Ζητήματα Αειφόρου Ανάπτυξης, Κλιματικής Αλλαγής και Βιοποικιλότητας

• the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• the UN Agenda 2030 · European Green Deal
• The EU Taxonomy
• The National energy and Climate Plan
• The Fit for 55
• Climate Delegate Act
• RePower EU

• ERASMUS+ | TICHE Academy: Training Innovation for Circularity and Holistic economies
• EIT Climate-KIC | CE Beacons: Western Balkan Circular and Climate Innovation Beacons
• EIT Climate-KIC | Circular Learning Hub (CL-hub
• EIT Climate-KIC | Circular Economy Transition (CE) in Smart Specialization Strategy (S3)

• SIM4NEXUS| Horizon 2020
• NEXOGENESIS | Horizon 2020
• NEXUSNET | COST Action
• ARSINOE | Horizon 2020 & UKRI
• BIONEXT | Horizon 2020 & UKRI

• ARSINOE - HORIZON 2020
• Global Climate Hub - Climate and Energy Modeling Unit

The lecture’s core topic is “From a green idea to a sustainable business” and will focus on providing the participants with the basic knowledge and skills needed to start exploring the potential of such an idea, by identifying their first potential market and customers.

This module has been based on the “EIT Climate-KIC’s Climatelaunchpad” and “MIT’s 24 Steps to a Successful Startup” methodologies. At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Articulate what their business idea is all about
• Perform market segmentation
• Identify their Beachhead Market
• Identify their customer’s needs
• Articulate their competitive advantage

Define their:

• Total Addressable Market (TAM)
• Cost of Customer Acquisition (COCA)
• Customer’s Life Time Value (LTV)
• Understand the need to test their business assumption
• Define the next steps they need to take

Lectures and relevant videos of start-up pitches will be employed, but most importantly the participants will get to work on their own and with their peers. Participants will be split into teams to work on their ideas and come up with innovative business ideas. Discussions will be instigated in the class to let participants introduce their own perceptions on the motives and limitations involving the implementation of the discussed tools and methods and suggest solutions to overcome impediments.

A connection with major AE4RIA projects on innovation incubation and acceleration will be given:

• Horizon 2020 | BRIGAID: Bridges the Gap for Innovations in Disaster resilience
• Erasmus + | CATALYST: European VET Excellence Centre for Leading Sustainable Systems and Business Transformation
• Horizon 2020 | ARSINOE: Climate Resilient Regions Through Systemic Solutions and Innovations
• Horizon 2020 | IMPETUS: Dynamic Information Management Approach For The Implementation Of Climate Resilient Adaptation Packages In European Region

• COASTAL - Collaborative Land-Sea Integration Platform HORIZON 2020
• ΜΑΙΑ+ Maximizing impact and accessibility of European climate research Horizon Europe Updated related Projects, CARMINE, ARSINOE, DOORS, COASTAL, DAFNE

This course aims to provide an understanding of transportation systems and infrastructure at a national, European, and international context through outlining transport strategies, policies, technologies, applications, and smarter choices for increasing sustainability.

Methods and approaches for analyzing sustainable transport interchanges, which facilitate intermodal transport, are presented, such as safety analysis and strategic environmental assessment. The course provides knowledge on planning and operations of sustainable transport systems and their analysis and evaluation through various measures of performance. The course is supplemented by a series of case studies to demonstrate the design of medium-to-large-scale transport infrastructure in the European Union

In addition, the course presents essential transportation approaches that are used at EU level and the importance of forecasting towards estimating transport impacts and successfully delivering transport plans. The components which affect traveling and transportation system performance are identified. The sustainability principles addressed by the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans (SULPs) are discussed and explained.

The last module of the course focuses on enabling trainees to understand the basic decision-making methodologies by exploring different characteristics and features of each one and demonstrate how these can be applied in real life problems. Towards this direction, two ready-to-be-implemented tools enabling stakeholders to make the right decision are presented: a) a measure generator tool for sustainable urban mobility and b) a multi-stakeholder multi-criteria decision-making tool, developed for the assessment of alternative urban passenger and freight transport measures, respectively.

