Capacity building events
Past Capacity Building Events
4th of March 2020 – Webinar: "Of Pipes and Pylons - Is Europe planning energy infrastructure for a Paris compatible future?"
Module III of "NGO capacity building regarding the role of grids in a renewables-based electricity sector" series
Concluded. Report and presentations are now available online
Location: online
Organiser: Renewable Grid Initiative
Building upon: Module I workshop “The role of grids in the energy transition: Training & Exchange for NGOs” (on the 11th of July 2019) & Module II webinar on “Digitisation in the Electricity Sector: Behind the Buzzword – NGO training and exchange” (on the 25th of October 2019).
Follow-up: These webinars may be extended beyond the scope of the initial project
Scientists and the power industry agree that a decarbonisation of the power sector is indispensable to achieve the goals set in the Paris Climate Accord. However, the transformation of the energy system that is necessary to achieve this will have clear implications: new infrastructure will have impacts on local biodiversity wherever it will be built. It is therefore crucial for civil society to understand different contexts and relationships and what can be done to minimise these impacts.
This webinar for NGOs, examined the recently published energy scenarios of the Ten Year Network Development Plan 2020 (TYNDP). These scenarios form the basis of European energy infrastructure strategy for the coming decades by making assumptions on a whole range of variables relating to generation, management and consumption patterns in a number of potential future energy scenarios.
The webinar counted with presentations from NGO umbrella organisations - the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and CAN Europe - who critically examined the assumptions made in the scenarios of the TYNDP 2020, looking to understand where progress has been made, and where ambition is lacking if Europe is to reach its Paris Agreement commitments.
Target audience: Environmental NGO representatives, both professional and volunteers, more on the working level; experts from various fields (policymakers, scientists, industry representatives) as speakers and to give input into the development of materials. The event is targeted at a European audience. All modules will be free of charge and open to any NGO representative interested, regardless of the organisation’s membership of RGI.
Learn more about these events.
25th October 2019 – Webinar: “Digitisation in the Electricity Sector: Behind the Buzzword – NGO training and exchange”.
Module II of “NGO capacity building regarding the role of grids in a renewables-based electricity sector” series
Concluded. Report will soon be available online
Organiser: Renewable Grid Initiative
Location: online
Building upon: Module I “The role of grids in the energy transition: Training & Exchange for NGOs”, which took place on the 11th of July 2019
Follow-up: Module III (in December 2019. Date not yet set)
The Renewables Grid Initiative offered a training session webinar for NGOs on digitisation in the electricity sector and how it can help enable our transition to a decarbonised electricity system. With presentations from those working practically with the technology on the ground, this session will help us to get behind the buzzwords.
This event was aimed for employees and volunteers of non-profit organisations who wished to gain an overview of some key aspects of digitisation, including:
- Which technologies show promise as enablers of decarbonisation?
- What benefits do they offer to different groups?
- How can these technologies support local energy communities?
- Can a smarter grid reduce the need for new lines?
- The unknowns and potential risks of an increasingly digitised system.
The was an interactive session, allowing participants to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. The webinar was the second in a series of events for civil society on the role of the grid in the energy transition, empowering civil society actors to engage with the technical aspects of the energy transition at the local and policy levels.
Learn more about these events.
21st-25th October 2019: Business-oriented session
In the context of the ESP 10 World Conference
Concluded. Report available online
Location: Hannover, Germany
Organiser: Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP)
To strengthen science, policy, and business collaboration and uptake of ecosystem service concepts, the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP)is organised a business-oriented workshop during its ESP 10 World conference. This symposium welcomed up to six business representatives to share their ecosystem services experiences from the perspective of their corporate practices, with the objective of stimulating the academic community to better understand what ecosystem services means to the stakeholder in the private sector and how they can be part of the ongoing drive to incorporate the concept into corporate action.
The session increased business-science collaboration, knowledge exchange, and stimulated improved interactions between scientists, practitioners and policy makers. This session formed part of the ESP conference business tracks, an ongoing initiative that operates under the Ecosystem Services in Business Sectoral Working Group, which serves as a vehicle for practitioners to meet and build on previous experience.
Learn more about this event.
8th to 9th October 2019 – Workshop: “Exploring financing options for greener cities – Strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders to explore appropriate financing arrangements for nature-based interventions”
Concluded. Report available online
Location: Athens, Greece
Organiser: ICLEI – Local governments for sustainability and the NATURVATION project
Building upon: Webinar: “Exploring financing options for greener cities”, which took place on the 23rd of July 2019
The Workshop: “Exploring financing options for greener cities – Strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders to explore appropriate financing arrangements for nature-based interventions” was the follow-up of the “Exploring financing options for greener cities” webinar, which took place on the 23rd of July. This event aimed to increase the participants’ capacity and community development on financing arrangements for local biodiversity, ecosystem services (ESS) and nature-based solutions (NBS) interventions in response to local urban challenges.
