Identifying knowledge gaps for the Climate Action and Resource Efficiency Challenge in Horizon 2020

Horizon2020 is the European Commission’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, covering the period 2014-2020. One of the aims of the programme is to promote scientific research that tackles the grand societal challenges facing Europe and the World. This conference is an opportunity to gain insight and impact on which scientific needs that are going to be addressed in Horizon2020.

Horizon 2020 points to six major societal challenges to which the research community should identify solutions. One of these is the challenge: Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials. The societal challenges part of Horizon 2020 should increase the effectiveness of research and innovation using a challenge-based approach, bringing together resources and knowledge across different fields, technologies and disciplines, including social sciences and humanities research.

Aarhus University and the Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER) will by this conference, bring research activities together across disciplines to foster solutions to the challenges facing society. Fifteen years after the UN Aarhus Convention was agreed in Aarhus, we will involve the scientific community in a transparent and evidence-based  process to inform and inspire the European strategic research agenda, in support of a green and prosperous future for Europe and the World. The conference will include facilitated topical workshops, where proposals will be formed for future research needs in an open process.

We therefore invite researchers to Aarhus University on the October 2-4, 2013 to take stock of and assess the scientific progress towards tackling the grand environmental challenges. And to apply the outcome to provide input to the European Commission on the knowledge gaps and future research needs in Horizon 2020.

The Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER), of which DCE/Aarhus University is a member, will take the collected advice of the conference to the Commission and communicate the views of the research community to DG Research in November 2013, to incorporate these in  the process of developing and improving the strategic research agenda of Horizon 2020.

Main themes

• Climate action
• mitigation and adaptation
• Resource efficiency
• natural resources, ecosystems, raw materials
• Green economy
• eco-innovation