The Associate Laboratory CHANGE – Institute for Global Change and Sustainability, integrates three multidisciplinary R&D Centres, which are at the forefront of Research in the Areas of Sustainability, with a recognized track record in high-level R&D as well as in the design of policy instruments and involvement in policy advisory committees:
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C),
- Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research (CENSE),
- Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED).
CHANGE´s joint venture will add more than the sum of the individual capacities of the 3 R&D Centres – it aims at applying transdisciplinary approaches to deliver realistic, cutting-edge and innovative research and develop knowledge and technology transfer, as required to meet several policy and societal challenges that will come with full implementation of the European Green Deal. CHANGE is designed to deliver realistic policy solutions to environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and competitive economies under current and future global changes.
CE3C
CE3C is a unique research centre focusing on Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, the “3 E’s”. CE3C is at the forefront of biological research by focusing on issues related to sustainability and conservation. CE3C has established itself as a top-tier Research Centre, acting as an international reference and actively contributing to policies in its fields.
The Centre adds a new dimension to increasing knowledge to address societal challenges, incorporating scientific understanding, and producing technical solutions and policies by combining excellent research, investing in emerging research lines and advanced training.
CENSE
CENSE is a centre for excellence on interdisciplinary research and advanced education in sustainability. In an atmosphere of collaboration and freedom to innovate, we explore new pathways for building a sustainable society. As a scientifically acknowledged centre, it integrates international and national networks, in a vibrant environment that attracts the best students and researchers.
CENSE produces knowledge that informs decisions and promotes the co-creation of solutions with society through science that makes a difference.
MED
MED is a multidisciplinary R&D unit focused on the sustainability of ecosystems and food systems in the Mediterranean context, being a key and dynamic partner in Western Mediterranean, responsible to trigger new approaches to research while matching societal expectations.
MED is built on a concept that considers future challenges, where the integration of knowledge and systems approach are key to the formulation and analysis of the problems. Co-learning and co-construction of knowledge, with a diverse set of stakeholders, is central to the positioning of MED. The specific location of MED, embedded in an agricultural region with high nature values and strong dynamics of change, triggers the involvement of MED with the practice. Research spans a wide range of scales from the cell to the plot, to landscape and to global networks.
From farmlands to cities, from mainland to oceanic islands
The geographic distribution of the R&D Units that constitute CHANGE is a pivotal importance - with a strong focus in Alentejo (Évora and Beja) and Algarve regions, on top of Lisbon area and Azores and the coordination from a city in the Interior are essential to tackle challenges from the most exposed and vulnerable regions of Europe, in terms of climate and global change, and to reinforce and attract highly trained researchers capable of finding adequate solutions to address these challenges.
