Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development - Utrecht University

Applications now open!

A positive impact on the transition to a sustainable society
We develop excellent and relevant knowledge, collaborating with citizens, politicians, policy makers, NGOs and firms to learn from each other and influence decision-making.
Collaborate
Cutting edge interdisciplinary research
Our signature cross-topical themes—governance, modelling and transitions—cover central aspects of sustainability research and policy. Our five sustainability challenges, which include circular economy, energy, food, land and water, highlight our research strengths.
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Five research sections
Our 260 researchers have a home in one of five research sections: Environmental Governance, Environmental Sciences, Innovation Studies, Energy & Resources and the Urban Futures Studio. Together we are the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.
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Transformative education
Society faces a multitude of complex sustainability challenges which require new ways of thinking and doing. We educate the change agents of the future through our two Bachelor's and six Master's programmes.
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Explore our research

Circular economy
Five sustainability challenges
Energy

News
Environmentalists must embrace the drama of belonging
Opinion
4 December 2024
In the summer of 2022, 100 Dutch farmers parked their tractors outside of the Asylum Seekers’ Centre in Ter Apel, on the Netherlands’ north-eastern border with Germany to protest that they “no longer feel welcome” in the Netherlands. With right-ring populists being elected across the world, the action offers lessons that progressive environmentalists sorely need to hear.

Three funded Biodiversa+ projects aim to improve the success of nature-based solutions around the world
News
2 December 2024
Researchers receive Biodiversa+ funding for research into nature-based solutions for biodiversity, human well-being and transformative change.

Access to energy finance can improve international equity for the green transition
News
29 November 2024
Alleviating financial constraints benefits both climate and equity as a result of more renewable and affordable energy in the developing world, according to Utrecht University researchers in Nature Energy.
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Events
9 Dec
Press conference: the obligations of states in respect to climate change
9 December 2024 from 19:30 to 20:30
Press conference on 9 December in the context of the climate case at the International Court of Justice
11 Dec
Infrastructures of mystery: how do we create a society that supports the wonder of existence?
11 December 2024 from 20:00 to 22:00
Meet up `Infrastructures of mystery: how do we create a society that supports the wonder of existence?'
16 Dec
Emotional dynamics and the possibility for resistance and change — with Erika Summers-Effler
16 December 2024 from 13:30 to 15:00
Join the Urban Futures Studio on December 16th for an engaging Friends of the Future seminar with Erika Summers-Effler, associate professor at the Department of Sociology of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. She works on the nexus of emotions, culture, social movements and religion combining the disciplines of micro-sociology and cognitive brain science.
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