Green networks and partnerships

Close collaborations and cross-disciplinary partnerships make the foundation for creating green solutions. Find links to the networks and partners with whom we work together.

Interdisciplinary research networks within the field of sustainability

 

The transition towards sustainable food packaging demands technical solutions in terms of new materials and technologies for recycling. However, the food itself has a much bigger footprint than the packaging and food waste minimization is central to sustainable solutions; new recycling technologies require standards that affect international trade; and legislation needs to balance consumer protection and sustainability. Finally, this transition co-exists with other transitions that affect the availability of energy and resources. Given this complexity, interdisciplinary research is essential and in response to this, we establish an interdisciplinary network running over a funding period of two years.  The network includes scientific disciplines belonging to four faculties of University of Copenhagen, Science (Department of Food Science, Chemistry, Plant Science,

Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Food and Resource Economics, and Computer Science), Law (Centre for private governance), Social Sciences (Department of Economics) and Humanities (The Saxo Institute) as well as partners form Lund University and CBS. A living scientific community is established by biannual workshops involving network members as well as invited external speakers in order to develop a common language and mature research ideas. Network funding is allocated for hiring young researchers as support for developing larger research projects on EU and national level. Highlights of the network process is integrated as modules and cases in teaching at three faculties at the University of Copenhagen in order to link education and ongoing interdisciplinary research within the green agenda.

Main participant: Associate Professor Jens Risbo, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science

Participants:

Teis Hansen Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of SCIENCE
Henrik Hansen Department of Economics  Faculty of Social Sciences
Neda Trifkovic Department of Economics  Faculty of Social Sciences
Vibe Garf Ulfbeck Private Governance  Faculty of Law
Silvia Adamo Governance Faculty of Law

 

 

Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector for animal production for consumption globally and has become an increasingly attractive approach to enhance food production with high quality proteins. The GGE from aquaculture is low compared to e.g., ruminant meat products, and the efficiency of feed conversion into biomass in fish production is 3-10 times higher than in terrestrial livestock farming. The relatively low emission from animal aquaculture production represents a strong potential as a sustainable future food supply. The proposed network will be an excellent starting point for pursing long-term goals for a green transition of the Danish food production by focusing on aquatic production, and at the same time identifying specific research projects that can target national and international funding and help to move the field forward.

 The aim of the research network is therefore to 1) Map the cross-disciplinary expertise on aquaculture-based food production at KU, including technical, environmental, health, socio-economics and ethical aspects of the production and consumer chain; 2) Identify external national and international research groups, stakeholders and aquaculture-related industries to establish partnerships aimed for specific research proposals; 3) Prepare a catalogue of potential research projects involving KU researchers, which target specific research calls from national and international funding agencies.

Main participant: Professor Mathias Middelboe, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Participants:

Violetta Aru Department of Food Science Faculty of Science
Kurt Buchman Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Faculty of Health

Read more: Cross‐disciplinary network for supporting a green transition in the aquaculture sector

 

 

Spanning across social sciences, humanities, law and natural-technical sciences, the UCPH network on The Governance of Green Transition seeks to develop new comprehensive and transdisciplinary approaches to the governance challenges of green transition. Green transition governance comprises the means of exercising control over, steering, or directing society and its organizations, institutions, and practices in the process towards enhanced sustainability. The network is organized around four sub-themes of transition governance: 1) socio-technical transition networks and partnerships; 2) new institutions of deliberation and inclusive decision-making; 3) civil society participation and experimentation in reform nexuses; and 4) cultural models of transition in-between expert planners and citizens. Overall, the network will lay the foundation for crosscutting as well as more sector-specific future research collaborations. By entering into partnerships with national and international research environments and stakeholders, the network aims to help place the social sciences and humanities (SSH) more centrally in research into green transitions writ large.

Main participant: Associate Professor Anders Blok, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences


Participants: 

Stine Krøjier Department of Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences
Lars Tønder Department of Political Science Faculty of Social Sciences
Frida Hastrup The Saxo Institute Faculty of Humanities
Christian Bugge Henriksen Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science
Carsten Daugberg Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Amnon Lev Centre for International Law and Governance Faculty of Law

 

 

The purpose of CArGo is to advance research in Arctic governance to meet the climate and sustainability challenges the world is facing. CArGo’s subject areas and activities will focus on Arctic socio-economic systems and the different legal, political, geographical and cultural regimes at play. The network incorporates scholars from law, political science, geoscience and humanities to explore research synergies on this topic. While CArGo’s founding partners represent law, political science, humanities and science, the network is open to all disciplines and researchers, and it is the goal of CArGo to incorporate more scholars over time to broaden views, approaches and funding opportunities.

