33 running Projects // 371 Projects in total

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  Nationwide community for citizen-based energy supply in regional innovation ecosystems CommunitE-Innovation

  

  In Germany, over 2,000 citizens' energy communities with more than 500,000 members are an important driver of the decentralized energy transition. Citizens join forces and jointly operate renewable energy plants. Through [...] More

• Active mobility for maintained benefits of health and environment AMBER

  

  On foot, by bike, bus, or train: active mobility is the key to a climate-friendly and healthy mobility transition. But how can we make the switch? And what will active mobility look like as cities adapt to heat, droughts, and [...] More

• Successful energy-efficient refurbishment through cooperation

  Currently, rented apartment buildings are still rarely ambitiously renovated in terms of energy efficiency. Landlords perceive such refurbishments as challenging, not least because the economic benefits are low, and the [...] More

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  Contentious politics and democratic renewal in sustainability transitions (Trans4Demo)

  

  Pluralist liberal democracy is under pressure in many countries. Right-wing populists are achieving electoral success with slogans that are anti-European and directed against migration and sustainability. But supporters of an [...] More

• RePack-network. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Sustainable packaging of food Networking and transfer program for plastics reduction

  

  Whether it's ice cream tubs, potted herbs in the supermarket or to-go salads, food is often packaged in plastic that is only used for a short time and is rarely reused or recycled. In addition to the considerable consumption [...] More

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  UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 Phase II – Implementation

  The United Nations have declared the years 2021 to 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The aim is to improve the condition of vital ecosystems such as peatlands and wetlands, water bodies, floodplains and forests, as [...] More

• OptiPort – Development and evaluation of optimized climate-neutral refurbishment paths for the portfolio management of multi-family housing stocks taking into account restrictions

  Housing companies play a decisive role in achieving the goal of a climate-neutral building stock. Unlike private actors, they always have the entire portfolio in mind when it comes to energy-efficient refurbishment and [...] More

• Resource-efficient use of excess sludge and waste from the textile industry through the regional creation of cycles

  

  In the textile industry, considerable amounts of waste are produced before the products are marketed. A large proportion of this is waste such as offcuts, fibres and yarn remnants (post-industrial waste) as well as excess [...] More

• PyFlex – Pyrolysis as an intersectoral flexibility measure in the German Energy System

  Biochar can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store carbon in the long-term. In the pyrolysis production process, biomass residues are converted into coal at high temperatures and in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis also [...] More

• Strengthening green public procurement through science-based support services

  Public procurement has the greatest economic leverage for transforming product markets in Germany towards sustainability among all policy instruments in the domain of “sustainable consumption and production”. The OECD [...] More

• Alliances for Environmental Protection II Transdisciplinary Collaboration between Environmental/Social Organizations and Academia on Issues of a Socially Just Resource Transition

  

  The resource crisis is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, significantly driving both species extinction and the climate crisis. Over 90 percent of biodiversity loss and water scarcity, along with [...] More

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  Biodiversity-promoting climate measures in urban areas

  Trees are an indispensable part of our cities. They offer shade, cool the environment, improve air quality and provide habitats for numerous animal and plant species. At the same time, urban trees are under great pressure in [...] More

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  The Role of Emotions in Social Innovations for Sustainable Consumption REsI

  Many people participate in energy cooperatives or community-supported agriculture, repair everyday items in repair cafés, or live in communal housing arrangements. What all these social innovations for sustainable consumption [...] More

• Further development and testing of integrative urban-regional adaptation strategies in a polycentric growth region: Model region Stuttgart ISAP II

  The effects of climate change are already visible in the Stuttgart Region today – primarily through increasing heat stress and frequent heavy rainfall events. In the ISAP I project an online information and advisory system [...] More

• Value of Green Urban Spaces III Extension and transfer of the economic valuation of ecosystem services from urban green

  Urban green spaces offer a variety of ecological benefits beyond recreational areas, particularly concerning the impacts of climate change. During heatwaves, they contribute to cooling and mitigate flooding during heavy [...] More

• Sponge City: Implementing blue-green infrastructures Effective levers for water-sensitive cities and sustainable model solutions for green roofs

  

  The consequences of climate change pose enormous challenges for urban regions in particular, such as dealing with heavy rainfall. In order to avoid flooding and overflows in the combined sewer system, the concept of the [...] More

• Participation process for a precautionary climate adaptation strategy of the Federal Government Designing measurable targets for the further development of the German Climate Adaptation Strategy (DAS)