The objective of the event was to improve the expertise of local stakeholders to better understand the financing landscape, financing options, possible ‘investment’ cases and financial arrangements (such as blended financing). The event built their capacity by actively involving them in a preparatory webinar, an interactive workshop and a follow-up survey.
In order to secure equal opportunities and transparency, organisers opened one Call for Host (cities) and one Call for Participants.
Learn more about these events.
1st and 2nd October 2019: Workshop - “Plastics in our Ocean: A micro or macro problem?”
Concluded. Report is now available online.
Location: Donóstia – San Sebastián, Spain
Organiser: NanoGUNE
This event promoted co-learning and co-creation between all participants, in a highly participatory way, on the problem of plastics and microplastics in the ocean and their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It focused on how science and technology, industry, policy, and the societal factor can contribute to solve it in a European perspective.
It gathered 17 participants from all across Europe with very different profiles and perspectives on the problem. Participants were highly motivated to find solutions collectively. The event was structured and articulated to ensure that participants, by listening and talking to each other, learned about the different perspectives on the problem and jointly worked to identify realistic strategies to solve it.
Target audience: Stakeholders affected or affecting the problem of plastics and microplastics in the ocean.
Learn more about this event.
23rd July 2019 – Webinar: “Exploring financing options for greener cities”
Concluded. Report available online
Location: online
Co-organiser: ICLEI – Local governments for sustainability and the NATURVATION project
Follow-up: 2-day Workshop on “Exploring financing options for greener cities – Strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders to explore appropriate financing arrangements for nature-based interventions” on 8th and 9th of October 2019 in Athens, Greece
“Exploring financing options for greener cities” provided participants with an opportunity to get to know each other, to explore specific participants’ needs and prepare for the workshop. On this occasion, the organisers presented the focus of the workshop, key preparatory materials and started to tailor the most common and urgent challenges in financing biodiversity, ESS and NBS projects. These shaped the workshop programme. This eventwas developed by ICLEI in close cooperation with EKLIPSE mechanism and the NATURVATION project.
Learn more about these events.
11th July 2019 –Short course: “The role of grids in the energy transition: Training & Exchange for NGOs”
Module I of “NGO capacity building regarding the role of grids in a renewables-based electricity sector” series.
Concluded. Material will soon be available online
Location: Berlin, Germany
Organiser: Renewable Grid Initiative
Follow-up: Module II and III Webinars (time not yet set)
Scientists and the power industry agree that a decarbonisation of the power sector is indispensable to achieve the goals set in the Paris Climate Accord. However, the transformation of the energy system that is necessary to achieve this will have clear implications: new infrastructure will have impacts on local biodiversity wherever it will be built. It is therefore crucial for civil society to understand different contexts and relationships and what can be done to minimise these impacts.
Moreover, it is important for NGOs to understand the many positive examples that are already being practiced around Europe, so that they don’t simply block any development due to a fear of local nature being harmed, but rather constructively engage in planning procedures and suggest changes and improvements. This is an engagement that is sparsely seen and will be promoted via this training series. So far, a dedicated training for NGO professionals and volunteers in the field of grid development for the energy transition does not exist. However, many NGO representatives are confronted on a regular basis with questions about grids and their (positive and negative) impact on biodiversity. Giving them the background information they need to engage in discussions in a constructive way will shape the overall debate positively. They will be able to brief laymen, local politicians and other stakeholders and make sure that discussions are informed. The dialogue between policy and society will become much more informed and constructive. Instead of opposing each other, the political and societal sphere will ideally work much more closely together to find the best solution
Target audience: Environmental NGO representatives, both professional and volunteers, more on the working level; experts from various fields (policymakers, scientists, industry representatives) as speakers and to give input into the development of materials. The event is targeted at a European audience. All modules will be free of charge and open to any NGO representative interested, regardless of the organisation’s membership of RGI.
Learn more about these events.
7th to 9th May 2019 – Conference: “World Congress for Wetland and lake restoration – Living lakes: Business and NGO partnership for climate change mitigation and adaptation”
Concluded. Material available online
Location: Valencia, Spain
Organiser: Fundación Global Nature Spain and Global Nature Fund International
Lakes and wetlands are particularly vulnerable against impacts of climate change. Only healthy lake ecosystems will be able to maintain their ecosystem services which are essential for human beings as well as for their extraordinary biodiversity. EKLIPSE is supporting the 15th Living Lakes Conference: “Living Lakes Partnership of Businesses and NGOs for Climate Change mitigation and adaptation. World Congress on Wetland and Lake Restoration” in 2019 will offer intense exchange on the impacts of climate change on fresh water ecosystems, their ecosystem services and their biodiversity. Experienced NGOs, scientific institutions and local authorities from Europe and international level will contribute to appropriate and efficient mitigation and adaptation strategies that will help to protect the ecological functions of lake and wetland ecosystems and preserve their natural legacy for future generations. The focus of the conference will be on climate change mitigation and adaptation in lake and wetland regions. Conference delegates from governments, corporates and NGOs will discuss and evaluate what – from municipal to federal level – can be done to contribute to climate protection and increase the resilience of lakes and wetlands as ecosystems, as well as the resilience of local communities living around lakes against negative impacts of climate change. The conference will also look at the role of business and their responsibility in contributing to strategies for the protection of water ecosystems and their crucial services.