Participants: 

Beatriz Martinez Romera Centre for International Law and Governance (CILC), Faculty of Law
Frank Sejersen Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies Faculty of Humanities
Ylva Sjöberg Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of Science
Kristian Søby Kristensen Department of Political Science Faculty of Social Science

Interdisciplinary reserach network on Climate Arctic Governance_CArGo
Contact: Beatriz Martinez Romera

 

 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agricultural Soils (GGAS)

Controlling greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils constitutes the single largest greenhouse gas emission reduction potential in Denmark. Emissions derive from two main sources: Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from poorly drained, yet still cultivated and fertilized fields, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from drained organic wetlands. Changed land management to stop these emissions will help mitigate climate change and holds the potential to increase biodiversity, provide new recreational and/or conservation areas, and reduce nutrient loads to the aquatic environment. Yet, change occurs slowly, hampered by a combination of natural, economic, and social processes and historical perceptions of the soils, their use, and their cultural contexts. Further, changing the management of these soils could also carry adverse effects as increased phosphorus leaching, waterlogging of neighbouring fields, and increased N2O emissions in rewetted areas.

This interdisciplinary research network, spanning the Faculties of Humanities, Social Science, and Science, will identify systemic barriers to re-wetting, propose research to overcome the barriers, and device applicable action points for policy-makers to reduce Danish greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils and improve the accuracy of national emission inventories. The main aim of the network is to identify sustainable solutions to decrease GHG emissions from agricultural soils while controlling adverse effects and optimizing co-benefits of changed land management.

Main participant: Associate Professor Martin Rudbeck Jepsen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Science


Participants:

Stine Krøijer Department of Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences
Bo Fritzbøger Saxo-Instituttet Faculty of Humanities
Bo Elberling Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of Science
Jesper Riis Christiansen Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of Science
Søren Jessen Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of Science
Hans Chr. Bruun Hansen Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science
Simon Stisen GEUS GEUS

Network on Reducing Emissions from Agricultral Soils

 

 

A lot of people love a good steak, or they use eggs or dairy products in their daily cooking. But this comes with a price because animal production contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems. Hence, if we want to keep using animal products, we must come up with more clever and sustainable ways to produce them.

Research in sustainability of animal production is currently compartmentalized in unproductive ways. Natural scientists work to make the production as sustainable as possible; economists and sociologists analyse how animal products are valuated and consumed, and anthropologists and humanities address the relations between humans and animals. In this way, sustainability of animal production is a challenge conceived in very different ways by different disciplines and each of them chart different and most often uncoordinated solutions. The new UCPH Scenarios for Sustainable Animal Production in the Future-network will provide an interdisciplinary probing of what animal production may be in the future. The purpose is to bring different disciplines and approaches into conversation and facilitate a cross-disciplinary understanding, which will empower well-coordinated joint ventures in animal sustainability research.

Main participant: Associate Professor Peter Karlskov-Mortensen, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Participants:

Frida Hastrup The Saxo Institute Faculty of Humanities
Carsten Thure Kirkeby Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Faculty of Health
Charlotte Amdi Williams Production, Nutrition and Health Faculty of Health
 Tove Christiansen Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
 Lilia Ahrné Department of Food Science Faculty of Science
Rene Lametsch Department of Food Science Faculty of Science
Adam Veng SAXO-Institute - Archaeology, Ethnology, Greek & Latin, History Faculty of Humanities

Scenarios for Sustainable Animal Production in the Future
Contact: Peter Karlskov-Mortensen 

 

 

The Sustainable Drug Discovery Network connects scientists interested in all aspects of sustainable drug discovery to foster collaborations seeking green solutions funding.

https://sustainabledrugs.ku.dk/ 

The Sustainable Drug Discovery Network has focus on the multitude of factors involving sustainability in drug discovery and production. Particular focus is on the bioactive compounds sourced from traditional medicinal plants with local indigenous ownership. The compounds can e.g., be used as drugs, health-promoting agents, flavors, and fragrances as well as a reservoir for larger chemical biodiscovery work. 

Today, the path from biodiscovery in nature to development and large-scale sustainable production remains largely unchartered and disconnected, especially when it comes to sustainability. Collective action across continents is needed to combine societal challenges such as minority and intellectual properties rights, regulatory frameworks, and equitable access to medicine with sustainable drug discovery and transition to large-scale green production of drugs. 

The network will bridge all UCPH faculties and focus on the exciting but challenging research questions arising by combining research disciplines in order to explore and combine moral, legal, and social sustainability with green development and production. The aim is to develop and mature grant applications through a series of online and in-person meetings.

Main participant: Centre manager and Professor Dan Stærk, Natural Products Research Group and Copenhagen Small-Molecule NMR Centre, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Participants:

Birger Lindberg Møller Center for Synthetic Biology Faculty of Science
Marie-Louise Nosch The Saxo Institute Faculty of Humanities
Astrid Pernille Jespersen The Saxo Institute Faculty of Humanities
Timo Minssen Centre for Advanced Studies in Biomedical Innovation Law Faculty of Law

Sustainable Drug Discovery Network
Contact: Dan Stærk

 

 

A significant share of the necessary green transition must come from changes in behaviour towards a more sustainable food consumption pattern. However, embedded conflicts of interest may impede optimal decision making at both a personal, household, community, organisational and societal level.

