scholarly journals Capacity-building and networking events for nature-based solutions and re-naturing in Malta

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judita Tomaskinova ◽  
Lynn Dicks ◽  
Marcus Collier ◽  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
Miriam Grace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Island ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Large Scope ◽  
Training Activities ◽  
Research Excellence

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have the potential to build climate resilience and tackle key societal challenges while also providing multiple co-benefits to biodiversity and human well-being. The demand for nature-based innovation is strongly felt in Malta – a small island state, with the highest population density in the European Union. Against this background, the Horizon 2020 project ReNature (Promoting research excellence in nature-based solutions for innovation, economic growth and human well-being in Malta) has the goal to enhance research excellence of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), as well as the national research, policy, business and stakeholder community. The six strategically designed training activities fostering capacity-building and research excellence, delivered during the first half of the project, resulted in useful learning outputs. These are twelve presentations, available as attachments to this article, which cover a large scope of topics related to the implementation of NbS. At a later stage, ReNature will publish another round of learning outputs, resulting from the rest of the training activities planned within the scope of the project.

Member States in the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programmes

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.28) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Dina Bērziņa
Keyword(s):  
Group Performance ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Member States ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Framework Programmes ◽  
The Eu

Sustainable growth is the key driver of development and it depends on research and innovation which creates investment opportunities for new and better products and services and thereby increases the competitiveness and employment. Research has a long history on our old continent: the European Union is a research think-tank, still the world’s leading producer of scientific knowledge but is lagging in implementation of the results. Therefore, constitution of the Framework Programmes enabled better coordination of research among all the participating countries. The EU Framework Programmes celebrated 30 years of operation recently – they have become a key element of the research policy in Europe today. Since the First Framework Programme launched in 1984, the current Horizon 2020 has expanded in scope and scale by attracting more resources and participating countries performing research on diverse topics. This paper provides an overview of the EU Member States’ engagement with emphasis on the two last Framework Programmes. It outlines the current disproportion with respect to different country group performance and provides links to various data sources for further studies.  

Research and Development in European Union Politics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Quadrio Curzio ◽  
Alberto Silvani
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Framework Programme ◽  
European Research ◽  
The European Union ◽  
World War ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
New Framework

The European Union (EU) research policy was founded on the idea of cooperation among countries after the end of World War II, and consequently it has been influenced in increments. But it also has advantages because of its specificity. So the EU becomes not just the simple sum of all the member states’ contributions but something different, based on a variety of scales and actors, including a vision (and sometimes a mission). This is the reason why the research policy should be examined both in its evolution as such and in light of the relevant steps considered crucial for the development. At least three possible approaches are feasible: (a) a sort of vertical reading in historical development; (b) the attention paid to the terminologies used or to the glossary; (c) the focus on keywords and their role in accompanying the choices, in particular the origin and the development of the European Research Area (ERA). The transition from the current Framework Programme Horizon 2020 (H2020) to the new one planned starting from 2021 (Horizon Europe) is a way to integrate the three approaches by analysing the contents in terms of novelties and continuity. The focus on the evolution of the relevance of ERA can be also considered as a way to illuminate the challenges facing European research policy. In fact, the demand for greater collaboration in European research is determined by the increased international competition and the growing role, as a driver, of innovation in society and the economy. This must be reflected in the choices the new Framework Programme must make.

scholarly journals Implementing Green Infrastructure in Spatial Planning in Europe

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Slätmo ◽  
Kjell Nilsson ◽  
Eeva Turunen
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
Horizon 2020

Interest in green infrastructure (GI) has grown in research, policy and planning in recent decades. The central idea behind GI is the understanding of the physical non-built-up environment as an infrastructure capable of delivering a wide variety of benefits to society, including the ability to preserve biodiversity; to provide food, feed, fuel and fibre; to adapt to and mitigate climate change and to contribute to enhanced human health and quality of life. The European Union (EU) has had a GI strategy since 2013, and member states are involved in several strategic and applied GI initiatives and projects. The aim of this study is to explore if and how the European strategy has been implemented. The study adds to the body of knowledge of current GI policies and measures in Europe via an online survey and insights into previous research. The survey reveals that GI is integrated into one or more policy sectors in all 32 countries covered. In 11 of the 32 countries, GI-specific policies are already in place or are being drawn up at a national level. In general, the respondents see the responsibility for GI policy and strategy as a matter of national governments and the implementation as a matter of local governments. They also see the LIFE+ and Horizon 2020 project funds, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), as the most important EU funding sources for the implementation of the GI strategy. The study also identifies availability of georeferenced information, zoning and biotope area factor as three of the spatial planning tools used to implement GI.

