the Union’s overall education and training levels. Therefore, it is relevant to assess the performance of the ‘Youth on the Move’ initiative via the creation of composite indicators (CIs) and, ultimately, monitor the progress made by European countries in creating a positive environment supporting learner mobility. For this reason, we make use of the CI-building ‘Benefit-of-the-Doubt’ approach, in its robust and conditional setting to account for outliers and the human development of those nations, to exploit the European Commission’s Mobility Scoreboard framework between 2015/2016 and 2022/2023. Furthermore, we incorporate the value judgements of experts in the sector to construct utility scales and compute weight restrictions through multi-criteria decision analysis. This enables the conversion of ordinal scales into interval ones based on knowledgeable information about reality in higher education. In the end, the results point to a slight performance improvement, but highlight the need to improve the ‘Recognition of learning outcomes’, ‘Foreign language preparation’, and ‘Information and guidance’.

The Politics of Social Policy Implementation: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Uneven Development in India

Since the onset of the twenty-first century, India has initiated various social welfare programs to provide social protection for the people who have been marginalized from the formal social safety net. Since 2005, legislation has granted a series of social rights to marginalized rural households. Among these rights-based welfare programs, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as the flagship initiative of India’s new welfare system. It has targeted marginalized informal rural households, who have not enjoyed the fruits of the social safety net, by formally granting them the right to employment. It has also incorporated new governance ideas such as a demand-driven approach, decentralized implementation, and social audit to increase accountability and transparency. The MGNREGA has emerged as the largest social welfare scheme in terms of budget allocation and coverage, yielding positive outcomes such as increased beneficiary incomes, advancement of gender equality, and creation of assets in rural areas. Nonetheless, despite the expansion of the MGNREGA all over India, policy outcomes have been uneven between the states in terms of participation rates, the relationship between poverty level and participation, and cumulative average person-days per household. This prompts the question: why does the MGNREGA produce superior policy outcomes in certain states but not in others? By delving into the politics surrounding policy implementation at the local level, this paper argues that the degree of goal congruence between policy implementers shapes divergent policy outcomes.

UJJWALA YOJANA'S ROLE IN TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF SCHEDULE CASTE WOMEN IN GUJARAT

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a flagship initiative launched by the Government of India in May 2016, aimed at providing clean cooking fuel to economically disadvantaged households. The primary objective of the scheme is to reduce the health hazards associated with the use of traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, and cow dung, which produce harmful smoke and pollutants. By promoting the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Ujjwala Yojana seeks to improve indoor air quality and reduce respiratory and other health issues, particularly among women and children. This study examines the transformative role of the Ujjwala Yojana in improving the lives of Scheduled Caste (SC) women in Gujarat. By targeting 200 SC women, the research aims to analyze their perceptions of the scheme and investigate the relationship between their demographic profiles and their views on Ujjwala Yojana. Findings indicate that the majority of SC women believe the scheme has significantly enhanced their overall quality of life, improved family health, and saved considerable time previously spent on traditional fuel collection. Additionally, the study identifies a significant association between demographic factors such as age, monthly income, and family size, and the perceived benefits of the Ujjwala Yojana. These insights underscore the importance of considering demographic variables to maximize the scheme's impact and highlight the need for continued support and expansion of such initiatives to promote health, empowerment, and socio-economic development among marginalized communities.

AN EVALUATION OF STATE-WISE IMPLEMENTATION OF AYUSHMAN BHARAT PRADHAN MANTRI JAN AROGYA YOJANA IN INDIA

‘Health for all’ is the fundamental notion of a progressive nation. It assumes accessible healthcare facilities for all residents regardless of their socio- economic differences. Good health and well-being of human beings aim to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) through Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana is a flagship initiative of government of India targets to achieve universal health coverage for lower income groups and vulnerable classes of population that are 40% of total population. This scheme is implemented in all states and union territories except for Odisha, West Bengal and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. This research paper attempts to analyse state wise implementation through Ayushman card created, hospitals empanelment and authorised hospital admissions etc. For this purpose, we are using secondary data from government websites, articles and reports. The results show that the implementation of Ayushman Bharat has been uneven across India's diverse states and union territories. Responding factors for this diverse status are mainly state level governance and implementation procedures. This will provide valuable insight in utilization and adoptability of scheme across states and Union Territories. KEYWORDS: Universal health coverage, Ayushman Bharat PM- JAY, SDGs, India