This dietary shift therefore requires that citizens themselves (individually and collectively) are agents of change. To achieve this goal of substantial individual and collective change, the multi-disciplinary approach provided by this network is crucial to overcome the barriers to adopting alternative diets.

The Plant Food and Pleasure network will identify the most relevant research and the needs for interdisciplinary research related to sustainable food consumption. This will create a holistic roadmap necessary to accelerate the necessary transition to a sustainable plant-based diet. The research network consists of researcher from 5 different departments, spanning faculties of humanity, social sciences, law, and science.

Main participant: Associate Professor Michael Bom Frøst, Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science and  Wesley DeanDepartment of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), Faculty of Science.

Participants:

Lotte Holm Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Sinne Smed Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Vibe Garf Ulfbeck CEPRI - Centre for Private Governance Faculty of Law
Wen Xiang Centre of Excellence for International Courts Faculty of Law
Astrid Pernille Jespersen The Saxo Institute Faculty of Humanities
Guido Makransky Department of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences
Thomas Morton Department of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences

 

 

The green transition will generate new types of products and services in all stages of the value chain and in all sectors. In order to create behavioral change, the sustainable character of these products and services must be documented and communicated to potential buyers. Green labels are going to be an important tool in this regard. Already, numerous green labels exist worldwide, some representing public, some private and some hybrid governance systems, and studies show that labels often play an important role for buyers’ decisions to acquire a specific product or service. However, it is also common knowledge that not all labels are equally trustworthy and that labels may be (mis)used for ‘greenwashing’. Thus, a major challenge in the coming years will be the creation of effective green label systems that correctly assess and communicate the ‘sustainability’ of a specific product or service. Meeting this challenge, requires expertise from a variety of different disciplines, including natural science, political science, sociology, ethnology, law and psychology. The purpose of the network is to bring together researchers from all of these disciplines to analyse the challenges in creating effective label governance schemes that can support the green transition.

Main participant: Center Manager and Professor Vibe Garf Ulfbeck, CEPRI (Centre for Private Governance), Faculty of Law

Participants:

 

Ole Hansen Centre for Private Governance Faculty of Law
Carola Glinski CEPRI - Centre for Private Governance Faculty of Law
Karsten Ronit Department of Political Science Faculty of Social Sciences
Carsten Daubjerg Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Thomas Bøker Lund Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Andrea Veggerby Lind Department of Communication Faculty of Humanities
Emil Engelund Thybring Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Faculty of Science
Frida Hastrup The Saxo Institute Faculty of Science
Kenn Steger Engineering and natural sciences AAU

 

 

The currently accelerating loss of biodiversity globally calls for new solutions to the old problem of sustainable coexistence between humans and nature. Two opposed approaches to providing habitat for wild species exist, i.e. setting aside near-intact ecosystems separate from production areas (land sparing) or integrating habitat in ‘nature-friendly’ farming, forestry and urban infrastructure (land sharing).

The TRIAD network seeks to investigate a three-compartment TRIAD strategy (combining high-yield farming/forestry, extensive land-use and set-aside near-intact ecosystems) as a framework for co-existence of nature and production, when further societal goods are considered (e.g. recreation, livelihood in rural areas). This three-legged strategy has received little attention in terms of interdisciplinary research, which has mainly focused on either land sparing or land sharing approaches.

The ultimate purpose of the Biodiversity TRIAD network is to develop a knowledge base to underpin new societal solutions to this complex problem, with Denmark in focus. Cross-disciplinary research on how biodiversity may be accommodated in the intensively used Danish landscape is needed. The society demands knowledge on

  1. synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and other societal goods in order to inform spatial planning and regulation, and
  2. efficient nature restoration from current production areas. The immediate purpose is to develop approaches in a network of researchers spanning multiple disciplines.

Main participant: Associate Professor Hans Henrik Bruun, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science

Participants:

Stine Krøijer Department of Anthropology Faculty of Social Sciences
Lasse Baaner Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science
Jacob Heilmann-Clausen Globe Institute Faculty of Health
Niels Strange Department of Food and Resource Economics  Faculty of Science

 

 


Transformation Labs: Ideas for fast-tracking research into societal transformation

Logo of transformation labs

Transformation Labs connected the world and served as an experimental online process. A laboratory for exploring ideas, problems, and proposals to fast-track sustainable development with more than 200 participants from across the world.

Download Transformation Labs Idea Catalog here


Links


Centres 


    Digital ressources


    This website is still under construction so do not hesitate to reach out to GSC@ku.dk if you have an UCPH green network or partnership that you would like to have linked to this page.