ERC report on transformative change highlights 10 ICTA-UAB projects
Ten projects led by ICTA-UAB researchers have been included in a new European Research Council (ERC) report, which analyzes 312 scientific projects from 22 countries addressing transformative change as a pathway towards a fair and green future. The report reflects on how to accelerate efforts to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and the growing social inequalities arising from these challenges.
The projects, funded with €653 million, explore why existing technological and social solutions to these challenges are not more widely adopted. They focus on identifying barriers to overcome and the enabling factors that can help accelerate transformative change. Transformative change refers to deep, systemic shifts in how societies, economies, and institutions operate. It occurs when new ideas challenge established ways of thinking and acting, leading to meaningful changes in how societies and organisations function.
The ICTA-UAB projects highlighted in the report and their topics are:
- LICCI – Indigenous peoples and local communities
- EnvJustice – Justice and activism
- REAL – New economic paradigms post-growth
- TRADITION – Sustainable coastal zones
- ATRAPA – Transport
- GREENLULUS – Greening cities and inclusion
- ClimateJusticeReady – Greening cities and inclusion
- URBAG – Urban agriculture
- CLIMGROW – Economic systems
- IEK-CHANGES – Indigenous peoples and local communities
The report highlights ICTA-UAB researcher Victoria Reyes García as an example of an ERC grantee working at the interface between science and policy. Reyes García provides evidence-based advice to inform local, national, EU, and international policies. She is a coordinating lead author of the IPBES assessment on transformative change. Her work emphasizes the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge systems to understanding and addressing environmental and climate crises.
The report underscores the value of blending diverse knowledge systems—from Indigenous and local perspectives to scientific, business, and technological expertise—to spark innovative solutions to complex challenges.
Eystein Jansen, Vice-President of the ERC Scientific Council and member of the ICTA-UAB International Scientific Advisory Board, remarks that 'rethinking systems - from economic models to food and energy networks -requires justice and equity at its core. The report highlights the role of researchers in generating creative solutions to global multi-crises, balancing trade-offs, and enabling pathways towards green, just societies.'