Research supporting sustainability transformation is a pathway to Europe’s long-term resilience and competitiveness
Europe’s resilience and security benefit from research-based solutions for environmental crises
FP10 should address environmental and societal resilience as a key societal challenge warranting research and development investment. Supporting the generation of knowledge and innovations would advance transition to circular economy and naturebased solutions as sources of resilience and climate change adaptation.
Ambitious applied, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research is a prerequisite for addressing sustainability challenges
FP10 should support developing and implementing policies tackling sustainability transition challenges with science-based management solutions.
Sustainability transformation requires strong public-private collaboration on research, innovation and development as well as the engagement of civil society
FP10 should include active Implementation of the EU Green Deal with collaborative arrangements, such as municipality networks and with business and policy integrating nature and climate positive solutions. Watershed level restoration and reuse-based circular economy are examples of such collaboration.
Europe’s resilience and security benefit from research-based solutions for environmental crises
Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and water crises continue to challenge Europe. The causes and consequences of these challenges are societal, economic, material and technical. Environmental crises are also linked to societal polarization and questioning of evidence-based knowledge. Indeed, managing these crises contributes to the resilience of society and security. Long-term societal, economic and environmental resilience requires management that draws from multiple knowledge-sources and disciplines. Employing a systems approach will generate synergies and costefficiency.
The Finnish Environment institute (Syke) calls for FP10 to further couple research agendas addressing ecological sustainability and state of the environment together with social and economic resilience and security. Sociotechnical, social-ecological and policy analyses should be developed alongside high quality environmental research infrastructures and monitoring.
FP10 should address environmental and societal resilience as a key societal challenge warranting research and development investment. Supporting the generation of knowledge and innovations would advance transition to circular economy and nature-based solutions as sources of resilience and climate change adaptation.
► Reducing use of natural resources can be coupled with strengthening the economy
► The advancing energy transition requires a broader approach to energy security
► Preventing biodiversity loss with ecological restoration
► Limiting sulphate load of wastewaters calls for environmental quality standards
Ambitious
applied, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research is a prerequisite for addressing sustainability challenges
Sustainability transformation relies on clean, digital and society-level transition. It can be advanced with research combining scientific ambition and co-development with users and stakeholders. This requires analyses of human, social and legal aspects of transformation, in addition to the ecological and technical ones. Modern research infrastructure with integrative monitoring and applications for policy and society constitute form a foundation for Europe’s success.
Syke highlights that FP10 should invest in applied, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research to seek solutions to sustainability challenges. Syke supports the suggested European Societal Challenges Council, or an equivalent mechanism for experimentation and upscaling solutions.
FP10 should support developing and implementing policies tackling sustainability transition challenges with science-based management solutions.
► Finnish Environment Institute > Swift action needed for managing growing climate risks in Europe
► Finnish Environment Institute > Transforming Europe’s food system requires coordinated action across diverse areas of EU policy
► Finnish Environment Institute > Water resilience is built with better water governance – Horizon Europe research projects launch a joint policy brief
Sustainability transformation requires strong public-private collaboration on research, innovation and development as well as the engagement of civil society
Europe’s global leadership in sustainable development and research-driven sustainability transformation requires a close coupling of policy and research agendas. The environmental sector exemplifies ambitious development of research ecosystems that connect knowledge-users with knowledge producers. Ursula von der Leyen’s whole-ofgovernment approach aligns with transformative research and innovation policy.
Syke emphasizes that FP10 needs to secure and strengthen broad-based collaboration. Public and private organizations, cities and non-governmental organizations should be engaged in co-producing sustainability transformation and green and digital transition.
FP10 should include active Implementation of the EU Green Deal with collaborative arrangements, such as municipality networks and with business and policy integrating nature and climate positive solutions. Watershed level restoration and reuse-based circular economy are examples of such collaboration.
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► Finnish Environment Institute > Syke’s 2023 responsibility report: Towards a sustainability transformation with research
► Finnish Environment Institute > New flagship research project secures water resources with digital twins – Syke partner in the innovative research ecosystem
► Finnish Environment Institute > New research reveals municipal climate network’s positive impacts on local level climate work