For 25 years, Utrecht University's Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development has helped shape sustainability research, education and practice in the Netherlands and beyond. On Tuesday 6th October, we invite you to TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht to mark this milestone with us.
Since the institute was founded in 2001, sustainability has moved from the margins to the centre of public debate, policy, business, and science. Copernicus has been part of that shift: advancing knowledge, educating tomorrow's change-makers, and working with societal partners to together turn sustainability challenges into research agendas, policy questions and practical action.
Under the theme What comes after Sustainable Development?, we will take you on a journey through 25 years of the Copernicus Institute: looking back at the ideas and people that shaped us, contemplating the changes transforming sustainability research and practice today, and diving into the questions that should guide the field in the decades ahead.
Programme
The programme will feature a keynote provocation by Hans Stegeman, Chief Economist at Triodos Bank, challenging us to think about whether today’s sustainability challenges can still be addressed through incremental change, or whether they demand a more fundamental transformation of our economic and societal systems.
Four sessions will then look back at 25 years of sustainability research and ahead to what should shape research and action over the next 25 years:
- Climate-neutral and Circular Economies
- Biodiverse and Healthy Planet
- Transforming Societies
- Reconfiguring Sustainability Sciences in a Changing World
During the walk-in, coffee break, and walking dinner, exhibitions and interactive contributions will offer further opportunities to explore our research, education, and people, past and present.
The afternoon sessions run from 13:00 to 17:45 and will be followed by a borrel/walking dinner. For those who would like to stay longer, there will be an evening programme from 19:30 until late, with live bands and time to reconnect.
We warmly invite current and former staff, alumni, students, policymakers, collaborators and sustainability practitioners to join us for this special occasion. Join us to celebrate 25 years of Copernicus and to be part of the conversation about what comes next in our work and practice!
- Start date and time
- End date and time
- Location
- TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
- Entrance fee
- Free
- Registration