Mutual legitimation attempts: the United Nations and China's Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become a hallmark of China's global rise. While the BRI has unfolded as a global platform focused on bilateral relations, the Chinese government has also tried to expand links between the BRI and international organizations, notably the United Nations. Available evidence about UN–BRI relations suggests, however, that an initial honeymoon phase with mushrooming projects and public endorsements was followed by a sharp decline in engagement. This article argues that a focus on inter-governor legitimation attempts helps understand the rise and fall of UN–BRI relations. Based on publicly available evidence, internal documentation and stakeholder interviews, it shows how legitimation informed motivations on both sides to invest in UN–BRI relations, and how western opposition subsequently led to UN entities reducing their engagement. Empirically, the article contributes to the literature on China's global role, evolving power relations at the UN, and the proliferation of geopolitically motivated flagship initiatives across UN member states. Conceptually, it speaks to the expanding debate about legitimation in world politics through a more systematic engagement with relational legitimation dynamics. A focus on one-sided or mutual legitimation attempts offers a conceptual tool for analysing how interactions among global governors and their audiences unfold, and how international organizations try (and fail) to strengthen their resilience in light of an increasingly polarized membership.

A Global Questionnaire Survey to Understand Human-River Relationships

A Global Questionnaire Survey to Understand Human-River Relationships

The European Pillar of Social Rights: How strategic agency shaped the European Union's flagship social initiative

AbstractThe European Pillar of Social Rights sits at the fulcrum of EU social policymaking. This article aims to explore its legal and political character, how it was shaped in the adoption process and its place within Social Europe. The key argument is that the Social Pillar builds on but also critically modifies previous initiatives present within the broader EU governance framework, notably in the European Semester. Key political actors like Commission President Jean‐Claude Juncker and parliamentary rapporteur Maria João Rodrigues contributed to the adoption process not only through their long‐held political views but also by bringing to bear their own critical reflections on previous EU initiatives. Methodologically, the article relies on 15 interviews with policy experts and uses an interdisciplinary approach based on legal analysis, process tracing and actor‐centred constructivist theory. The contribution of the article is threefold: (1) it helps to better understand the EU's social flagship initiative and the modifications of its governance approach compared with previous initiatives, (2) it sheds new light on the tensions and opportunities of social policymaking within the EU and (3) it shows the added value of actor‐centred constructivist approaches on a theoretical level.

Decomposing the inequalities in the catastrophic health expenditures on the hospitalization in India: empirical evidence from national sample survey data.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 3.8.2 entails financial protection against catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) by reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on healthcare. India is characterized by one of the highest OOPE on healthcare, in conjunction with the pervasive socio-economic disparities entrenched in the population. As a corollary, India has embarked on the trajectory of ensuring financial risk protection, particularly for the poor, with the launch of various flagship initiatives. Overall, the evidence on wealth-related inequities in the incidence of CHE in low- and middle-Income countries has been heterogenous. Thus, this study was conducted to estimate the income-related inequalities in the incidence of CHE on hospitalization and glean the individual contributions of wider socio-economic determinants in influencing these inequalities in India. The study employed cross-sectional data from the nationally represented survey on morbidity and healthcare (75th round of National Sample Survey Organization) conducted during 2017-2018, which circumscribed a sample size of 1,13,823 households and 5,57,887 individuals. The inequalities and need-adjusted inequities in the incidence of CHE on hospitalization care were assessed via the Erreygers corrected concentration index. Need-standardized concentration indices were further used to unravel the inter- and intra-regional income-related inequities in the outcome of interest. The factors associated with the incidence of CHE were explored using multivariate logistic regression within the framework of Andersen's model of behavioral health. Additionally, regression-based decomposition was performed to delineate the individual contributions of legitimate and illegitimate factors in the measured inequalities of CHE. Our findings revealed pervasive wealth-related inequalities in the CHE for hospitalization care in India, with a profound gap between the poorest and richest income quintiles. The negative value of the concentration index (EI: -0.19) indicated that the inequalities were significantly concentrated among the poor. Furthermore, the need-adjusted inequalities also demonstrated the pro-poor concentration (EI: -0.26), denoting the unfair systemic inequalities in the CHE, which are disadvantageous to the poor. Multivariate logistic results indicated that households with older adult, smaller size, vulnerable caste affiliation, poorest income quintile, no insurance cover, hospitalization in a private facility, longer stay duration in the hospital, and residence in the region at a lower level of epidemiological transition level were associated with increased likelihood of incurring CHE on hospitalization. The decomposition analysis unraveled that the contribution of non-need/illegitimate factors (127.1%) in driving the inequality was positive and relatively high vis-à-vis negative low contribution of need/legitimate factors (35.3%). However, most of the unfair inequalities were accounted for by socio-structural factors such as the size of the household and enabling factors such as income group and utilization pattern. The study underscored the skewed distribution of CHE as the poor were found to incur more CHE on hospitalization care despite the targeted programs by the government. Concomitantly, most of the inequality was driven by illegitimate factors amenable to policy change. Thus, policy interventions such as increasing the awareness, enrollment, and utilization of Publicly Financed Health Insurance schemes, strengthening the public hospitals to provide improved quality of specialized care and referral mechanisms, and increasing the overall budgetary share of healthcare to improve the institutional capacities are suggested.