scholarly journals Capacity-building as an instrument to foster the implementation of nature-based solutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judita Tomaskinova ◽  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
Lynn Dicks ◽  
Miriam Grace ◽  
Marcus Collier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Training School ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Training Activities

This article presents teaching and learning material from three strategically designed ReNature Horizon 2020 project training activities. A total of twelve presentations covering different aspects of NbS implementation are presented with this article. Additionally, this article also includes materials produced by learners, throughout their work within self-organised groups carried out during the Second ReNature Training School. This is the second article publishing teaching and learning material arising from the ReNature project.

scholarly journals “How Do We Actually Do Convergence” for Disaster Resilience? Cases from Australia and the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shefali Juneja Lakhina ◽  
Elaina J. Sutley ◽  
Jay Wilson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Systemic Risks ◽  
Work Community ◽  
Research Findings

AbstractIn recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on achieving convergence in disaster research, policy, and programs to reduce disaster losses and enhance social well-being. However, there remain considerable gaps in understanding “how do we actually do convergence?” In this article, we present three case studies from across geographies—New South Wales in Australia, and North Carolina and Oregon in the United States; and sectors of work—community, environmental, and urban resilience, to critically examine what convergence entails and how it can enable diverse disciplines, people, and institutions to reduce vulnerability to systemic risks in the twenty-first century. We identify key successes, challenges, and barriers to convergence. We build on current discussions around the need for convergence research to be problem-focused and solutions-based, by also considering the need to approach convergence as ethic, method, and outcome. We reflect on how convergence can be approached as an ethic that motivates a higher order alignment on “why” we come together; as a method that foregrounds “how” we come together in inclusive ways; and as an outcome that highlights “what” must be done to successfully translate research findings into the policy and public domains.

The European Union as an object of insecure collective attachment: A response to ‘Brexit: Who is afraid of group attachment? Part I. Europe: What Europe?’ by Arturo Ezquerro

2021 ◽  
pp. 053331642110012
Author(s):  
Antigonos Sochos
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
European Population ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Group Attachment ◽  
Asymmetrical Power ◽  
The Eu

In this commentary I argue that the European Union has been functioning as an insecure object of collective attachment for large parts of the European population for many years. According to attachment theory, in relationships of asymmetrical power insecure attachment is formed as the narrative constructed by the most powerful party overwrites the authentic experience of the weakest, generating conflicted representation of self and the attachment object. That attachment object may be interpersonal or collective. The EU narrative on how it safeguards democracy and citizen well-being contradicts the true experience of many Europeans who struggle to make ends meet in neoliberal Europe. On this basis, an insecure collective bond with the EU is established, as the latter fails to recognize and address the needs of many of its citizens.

scholarly journals Simple method for identifying interdependencies in service delivery in critical infrastructure networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Schweikert ◽  
G. F. L’Her ◽  
M. R. Deinert
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Road Networks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Island State ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Critical Links

AbstractCritical infrastructure failures from natural hazard events affect the economic and social well-being of communities. This is particularly true in lower income countries, where infrastructure may be less resistant to natural hazards and disaster recovery is often limited by available resources. The interconnectivity of these systems can strongly affect the services they deliver, and the failure of one infrastructure system can result in cascade failures with wide-reaching consequences. Unfortunately, interconnectivity has been particularly difficult to measure. We present a method for identifying service-oriented interdependencies in interconnected networks. The approach uses well-established methods for network analysis and is demonstrated for healthcare services in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small island state in the Caribbean. We show that critical links in road networks necessary for healthcare service delivery are important for more than just patient access to a facility, but also on the supply chains that enable the hospitals to function (e.g., water, fuel, medicine). Once identified, the critical links can be overlaid with known hazard vulnerabilities to identify the infrastructure segments of highest priority, based on the risk and consequences of failure. An advantage of the approach presented is that it requires relatively little input data when compared to many network prioritization models and can be run using open-source geospatial data such as OpenStreetMap. The method can be expanded beyond road networks to assess the service-oriented criticality of any infrastructure network.

