Current projects
Climate Change and Tourism in Spain
Weather and climate are closely linked to outdoor recreation activities and tourism in general. So far, coastal regions, and more specifically beach tourism, have received most of the attention regarding the impacts of climate change. This project will, in contrast, focus on other tourism segments: rural, cultural and nature tourism are the target of this study. The project is part of the Second Work Programme of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (Spanish State Secretary for Climate Change).
Contact: Alvaro Moreno
ENHanCE
The ENHanCE Project aims to assess the effects of future climate change on the spread of infectious diseases in Europe and its impacts on human health and wellbeing. The project will generate a short list of (climate sensitive) pathogens that occur in proximity to the UK, France and the Netherlands or that could threaten these countries under future climate change. Participatory methods will be used to assess societal response to changing disease risk from climate and environmental change. The outcomes of the risk assessment and the participatory integrated assessment will be integrated in scenarios of future health and well-being in Europe.
Contact: Su-Mia Akin
Exploring adaptation pathways for sustainable river management into the uncertain future
The central objective of this NWO funded research is to develop and apply a scenario method to identify sustainable water management strategies for lowland rivers. We will do this by exploring transient scenarios (‘storylines’) for the lower Rhine River over the forthcoming century, in which we explicitly consider the interactions between the physical and social components of the water system using an Integrated Assessment Meta Model. In this project we will analyse the mechanisms and controls of changes in water management in response to climate, social or socio-economic events and trends. This will be done using a ‘game’-type model that will be proposed to water managers and stakeholders.
Contact: Pieter Valkering
Governance for Sustainable Development: The Case of Limburg, The Netherlands
The project aims at investigating how sustainable development can be attained at the regional level. The Province of Limburg will serve as a case study. Stakeholders will play an important role throughout the project. They will be consulted on improving the workability of the concept of sustainable development, on the identification of driving forces, on the possible ways of implementing sustainable development and on their wishes for monitoring and evaluation. The project is financially supported by the Province of Limburg.
Contact: Annemarie van Zeijl
INSPIRATOR
This NWO funded research project examines experiences with knowledge co-production and the use of coproduced knowledge by decision-makers. A typology of knowledge co-production in the science-policy interface will be developed, based on existing classifications, as well as normative criteria to assess the effectiveness of co-production. The project will result in an empirically validated typology of knowledge co-production, in practical insights into the opportunities and drawbacks of co-production in issues of global change and sustainability, and recommendations for actors involved in the interface between science and policy. More information: INSPIRATOR
Invitation (in Dutch)Project Workshop May 9th 2012.
Contact: Rene Kemp
INTARESE
INTARESE is a 5-year project, funded by the EU, on developing and applying new, integrated approaches to the assessment of environmental health risks and consequences, in support of European policy on environmental health. It brings together brings together a team of internationally lead scientists in the areas of epidemiology, environmental science and biosciences. ICIS will primarily look at the health effects of climate change (e.g., temperature extremes) and UV-radiation.
Contact: Maud Huynen
NESO-Brasil (Nuffic-Capes)
The overall objective of this three-years project is to establish a network of excellence in integrated sustainability assessment (ISA) among higher education institutions and research centers in the Netherlands (Wageningen University and Research Centre and Maastricht University) and Brazil (University of Sao Paulo, Embrapa, e.o.).
Contact: Pieter Valkering
ORGANEXT
The general aim of the ORGANEXT project is to research and develop nano-materials and innovative deposition techniques for next-generation opto-electronic applications and thin-film solar cells. It is a collaborative project of research institutes in the Meuse-Rhine region. ICIS is involved the analysis of the market and sustainability of nano-based products.
Contact: Veronique Vasseur
Perspectives in Integrated Water Resource Management in River Deltas
Water management faces major challenges to cope with potential global change impacts, fundamental uncertainties surrounding future developments, and a diversity of societal perspectives. This project – funded by Deltares – aims to integrate insights from the social and water sciences to develop integrated scenarios for water management in the Netherlands.
Contact: Astrid Offermans
SUN
The SUN (Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods) project is part of the Interreg IVA Euregio Meuse-Rhine programme. Academic partners, the main cities of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine and people from the five urban neighbourhoods are involved in the project in order to improve the quality of live of these neighbourhoods, reinforce participation to sustainable development and increase exchanges and synergies between these cities.
Contact: Carijn Beumer
Sustainable Mobility
The project aims to develop an integrated assessment of the mobility problem. We will examine Initiatives with alternative mobility in the Netherlands and in other countries. On the basis of the causality analysis and experiences with alternative modes of mobility, we will develop sociotechnical scenarios that describe the co-evolution of policy, technology and behaviour. The project will undertake a diffusion analysis of two alternative forms of mobility, probably hybrid electric vehicles and urban chain mobility.
Contact: Marc Dijk
Synthesis study programme VAM
The Earth and Life Sciences (ALW) and Social Sciences (MaGW) have launched a new programme ‘Vulnerability, Adaptation, Mitigation and Adaptation-Mitigation’ (VAM). Complementing the earlier NRP programmes that targeted the natural sciences, VAM focuses on research into the social and behavioural aspects of climate change, drawing on disciplines such as public administration, geography, environmental economics, socio-cultural sciences, environmental law, and psychology. The commission VAM has invited ICIS to perform a synthesis study, integrating all projects in the four themes under the VAM umbrella. Furthermore, this study will also provide guidelines for new research as well as policy measures.
Contact: Pim Martens
VISION
The main objective of the project ‘Producing a shared vision on how to harness Research & Development for Sustainable Development (VISION RD4SD) is to ensure that Europe is able to contribute to a Sustainable Development of the world by formulating policies and decisions based on robust, up to date knowledge of highest scientific quality. The project focuses on a dialogue among European science policy makers, administrators and those funding policy makers in general who demand and need solutions from VISION RD4SD. The project will develop an overview on how research and development to a sustainable development is being funded, supported and evaluated by science policy. This will be done by a number of state of the art studies, both on country, regional and European scale.
Contact: Annemarie van Zeijl