Political favouritism and inefficient management: Policy-makers’ birth town bias in EU quality certifications

In the current era of EU-driven strategies for sustainable local development, the EU Commission has designated the geographical indication (GI) policy as a flagship initiative in 2024. The certification procedure has been simplified, with increased involvement from national and local authorities. This study explores the potential impact of reforms on GIs in Italy, focusing on whether the birthplaces of regional council members receive preferential acknowledgment. Analysing municipal-level data, we employ a Difference in Differences approach and machine learning for counterfactual analysis. Results indicate a higher likelihood of GIs for councillors' birth municipalities, particularly in areas with lower ex-ante institutional quality. These findings underscore the potential consequences of EU reform, warning against political favouritism and inefficient policy management.

Review of Social Welfare Pension Schemes in Kerala – A Study with Special Focus on Pensioners Falling under Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme

Kerala is a state that is incomparable with many other states in India in matters of literacy, employment, social security, health, and many other social welfare initiatives. Social Security is the sum of all government regulations and provisions that aim at enhancing the people’s living conditions, including legislation/acts/laws, regulation, and planning in the fields of old age, wage, unemployment, social exclusion, sickness, and health care, and income security measures such as food security, employment, education and health, housing, social insurance, and social assistance. Financial assistance provided by the Government towards various pension schemes exhibits its concern for the privileged group in society. Various social welfare pension Schemes offered by Govt of Kerala include 1) Agriculture Labour Pension, 2) Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension, 3) Indira Gandhi Nation Disabled Pension Scheme for Physically & Mentally Challenged Persons, 4) Pension to Unmarried Women above 50 Years and 5) Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme. Social security protects people living in economic and social distress. It can "protect'' people against a fall in living standards and living conditions through ill-health, unemployment, and accidents, and also "promote" enhanced living conditions, helping the poor to overcome persistent deprivations. There has been a growing demand that the approach to social security programmers and schemes should progressively shift to a rights-based framework and should not be viewed merely from a welfare prism. Welfare scheme aims to support the vulnerable section of society. The present study aims to 1) understand various social welfare schemes adopted by Govt of Kerala, and 2) Assess the benefits and Woes of Widows who avails Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension. The present study is based on data collected from primary and secondary sources and suitable statistical tools will be used to analyse the collected data. The study reveals that even though it is one of the flagship initiatives of the Government of Kerala, it has many flaws. A better understanding of the woes of pension beneficiaries will help in better implementation of the project.

The Jordan Compact, Refugee Labour and the Limits of Indicator‐oriented Formalization

ABSTRACTThis article explores the significance of initiatives to formalize the labour market participation of refugees. Many practitioners believe that formalization is a panacea for improving the lives of marginalized workers, including refugees. This article argues, however, that in practice it easily becomes an indicator‐oriented exercise, where readily quantifiable targets are prioritized over substantive improvements. To this end, the article analyses the trajectory of the Jordan Compact, a flagship initiative that brought together humanitarian, development and labour actors to create ‘win‐win’ solutions for Syrians and Jordanians. Drawing on years of qualitative fieldwork in Jordan, the article traces how the Jordan Compact has made formalization an end in itself, with little regard for how much it actually benefits workers. It examines three central areas of programming: work permits, home‐based businesses and working conditions. In each area, the article demonstrates how the chosen indicators have shaped initiatives while undermining meaningful reform. Bringing together insights from humanitarianism, development and critical labour studies, the analysis shows that indicator‐oriented formalization, a form of measurement‐driven governance, ostensibly produces impressive results, yet it can simultaneously undermine longer‐term, multidimensional processes that would benefit workers more. The article advocates shifting the focus onto the individual and collective power of workers so that they can better realize the potential benefits of formalization.

Access, Quality and Outcome under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) Subject to Primary Education in India

The Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a significant flagship initiative for elementary education that paves the way for a skilled labour force as well as for rapid economic and social advancement. The importance of elementary education for both human development and economic prosperity has frequently been underlined by a variety of economists and policymakers. As a result, it is crucial to assess the current state of primary education in India in order to assess how well SSA is working there after reaching nearly universal enrolment rates. The current study examines the effectiveness of SSA in relation to two key factors: Access and Quality. Only those access and quality indicators that are pertinent to elementary education in public schools are included. Due to the lack of pertinent data for upper primary education, only issues pertaining to basic education are examined in the current study.