The MENA Maritime Accelerator Horizon 2020 | BRIDGE-BS: Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-Develop Blue Growth within Resilient Ecosystems Horizon 2020 | DOORS: Developing an Optimal and Open Research Support system to unlock the potential for blue growth in the Black Sea (BS) EIT Climate-KIC | Deep Demonstrations for Zero-Net Emissions in Maritime Hubs: Port of Piraeus Horizon 2020 | COASTAL: Collaborative Land-Sea Integration Platform

• Horizon 2020 | OpenAIRE – CONNECTing scientific results in support of Open Science
• Horizon 2020 | IntelComp: A Competitive Intelligence Cloud/HPC Platform for AI-based STI Policy Making

This lecture introduces climate change as a systemic challenge that links economic growth, environmental degradation, and food security. It explains why food and land-use systems are central to climate action, given their strong contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and water stress. The lecture emphasizes the need to move beyond isolated policies and instead use environmental modelling to understand trade-offs, synergies, and long-term impacts across sectors.

across sectors. A key focus is on Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), which combine insights from climate science, economics, and energy and land-use systems to support evidence-based policymaking. Within this context, the lecture presents the FABLE (Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-Use, and Energy) framework as a practical tool for translating global sustainability targets—such as the SDGs and the Paris Agreement—into coherent national pathways.

At the core of this approach is the FABLE calculator, an accounting-based modelling tool that explores how different choices in agricultural productivity, diets, trade, land protection, and food waste affect emissions, land use, and food security up to 2050. Through scenario analysis, the lecture shows how shifts toward sustainable agri-food systems—particularly healthier and less land-intensive diets like the Mediterranean diet—can deliver a “double dividend” for climate mitigation and human well-being. Overall, the lecture highlights modelling as a bridge between data, policy, and sustainable food system transformation.

The valuation of Ecosystem Services is an important methodology aimed at achieving environmental, economic and sustainability goals. Assigning monetary values to environmental assets allows for the evaluation of policies towards sustainability and provides policymakers with the necessary analytical tools. This section outlines the main valuation techniques and provides a critical assessment of economic valuation and cost-benefit analysis germane to sustainability projects. Participants will be able to identify use and non-use values through the implementation of up-to-date empirical techniques with the use of practical examples from the work of the AE4RIA network.

Climate change, environmental degradation, and progress in the field of SDG requires a financial industry which is more resilient and transformed in the face of excess risks associated with financing sustainability-driven projects. Increased uncertainty and externalities inherent in delivering SDGs warrant a transformation of the international financial system and an elevated role of multilateral development banks. This section presents the main challenges facing the global financial system in the quest of funding structural transformations towards sustainable pathways. Participants will familiarize with novel financial instruments and the material role of ESG and sustainability record for firm financial performance.

• UN SDSN - Sustainable Finance, SDGs, and the European Green Deal
• Environmental Impact Study Rizari Park
• World Bank Consultancy Projects

• Demystifying AI/ML: Separating hype from practical applications
• Supervised learning for predictive analytics (building energy forecasting)
• Unsupervised learning for pattern discovery (efficiency clusters)
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) for sustainability reporting (lightweight text processing)
• Conceptual introduction to Transformer models (discussed as advanced future techniques)

Participants will learn the "AI Assistant Method" - a novel approach leveraging Large Language Models as technical assistants. Using Google Colab (free cloud computing), participants complete their first hands-on analysis of building energy consumption patterns from real-world data, without requiring any programming experience.

• K-means clustering for building retrofit prioritization
• Detecting bias and equity gaps in environmental monitoring
• EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) requirements
• GDPR implications for environmental data
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and AI
• Algorithmic bias and fairness in sustainability applications
• Environmental justice and power dynamics in technology deployment

• Text analysis for extracting sustainability commitments (using regex and keyword counting)
• Predictive modeling for renewable energy planning
• Quick analytical techniques using AI assistants (scenario analysis, multi-criteria decision making)
• Five-phase implementation framework: Problem Identification > Start Small > Prototype > Evaluate > Scale Strategically
• Communicating with technical teams: vocabulary, requirements, and stakeholder management
• When to use AI vs. traditional approaches
• Developing organizational AI adoption roadmaps

Participants develop personal action plans for continued learning and application. The session integrates with Climate and Energy Modeling (Session 6), ESG reporting (Session 2), and Sustainable Finance (Session 14) by providing practical digital tools that complement the program's policy and strategic frameworks. All exercises use lightweight, CPU-friendly methods selected to run quickly on free Google Colab.