Target audience: Stakeholders related to lake and wetland management, including: companies of economic sectors benefitting directly from lakes ecosystem services (e.g. tourism, food), farmers and fishermen, administrations and political decision makers at local and regional level, scientific institutions, NGOs and other representatives of the local communities. 150-200 people from all around the world are estimated to attend the event.
Learn more about this event.
EKLIPSE @ECCB2018 – Call for capacity building course
Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) invited proposals in accordance with this call for proposals and its annexes for a capacity building course on science communication and outreach on biodiversity and ecosystems services at the European scale to be held on June 11th 2018 at the ECCB2018. This EKLIPSE @ECCB2018 – Call for capacity building course was publicly disseminated in social media and emails.
Description of course: Interplays of science, policy and society for planetary wellbeing: meaningful science communication and outreach on European scale
Link: http://conbio.org/mini-sites/eccb2018/program/pre-and-post-congress-courses/
Goal: The objective of this course was to find effective and innovative ways to communicate scientific research on biodiversity and ecosystem services as a part of science-policy-society interactions. The course aimed to find new ways to approach different types of audiences ranging from the general public and civil society to policy makers through engagement and knowledge co-production. The idea was to discover diverse tools and approaches for outreach and public engagement that make a difference. This course added to the symposium “Informed decision-making for planetary wellbeing” held in ECCB2018.
This call is now closed but more information about it can be found here.
2nd Call for the organisation of Capacity Building events linked to the Science-Policy-Society interface, regarding biodiversity, ecosystem services and related challenges
Date call opened: 10th May 2018
Date call closed: 15th August 2018
Background and call
EKLIPSE invites representatives of networks, organisations, projects and other entities to submit proposals to develop capacity building events relevant to the Science-Policy-Society interface, regarding biodiversity, ecosystem services, and related challenges. EKLIPSE seeks to be responsive to community development needs across the European Union by supporting multinational events that add value to science, policy and society. We encouraged community training providers to submit a proposal to EKLIPSE to receive support regarding the organisation, expertise and/or facilitation necessary for a successful event.
We sought to support the organisation of capacity building events relevant to the Science-Policy-Society interface, regarding biodiversity and ecosystem services, in the European Union. Following the EKLIPSE values of openness and transparency, we asked the community to:
- Identify important capacity gaps related to the aforementioned subject, and
- Support the organisation of capacity building events to remedy identified gaps.
Events could include a series of seminars, short courses, webinars, workshops, etc., as long as the relevance and importance to the main subject was fully justified. Events had to be delivered to diverse participants in multiple countries across the EU.
Learn more about the 2nd Call for Capacity Building.
24th to 27th September 2018: Workshop – “Planning for an uncertain future: Climate Change, Wetlands and Natura 2000”
Concluded. Final report available
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Organiser: CEEweb for Biodiversity
This workshop aimed to bring together scientists, policy makers, authorities and NGOs in order to bridge the gap between the newest strands of resilience thinking and adaptive environmental management that exists in the science world, with practice in the policy world, including the EU Biodiversity Strategy, Green Infrastructure Strategy, Water Framework Directive, Habitats and Birds Directive, Floods Directive, Climate policies and the relevant international conventions. This means improving the understanding of climate change, its perceptible and foreseeable impacts and the role of nature based solutions may play in mitigating these, particularly in the floods and droughts mitigation and climate change adaptation. Natura 2000 is an important tool to ensure effective conservation and management of species and habitats of European importance. The focus on wetlands is key due to the extraordinary biodiversity, provisioning and regulating service potential of this ecosystem, importance for bird and aquatic species and ability to regulate the environment, making it a key facet of blue-green infrastructure. The management of wetlands and Natura 2000 still doesn’t keep up with the accelerating changes due to climate change. As such, the implementation of new thinking, that of adaptive management, is necessary for the successful long term conservation of wetlands and other natural areas maintaining a safe environment for human well-being. The aim of this workshop was thus to integrate management approaches under relevant policies, and transform management plans to consider uncertainty, change and climate change.
Target audience: Policy makers, national and EU authorities, scientists and policy NGOs.
