Europe is navigating a period of intensifying global competition, geopolitical
uncertainty and growing environmental pressures. Climate change,
biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and pollution are no longer solely
environmental concerns; they pose systemic risks to economic stability,
supply chains, security and long-term prosperity. Environmental research
and innovation are essential to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness,
resilience, strategic autonomy and preparedness.
We are pleased to invite you to this in-person event, which will be held at
Norway House in Brussels on 10 November 2026, from 15:00 to 18:00 CET.
At this PEERspectives event, we will showcase and reflect on the strategic
contribution of environmental research to Europe’s key policy priorities.
The programme will feature high-level perspectives, practical examples of
research impact and a forward-looking discussion on the future of European
environmental research. It will be followed by a networking reception
celebrating PEER’s 25th anniversary.
This event is free of charge but registration is mandatory due to the limited number of seats. Please register before 27 October with this link.
Programme
The programme will be updated with additional speakers closer to the event.
- Welcome and opening remarks
Pål Molander, PEER Chair, Chief Executive Officer, The Norwegian Institute for Water
Research (NIVA) - Environmental research as a foundation for European competitiveness, resilience and
security and PEER project cases
Project cases presented by PEER researchers with comments from Kurt Vandenberghe,
Director-General, Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission and
Joachim Maes, Team Leader for the Sustainable Freshwater Unit, Directorate-General
for Environment, European Commission - Strategic reflections: What’s next for European environmental research?
With comments from James Morrison, Director, European Commission, Directorate-
General for Research and Innovation, Directorate ‘Healthy Planet’ - Closing remarks
Katrin Böhning-Gaese, Vice-President of the Helmholtz Association
This year, PEER celebrates 25 years of close collaboration among eight of Europe’s leading environmental research centres. We are delighted to invite you to join us in commemorating this milestone at a reception from 16:45 to 18:00.