  More extreme weather events, health risks and economic uncertainties: Germany must prepare for the consequences of climate change. As decided in the 2021 coalition agreement, the German government therefore wants to develop a [...] More

• Bits & Bäume – advancing the alliance Enhancing the engagement at the nexus of digitalization and climate protection

  

  The civil society movement "Bits & Bäume" (B&B) works at the nexus of digitalization, sustainability, human rights and democracy. Ten NGOs and scientific organizations from the sustainability and/or digitalization scene, [...] More

• Reduction of energy consumption of prosumers (ProSuffizienz) Data collection, analysis and visualisation to support sufficiency in prosumer households taking into account sector coupling

  

  Allotment gardeners show how it's done: they harvest part of what they need every day to live. The situation is similar with energy production. More and more households not only consume energy, but also produce it themselves [...] More

• Geothermal energy for the heating transition: Supervision of the rollout of medium-depth geothermal energy in Germany (Warm-Up)

  

  As a renewable energy source, geothermal energy can increasingly replace fossil fuels and thus contribute to climate protection and create added value locally. Despite great potential, the share of heat from deep geothermal [...] More

• Environmental Awareness in Germany 2024 Representative survey on environmental awareness and environmental behavior in 2024 including scientific analyses

  The Environmental Awareness Study by the German Environmental Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has been surveying environmental [...] More

• Evaluating participation of young people in the context of education for sustainable development

  Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to equip people of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to shape a sustainable and just future. Young people have a crucial role to play in [...] More

• Energy Transition and Gender (EPOS) Potentials for Strengthening Diversity in Citizen Energy

  

  To ensure the success of the energy transition, it is not enough to simply “create acceptance” or “bring people on board”. As a societal challenge, the energy transition requires broad segments of the population to actively [...] More

• Development of a master plan to manage structural change in the Elbe-Elster region Regional VerwEErtbar

  The Elbe-Elster region in the south of the state of Brandenburg is affected by the phase-out of lignite mining and the associated change processes. It is part of the structural change region of Lusatia. Based on the status [...] More

• Collaborations in regions Communities and social innovation for sustainable regions

  

  Rural regions can be faced with major economic and social challenges. Due to a wide range of structural challenges, some regions have had to be creative in finding new development pathways and developing new forms of [...] More

• Just and effective governance for accelerating wind energy (JustWind4All)

  

  JustWind4All aims to support the acceleration of on- and offshore wind energy through just and effective governance. To this end, JustWind4All develops knowledge, practical guidelines, instruments, strategies, and trainings [...] More

• Shaping Nature-Friendly Consumption Recommendations for selected Products to Protect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Worldwide

  From coffee to soy and timber, consumers in the Global North use resources grown or extracted in parts of the world where biodiversity is in drastic decline. The Global South, where the most biodiverse ecosystems are located [...] More

• Building Dialogue Dialogue formats and communication tools for a participatory heat transition

  The heating transition in the building sector is picking up speed. However, building owners are not sufficiently aware of this: New and far-reaching requirements of federal funding for efficient buildings and the Building [...] More

• Citizen Energy: Structural economic development and participation (BE:ST)

  A structural strengthening through the energy transition ”can only succeed together with the people for whom the regions are part of their identity and home with tradition and future”. This call by the Coal Commission to [...] More

• SteuerBoard Energie Control mechanisms in the polycentric energy system of the future

  

  The energy sector is in a transition around the world with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions. Measured against the politically set goals, however, this development is progressing too slowly – also in Germany. The management [...] More

• Climate change and global finance at the crossroads Policy challenges, politico-economic dynamics, and sustainable transformation

  Humanity is facing a millennium challenge: the transformation of state, industry, and society towards zero CO2 emissions. This goal can only be achieved if the necessary financial resources are made available. The financial [...] More

• Suburban Heat Shift 2 Innovation district heating in agglomeration belts using the example of of the existing quarter “Leeste”: Project phase 2 Implementation

  Heating networks play an important role in climate-neutral heat supply. The project aims to provide scientific support for the implementation of a grid-connected supply approach in the center of Leeste in the Lower Saxon [...] More

• Shaping the socio-ecological transformation together in a just way Alliances of social, welfare, environmental associations and trade unions

  From both a social and an ecological perspective, the current economic and lifestyle practices in industrialized countries have serious negative impacts. They exploit the environment and pollute the climate and at the same [...] More