Respectful Abortion Care initiative: How a large-scale virtual training for providers in India increased knowledge of the new 2021 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

In a historic move to ensure comprehensive abortion care, India amended the 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in 2021, creating an unprecedented opportunity for accelerating safe, respectful, and rights-based abortion services. The Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI), together with World Health Organization (WHO) India and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, set up a flagship initiative "Respectful Abortion Care" (RAC) to provide training to obstetricians and gynecologists on the new Act, and also address their values and biases. Virtual training sessions were organized during the COVID-19 pandemic to disseminate the amendments made under the MTP Act and address provider values and biases. The primary focus was on private providers as they account for more than half of all abortion services in India (52.9%). The RAC modules were systematically designed and delivered by 690 Master Trainers, trained by FOGSI and WHO. A total of 9051 FOGSI members (22%, with 50% from private clinics) completed the RAC trainings. Pretests and post-tests were conducted for impact assessment. Significant improvement was seen on knowledge of criteria for termination of pregnancy for significant birth defects (52%-83%). The post-training survey showed a high level of commitment to promote RAC: >95% were strongly motivated to perform or assist in abortion; 89% reported that the WHO value clarification exercises were helpful in facilitating open discussions on sensitive topics in a comfortable manner; 96% expressed a strong commitment to addressing the issue of respect and confidentiality in abortion care. RAC was a unique initiative around the MTP Act amendment 2021 in India, which demonstrated that collaboration and leadership by professional associations can help motivate providers and lead to improved knowledge and commitment from public and private sector providers.

The 2023 Report on the Proteome from the HUPO Human Proteome Project.

Since 2010, the Human Proteome Project (HPP), the flagship initiative of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO), has pursued two goals: (1) to credibly identify the protein parts list and (2) to make proteomics an integral part of multiomics studies of human health and disease. The HPP relies on international collaboration, data sharing, standardized reanalysis of MS data sets by PeptideAtlas and MassIVE-KB using HPP Guidelines for quality assurance, integration and curation of MS and non-MS protein data by neXtProt, plus extensive use of antibody profiling carried out by the Human Protein Atlas. According to the neXtProt release 2023-04-18, protein expression has now been credibly detected (PE1) for 18,397 of the 19,778 neXtProt predicted proteins coded in the human genome (93%). Of these PE1 proteins, 17,453 were detected with mass spectrometry (MS) in accordance with HPP Guidelines and 944 by a variety of non-MS methods. The number of neXtProt PE2, PE3, and PE4 missing proteins now stands at 1381. Achieving the unambiguous identification of 93% of predicted proteins encoded from across all chromosomes represents remarkable experimental progress on the Human Proteome parts list. Meanwhile, there are several categories of predicted proteins that have proved resistant to detection regardless of protein-based methods used. Additionally there are some PE1-4 proteins that probably should be reclassified to PE5, specifically 21 LINC entries and ∼30 HERV entries; these are being addressed in the present year. Applying proteomics in a wide array of biological and clinical studies ensures integration with other omics platforms as reported by the Biology and Disease-driven HPP teams and the antibody and pathology resource pillars. Current progress has positioned the HPP to transition to its Grand Challenge Project focused on determining the primary function(s) of every protein itself and in networks and pathways within the context of human health and disease.

Hybrid Makerspaces and Networks for the Circular City: A Case Study of Leuven, Belgium

This study addresses the questions of how makerspaces can be drivers for urban circular development and what are the roles of coordinating policy, makers, and materials to achieve success. The network of maker activities in the city of Leuven is a flagship initiative that illustrates the mechanisms that support integrated circular urban production. This study draws on the Pop-Machina project, funded by EC Horizon 2020, which identifies the links between the maker movement and the circular economy in seven European cities. The case study project in Leuven, confirmed as the most impactful amongst those studied in the Pop-Machina project, is examined to assess how local knowledge and policy measures can provide a means of activating a circular maker ecology. Through desk research, spatial urban analysis, and interviews with key stakeholders, this study provides a critical narrative of the development, success factors, and hurdles related to circular making processes in the city. The study introduces the notion of hybrid makerspaces as a manifestation of linking maker activities to create critical mass and share material, human, and spatial resources. It demonstrates how successful hybrid makers are supported by local, national, and international policy on the one hand and by integration with the city’s community, educational, and business groups on the other. It is this constellation of social, political, and spatial conditions that lies at the success of the project.