scholarly journals Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and well-being for children and youth: a protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e043722
Author(s):  
Naomi Priest ◽  
Kate Doery ◽  
Mandy Truong ◽  
Shuaijun Guo ◽  
Ryan Perry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Health And Well Being

IntroductionRacism is a critical determinant of health and health inequities for children and youth. This protocol aims to update the first systematic review conducted by Priest et al (2013), including a meta-analysis of findings. Based on previous empirical data, it is anticipated that child and youth health will be negatively impacted by racism. Findings from this review will provide updated evidence of effect sizes across outcomes and identify moderators and mediators of relationships between racism and health.Methods and analysisThis systematic review and meta-analysis will include studies that examine associations between experiences of racism and racial discrimination with health outcomes of children and youth aged 0–24 years. Exposure measures include self-reported or proxy reported systemic, interpersonal and intrapersonal racism. Outcome measures include general health and well-being, physical health, mental health, biological markers, healthcare utilisation and health behaviours. A comprehensive search of studies from the earliest time available to October 2020 will be conducted. A random effects meta-analysis will examine the average effect of racism on a range of health outcomes. Study-level moderation will test the difference in effect sizes with regard to various sample and exposure characteristics. This review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.Ethics and disseminationThis review will provide evidence for future research within the field and help to support policy and practice development. Results will be widely disseminated to both academic and non-academic audiences through peer-review publications, community summaries and presentations to research, policy, practice and community audiences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184055.

scholarly journals The Vulnerability of Health Infrastructure to the Impacts of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in Small Island Countries in the South Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863292110208
Author(s):  
Subhashni Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
World Health ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Medical Infrastructure

Anthropogenic climate change and related sea level rise will have a range of impacts on populations, particularly in the low lying Pacific island countries (PICs). One of these impacts will be on the health and well-being of people in these nations. In such cases, access to medical facilities is important. This research looks at the medical facilities currently located on 14 PICs and how climate change related impacts such as sea level rise may affect these facilities. The medical infrastructure in each country were located using information from a range of sources such as Ministry of Health (MoH) websites, World Health Organization, Doctors Assisting in South Pacific Islands (DAISI), Commonwealth Health Online, and Google Maps. A spatial analysis was undertaken to identify medical infrastructure located within 4 zones from the coastline of each country: 0 to 50 m, 50 to 100 m, 100 to 200 m, and 200 to 500 m. The findings indicate that 62% of all assessed medical facilities in the 14 PICs are located within 500 m of the coast. The low-lying coral atoll countries of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tokelau, and Tuvalu will be highly affected as all medical facilities in these countries fall within 500 m of the coast. The results provide a baseline analysis of the threats posed by sea-level rise to existing critical medical infrastructure in the 14 PICs and could be useful for adaptive planning. These countries have limited financial and technical resources which will make adaptation challenging.

scholarly journals Findings From the Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 823-824
Author(s):  
Mark Brennan-Ing ◽  
Michael Plankey ◽  
Deborah Gustafson
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Gay Community ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
Sex With Men

Abstract In 1984, the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) was started to identify factors in the HIV epidemic related to disease risk and treatment progression among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in four urban areas in the US: Baltimore, MD/Washington, D.C.; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA, and Los Angeles, CA. MACS participants complete biannual study visits involving HIV testing, biometric screenings, and psychosocial data collection. In 2015 a MACS sub-study, the Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging among MSM Project (HAMSM), was started to better understand resiliencies promoting well-being among MSM age 40 and older, including those with HIV. HAMSM has helped us to understand aging trajectories among MSM, and provides a unique combination of physiological and psychosocial data that can inform efforts to support MSM in healthy aging. This symposium will present emerging findings from the HAMSM study. Our first paper examines the relationships between psychological connection to the gay community (PSOC) and developmental regulatory strategies associated with health behaviors and more positive self-appraisals. The second paper examines how PSOC is related to HIV risk reduction behaviors, and if there are differences in such behaviors based on HIV status. Our third paper considers how self-perceptions of aging (age discrepancy, aging satisfaction) are related to frailty and frailty transitions, and if these relationships differ by HIV status. The final paper examines the relationship of social support to frailty among MSM by HIV status. Implications of these findings for research, policy, and programs targeting MSM will be discussed.

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