We’re excited to announce that the final reports from the SSH CENTRE’s Knowledge Brokerage Programme have been published!

Each of the reports focuses on SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) Knowledge Brokerage for City- and Regional-Level Governance. They were written by the early- to mid-career SSH researchers that undertook knowledge brokerage activities, bridging the gap between research and policy, as part of the SSH CENTRE’s Knowledge Brokerage Programme.

During the Knowledge Brokerage Programme, six SSH Knowledge Brokerage Initiatives were undertaken across six European cities. A summary of these knowledge brokerage initiatives, the researchers involved, and the link to the reports can be found below.

Six City-Specific Knowledge Brokerage Initiatives: 

  1. Arnhem

  • Arnhem’s Knowledge Brokerage Initiative focused on energy communities, and how they can help democratise energy access and empower citizens.
  • The Report identifies barriers and opportunities for inclusive energy transitions, whilst the Inclusivity Framework sets out different types of community participation in energy communities.

Research Team Members

  • Shary Heuninckx, EVERGi—MOBI Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belguim
  • Rihab Khalid, Visiting Fellow, Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, UK and MECS programme, Geography & Environment, Loughborough University, UK
  • Maria Kola-Bezka, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Institute of Economics and Finance, Poland
  • Pepijn Quast, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
  • Nathan Wood, Fair Energy Consortium, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

  2. Grenoble

  • In Grenoble, our researcher team focused their Knowledge Brokerage Initiative on promoting sufficiency and circularity behaviours.
  • The activities undertaken during the Initiative and recommendations on enhancing knowledge exchange within the municipality and among citizens are outlined in the Report. A French version of the Report is also available.

Research Team Members

  • Valentin Aubois Liogier, UMR CItés, TERritoires, Environnement et Sociétés, University of Tours, France
  • Danijel Baturina, Department of Social Policy, University of Zagreb, Croatia
  • Timothy Marcroft, Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
  • Laura Niessen, Maastricht Sustainability Institute, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

  3. Porto

  • In Porto, the Knowledge Brokerage Initiative focused on developing a Community of Practice (CoP) for sustainable urban mobility.
  • The importance of stakeholder collaboration and knowledge sharing is emphasised within the Report.

Research Team Members

  • María Alonso Raposo, cambiaMO | changing MObility, Spain
  • Juliana Carvalho, University of Porto, Portugal and INESC TEC, Portugal
  • Máté János Lőrincz, University of Reading, UK
  • Emma Lawlor, University of Glasgow, UK
  • Rebecca Rossetti, University of Bologna, Italy

  4. Rijeka

  • In Rieka, the Knowledge Brokerage Initiative focused on fossil-free heating and cooling.
  • The Report outlines key takeaways from the activities undertaken related to citizen involvement, decarbonisation methods, and understanding locality for district heating.

Research Team Members

  • Nicol Staňková, Charles University in Prague, Czechia
  • Aliaksandr Novikau, International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Jessica Zaphiropoulo, University of Grenoble-Alpes, France

  5. Valencia

  • The importance of citizen engagement in climate action was the focus of the Knowledge Brokerage Initiative in Valencia.
  • In the Report, the researcher team sets out a 5-steps approach for engaging citizens with climate targets.

Research Team Members

  • Gulfem Cevheribucak, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Limerick, Ireland
  • Emilie Etienne, Université Grenoble Alpes, France and Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, France
  • Carolina Moreno, Chair of Sustainability Governance, University of Freiburg, Germany
  • Yann Robiou du Pont, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
  • Ananya Tiwari, Smart Earth Innovation Hub, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

  6. Čačak

  • Čačak’s Knowledge Brokerage Initiatives looked at building capacities for inclusive digital mobility.
  • In the report, the importance of digital technologies, citizen participation, and funding is highlighted.

Research Team Members

  • Andrea Capaccioli, Deep Blue srl, Italy
  • Mihajlo Djukic, Institute of Economic Sciences, Serbia
  • Hannah Hook, Ghent University, Belgium
  • Lluis Martinez, Mobilise, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
  • Kanika Tuteja, Naver Labs Europe, France

Use the links above (or visit the Publications and Activities pages) to explore the insightful reports written by the researcher teams and learn more about the innovative solutions being developed to support regional-level governance in climate, energy, and mobility.

Huge thanks to all our researchers, mentors, and the city hosts for their work on this initiative!

Additional Reading: Insights from Mentors

If you’re wanting to read more about the SSH CENTRE’s Knowledge Brokerage Programme, we invite you to read the insights provided by the mentors involved:

  1. Rijeka, blogpost by Giovanni Caiati, researcher at K&I
  2. Grenoble, blogpost by Daniele Mezzana, senior researcher at K&I
  3. Čačak, blogpost by Samyajit Basu, senior researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  4. Arnhem, blogpost by Ami Crowther, postdoctoral research fellow at ARU
  5. Valencia, blogpost by Alevgul Sorman, researcher at BC3
  6. Porto, blogpost by Julius Paul Wesche, researcher at NTNU