Learn more about this event.
17th to 20th June 2018 – Workshop: “Building the Capacity of EU early career researchers to operate effectively at the Science-Policy-Society interface”
Concluded. Material available online
Location: Lošinj, Croatia
Organiser: IMBER- Integrated Marine Biosphere Research Project Early Career Network and MarCons COST Action
The challenges experienced by marine scientists, particularly early career marine scientists, working at the science-policy-society interface, are well documented. This is because traditional scientific training programs (e.g. PhD training) are not yet designed to incorporate the skill set and competencies required to operate effectively at this interface. To this end, this training workshop aimed to equip EU-based early career marine scientists with the practical knowledge, skills and tools that are needed to operate more effectively at the science-policy-society interface. Drawing on a diverse set of lecturers and experts, workshop participants developed a strong theoretical and applied understanding of the science-policy-society interface as it relates to the management of coastal and marine resources in Europe and elsewhere. Participants also had the opportunity to interact and learn from local policy-makers and managers to gain first-hand insights into the world of policy and decision-making, and ways to influence decision-making processes.
Target audience: The workshop is open to EU-based early career researchers (less than 7 years post-PhD) and final stage PhD students from any scientific discipline, providing that their research is in some way related to the management of coastal and marine resources.
Learn more about this event.
8th and 9th May 2018 – Short Course: “Ecosystem Services for Site Managers”
Concluded. Material available online
Location: Wageningen, The Netherlands
Organiser: Eurosite – Network for Europe’s natural site managers
This two-day short course provided practitioners with the steps in bridging the gap between ecosystem services science and policy on one hand, and practice in the management of protected natural sites on the other, by providing guidance for the integration of ecosystem services into site management practice. The workshop consisted of four main elements: 1) it provided the explanation of the basic concept of ecosystem services in protected sites; 2) explored the aspects of ES in management; why do site managers need the ecosystem services for and what to do with them – interactive session; 3) provided several case-study examples; 4) identified the further training needs on this topic (first assessment) and provided the participants with tools to do a further assessment in their organisations. An important objective was to build connections between scientists and practitioners who together are able to bring knowledge to practical application. The training needs identified at the workshop will be used to develop a broader training programme on this topic.
Target audience: Natural site/ protected area managers as the primary target group and researchers with experience in issues related to ecosystem services and natural areas’ management.
Learn more about this event.
16th April 2018 – Webinar: “The potential of collaborative governance in addressing institutional misfit”
Concluded. Material available online
Location: online
Organiser: Project cp³ “Civil-public-private-partnerships - collaborative governance approaches for policy innovation to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services delivery in agricultural landscapes” funded under a BiodivERsA/FACCE-JPI 2013-2014 joint call.
The main objective of the webinar was to explore the potential of collaborative governance approaches in reaching so-called institutional fit. That is, to ensure that the established governance structures are spatially and temporally well-aligned to the ecosystems and ecosystem services they are meant to govern, so ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation can be provided most effectively. Thereby collaborative governance (co-governance in short) is understood as the vertical (across different scales) and horizontal (across different societal sectors) cooperation of multiple actors, involving partnerships between the public, private, and civil society sphere of society. The webinar will particularly focus on collaborative governance approaches since such approaches have gained in importance more recently, when contrasted to purely state-carried or market-based approaches. The analysis will draw from results gained in protected area case studies from three European countries, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. In these case studies the demonstration focuses on the specific features of collaborative governance approaches which include, for instance, the type of actors involved, their roles and how they interact with each other to generate knowledge, leveraging funding, spur trust and mitigate conflicts. Furthermore, actors’ motives, their influence and power in decision-making procedures, as well as the benefits they got out of their collaboration will be presented.
Target audience: Researchers, both from social and natural sciences, policy-makers at regional and EU level, as well as practitioners interested in the institutional analysis of ecosystem services governance.
Learn more about this event.
Selected events for 2018 from the 1st Call
Our aim was to partially support the organisation of a number of capacity building events, to be held between December 2017 and January 2020.
In the 1st round of this Call we received 25 proposals of various scope and focus. Each proposal was examined according to the selection criteria presented in the call document and was given a score out of 100. For a proposal to be considered for funding a minimum of 70 was required, to guarantee the organisation of high quality events, which offer significant added value to participants. During the initial selection process, the KCB decided whether proposals can proceed as submitted, or if further discussions with the applicants were required to achieve an optimum result. Once a proposal has been selected for funding, the EKLIPSE capacity building team works closely with the applicant to mainstream allocation of funds and organisation of the event.
After the successful completion of the 1st Call for the Organisation of Capacity Building Events, EKLIPSE WP5 “Engaging with Networks and other relevant Stakeholders” will fund and co-organise four Events during 2018