• SOILGUARD Sustainable soil management to unleash soil biodiversity potential and increase environmental, economic and social wellbeing

  

  SOILGUARD envisages a future where the conservation of soil biodiversity and the environmental, economic and social wellbeing of EU biogeographical regions is guaranteed. Unsustainable management and climate change are [...] More

• Study on mapping the alternative economy in the state of Bremen

  There are many alternative economy actors that primarily pursue socio-ecological or public welfare objectives. They include, for example, social enterprises, citizens' cooperatives, collective enterprises and organizations of [...] More

• Development of methodological foundations and working aids for climate protection and circular economy aspects in the public procurement practice

  A shift towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns is essential for a sustainable development. Due to its market power, the public sector can develop a high potential for reducing the burden on the [...] More

• Strengthening regional value creation through renewable energies

  What value creation and employment potential do renewable energies offer the regions in Germany? How can municipalities and citizens benefit from the regional economic effects and what opportunities are there to exploit the [...] More

• Monetization approaches for ecosystem services on federal waterways and integration options in benefit-cost analyses

  In contrast to other modes of transport such as roads or railways, federal waterways and their catchment areas are not only transport routes, but also ecosystems. They make a valuable contribution to biodiversity, the water [...] More

• Home-Office and energy transition: Implications of mobile working and opportunities for the transition of the energy system Electricity consumption, mobility behavior and rebound effects

  

  Due to the Corona pandemic, there has been movement in the perception and use of home office and teleremote working. In this joint project, the energetic and non-energetic implications of this change that are relevant for the [...] More

• PaDiSo Participation in digitalized energy systems: Investigating social innovation processes

  

  The centralised fossil energy system is going to be replaced by decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalization. Actors from science and civil society have called for attention to the often neglected social dimensions of [...] More

• Environmental Awareness in Germany 2022 Study for the German Environmental Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

  The Environmental Awareness Study by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has been surveying environmental [...] More

• Climate and Water under Change CliWaC

  

  The Einstein Research Unit “Climate and Water under Change” (CliWaC) is a transdisciplinary research initiative of the Berlin University Alliance to investigate water-related risks under climate change. In an innovative [...] More

• REPAID - Reusable Solutions for Gastronomy Promotion of reusable solutions to reduce single-use plastic service packaging through automation of take-back, interventions at the point of sale and possibilities of digitalisation to support user behaviour

  

  Since January 2023, many to-go providers must offer reusable packaging: The Packaging Act requires restaurants, caterers and delivery services to provide a reusable option for plates, bowls and cups, for example. How can [...] More

• Digital Technologies and nature-based Climate Protection in Municipalities (DiNaKom)

  Cities and municipalities are feeling the effects of climate change, for example in the form of heat stress, water shortages and flooding. This damages buildings, infrastructure, health, and nature. Natural climate protection [...] More

• Thermal energy storage potential for the state of Berlin

  Around half of Berlin's CO2 emissions are attributable to the heating sector. Its sustainable transformation is therefore fundamental to the city's climate neutrality target by 2045. Heat storages are an important component [...] More

• Environmental economic report 2024 for the state North Rhine-Westphalia

  The Green Economy Report of North Rhine-Westphalia presents the economic and ecological significance of the state's Green Economy. It supports the Ministry for the Environment, Nature and Transport in implementing the [...] More

• Environmental sustainability in the neighbourhood Technical foundations for a municipal sustainability strategy and development of a communication concept

  

  Cities are a central starting point for solving environmental challenges, particularly with regard to the climate mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement. The mission of a socio-ecological transformation of urban spaces [...] More

• Carbon Dioxide Removal: Recommendations for biodiversity-friendly implementation in Germany

  According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it will be necessary to actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to effectively limit global warming to a maximum of 1,5 degrees. To this end, [...] More

• gARTENreich Preferences and constraints for biodiversity conservation in home garden, project phase 2

  

  Home gardens have a great potential to protect and promote biodiversity. Around 17 million home gardens occupy just under two percent of Germany's total area. However, biodiversity in home gardens is dwindling due to a steady [...] More

• Holistic Biodiversity Management in Construction Materials Industry (GiBBS) Strategies and Measures for Biodiversity Protection in Context of Resource Extraction, project phase 2

  

  The project from the BMBF Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA), which was preceded by a one-year conceptual phase, aimed to preserve and promote biodiversity in the quarrying sites of the building [...] More