How is sustainability perceived by citizens and communities? By what means are Sustainability discourses populated and circulated across society? In this module we will delve into a new methodological toolkit embracing Discourse Analysis (of Essex School of Governance) and qualitative Foresight, applying it to numerous relevant case studies.

Epistemologically, plausibility modes of addressing (un)sustainable futures, will be thematized, aligned with explanatory mechanism of retroduction, as complementary to induction in qualitative sustainability research.

Cases such as climate adaptation policies, green ideologies, financial crises and the banking system, degrowth, public services provisioning, distribution and governance, even emotional responses such as the currently coined ‘flight shaming’, a shifting attitude towards aviation expansion discourses.

This session bridges the conceptual world of impact investing with the practical realities of capital allocation, offering participants a practitioner's-eye view of how sustainable ventures attract, secure, and manage investment.

Starting from the current landscape of impact capital in Europe and Greece, the session traces the full investment journey: from how impact investors source and screen opportunities, to what makes a venture genuinely fundable, to the dynamics of due diligence, term negotiation, and long-term investor relationship management. Particular attention is given to the readiness gap that most SMEs and early-stage ventures face: the distance between having an impact mission and being able to communicate it in the language of capital.

Through real-world case studies drawn from microfinance, circular economy ventures, and the broader European impact ecosystem, participants will develop a working understanding of what investors are actually looking for and what founders and managers must do to meet them there. The session combines structured input with interactive exercises, including an investor readiness self-assessment and a live pitch feedback round, equipping participants with immediately applicable tools for navigating the impact capital landscape.

As the global demand for consumable products continues to grow, increased scrutiny of the industry's environmental and social impact follows. As a result, sustainability certifications have emerged as a valuable tool to assess and exhibit the sustainability performance of production and supply chains. These certification schemes provide assurance to consumers and stakeholders that the products they purchase have been produced in a responsible and sustainable manner.

In this lecture, various sustainability certification schemes applicable to consumable products will be discussed. Sustainability certifications serve to address the environmental and social challenges associated with supply chain and production. They encompass a range of criteria that assess various aspects of sustainability, including environmental management, animal welfare, chemical management, social responsibility, traceability et.al. By adhering to these certification standards, manufacturers and suppliers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices and transparency throughout the supply chain.

Ecolabeling is an integral part of Green Marketing, as it enables companies to communicate their environmental responsibility in a credible and transparent way. Green Marketing refers to the strategic promotion of products and services based on their environmental benefits, sustainable production processes, and reduced ecological footprint. It is not limited to advertising but also reflects a company’s broader environmental identity and commitment to sustainability. By adopting ecolabels and environmentally responsible practices, companies demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations, reduce the risk of penalties, and actively contribute to environmental protection. At the same time, Green Marketing creates significant business value. Environmentally conscious consumers, particularly in global and Western markets, increasingly prefer products that align with their values, including reduced chemical use, ethical sourcing, and environmentally friendly production. This shift in consumer behaviour enables companies to increase profitability, strengthen their corporate image, and build long-term customer loyalty. Furthermore, Green Marketing provides a strong competitive advantage by differentiating products from conventional alternatives and fostering innovation in sustainable design, materials, and processes. As a result, it enhances brand reputation, supports market positioning, and contributes to both environmental sustainability and long-term business success.

The lecture will focus on Ecolabeling and Green Marketing in the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear (TCLF) sector as an exemplary case of a vast sector with immense environmental and social impact at local, regional and international levels. Trainees who wish to emphasise further on these concepts as well as other topics related to the sustainable transformation of businesses and systems, can follow one or more of the 70 upskilling and reskilling courses offered by the CATALYST CoVE, such as “Green Marketing” and “Slow Fashion: Eco-Design and Circular Design in TCLF Industries”.