Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (UvA-AMIDSt), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

UvA-AMIDSt is a paramount institute in the field of urban and regional research and planning studies in the Netherlands. The institute plays a major role in international forums; its staff has a high international reputation, and the study centre fosters a programme of distinguished visiting professors. The institute also has established contacts with local and national policy authorities.

UvA-AMIDSt focuses its research on metropolitan issues. Research for public and private institutions takes an important share of the research activity done at UvA-AMIDSt, but these projects are always selected on the knowledge they bring about for our fundamental research. This link is a necessary condition for UvA-AMIDSt, since it believes applicability of research and analytical and theoretical developments in our field of knowledge are, or at least should be, linked. Thus, UvA-AMIDSt shares and supports the European Commission’s believe in the link between scientific research and end-users. Consequently, UvA-AMIDSt staff is writing on their research findings in not only scientific, but also non-scientific journals, magazines and newspapers.

UvA-AMIDSt is a multidisciplinary centre: it brings together social and political geographers, urban and regional planners, urban sociologists, demographers, urbanists, cultural-historical and economic planning specialists. UvA-AMIDSt shares and supports this inter­disciplinary approach, because ‘new’ knowledge nowadays springs from the cutting edge of different scientific fields. UvA-AMIDSt also supports an inter­national approach, because UvA-AMIDSt strives for a strongly involvement in international metropolitan research.
UvA-AMIDSt strives for a link between research and education: since most UvA-AMIDSt researchers are also teaching undergraduate and/or graduate students, research results will find their way to students in human geography, town and country planning and urban sociology.

UvA-AMIDSt brings together a range of academic disciplines from the Universiteit van Amsterdam to conduct integrated research into urban development and environmental policy. The UvA-AMIDSt employs approximately 50 prominent national and international contracted PhD researchers (social and political geographers, urban and regional planners, metropolitan sociologists, demographers, urbanists and economic planning specialists), a number of research assistants, graduate students and additional researchers to support the contract research. UvA-AMIDSt subsidises and supervises about 40 Ph.D students (including a large number of international students). Per year, three or four guest researchers, usually from abroad, are attached to the UvA-AMIDSt for a period of several months. The UvA-AMIDSt mission is based upon five guiding principles: the development of academic theories, social relevance, integration, internationalisation and an interdisciplinary approach. UvA-AMIDSt participates in the national research school NETHUR.