Are you interested in applied research with a multidisciplinary approach? Ever wondered or experienced how living, working and studying in a border region may come with certain obstacles due to cross-border effects? Interested in sustainable transport, as one of the important goals to achieve the climate goals, and its implications regarding the legal, political, economic and territorial effects?

The Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) aims at scientifically supporting and stimulating the international functioning of the Euregional and transnational society. ITEM represents ‘Knowledge for policy and knowledge for practice’. One of its core activities is to analyse “(cross-)border effects” in its annual Cross-Border Impact Assessments.

“Border effects” describe the impact that legislation/policy may have on border regions and their inhabitants. By studying border effects, challenges and chances for border regions can also be revealed. It is the cross-border mobility of people and phenomena such as sustainable transport that make “cross-border regions” such intriguing study subject, since they are a place without physical borders but where through that mobility existing legal-administrative and technical borders ‘collide’ on a daily basis.

ITEM would like to have students collaborate in a Cross-Border Impact Assessment on the question: How to improve cross-border transport between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany? The study is to be published as part of ITEM’s official publication and presentation in November 2023.

Excellent cross-border public transport is a crucial part of Euregional mobility. The question how cross-border public transportation is affected by national legislation or policies ands what can be done to improve it, is the core issue of this project.

Adequate public transport is an important factor in lowering the emission across Europe, several studies have shown the limitations or missing links to cross-border mobility.

In the framework of its annual research cycle, ITEM would like a PREMIUM project team to conduct a cross-border impact assessment of the state of affairs of (sustainable) cross-border public transportation and how it is effected by national regulations and policies.

The Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross border cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) aspires to foster the socio-economic development of transnational societies.

ITEM’s interdisciplinary approach aims at achieving a high level of societal, political and academic impact. Finding concrete, practical solutions are at the heart of its objectives. In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, ITEM co-produces knowledge for policy and practice. It thus makes a major and unique scientific contribution to promoting cross-border mobility and cooperation. ITEM analyses the thematic challenges and chances for border regions and offers innovative insight into EU, national and local legislative and policy initiatives. Involved students in its research projects is one of its strategic objectives.