Signature projects
Welcome to our Signature Projects page. Find out more about the initiatives that drive radical innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to address global sustainability challenges. These projects embody our commitment to transformative research and out-of-the-box thinking. Explore the impactful work being done in university practices to create sustainable solutions and foster significant changes in various fields.
Shaping the Future of Sustainable Peatlands
Peatlands are a vital part of our natural environment, serving as significant carbon sinks, preserving unique biodiversity, and regulating water systems. In the Netherlands, these low-lying peatlands face severe challenges such as land subsidence, high CO2 emissions, salinization of water sources, and pressure from competing land uses. This Signature project focuses on developing a sustainable future vision for Dutch peatlands, particularly in the 'Groene Hart' region.
Healthy foods: (im)possible marketing?
Healthy and sustainable foods have become part of an undesirable frame of ‘oat milk elites’, ‘governmental meddling’ and ‘tastelessness’. Considering the enormous positive impact a plant-forward diet can have, this needs to change: we therefore want to make healthy and sustainable food fashionable by extending the mainstream marketing mix with additional partnership and policy aspects to reshape these foods into trending topics for the upcoming generation.
Financing Biodiversity
Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate worldwide and the imperative for action has never been more pressing. The financial sector can potentially combat this decline and drive sustainable transitions within important industries, such as food, energy and infrastructure. The research team behind ‘Financing biodiversity’ is taking on the challenge to help Dutch institutional investors upscale their nature-positive investments, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Tackling gender inequality and sustainability in agribusiness
The cut flower industry in Colombia is an example of the complex interaction between gender, labour, social and environmental issues. The low-skilled labour is mainly done by female workers. This Signature Project aims to unfold the intricacies of global value chains, hopes to raise awareness from consumers to producers through the power of theatre play.
Whose Ocean?
The ocean is crucial to life and climate, but its voice is barely heard in law and policy decisions. While the UN explicitly speaks about “our ocean”, it is completely unclear who the “our” refers to. This project will produce a charter and organize an assembly to give the ocean a meaningful voice in international and national discussions, inspired by similar initiatives, bringing together academics, with artists and writers.
Conceptualizing Ecocide
In the current era of unprecedented threats to the environment, the push to make Ecocide an international crime is gaining momentum. This project explores how the concept of Ecocidecan create breakthroughs in biodiversity protection, with a keen eye for indigenous rights. Next to a Knowledge Hub and policy briefs, it aims to use mock trials (simulations of a legal trial using real examples) as experimental and creative test setting.
Rethink Hydrogen
A holistic approach on hydrogen in sustainable energy systems. This research aims to address challenges in production, storage, and application to make hydrogen a viable alternative to fossil fuels. By integrating interdisciplinary approaches, the project examines innovative technologies and real-world implementation strategies that could accelerate the transition to clean energy. With hydrogen seen as a cornerstone of a carbon-neutral future, the project’s findings could have significant implications for industry and policy worldwide.
People's Energy
Energy transition is not just about technology; it's about people. Across the Netherlands, more than 800 local energy communities are stepping up to take control of energy production and decision-making, bringing neighbours together to create sustainable solutions. But how do these communities establish trust and legitimacy in the eyes of governments, partners, and their own members? This is the central question driving the Signature project People’s Energy.
Resourcefulness
The energy transition is causing a steep increase in mining of critical minerals, which are essential for renewable energy technologies. This also intensified the extractive processes often resulting in human rights violations, environmental degradation, and the perpetuation of global inequalities. The Resourcefulness project aims to highlight the role of finance institutions in resource extraction, and how their role (re)produces (un)just outcomes of the energy transition.
Water-Energy-Land Impacts of Compound Weather Events
The WELCOME project addresses the growing challenge of compound weather events, extreme or co-occurring weather phenomena with significant cross-sectoral impacts on the water-energy-land nexus. The project develops a holistic framework to analyze these events, support climate adaptation strategies, and enhance preparedness through education and actionable insights.