News

ENP PhD trip to Belgium

article_published_on_label
February 25, 2014

10 PhD's from the Environmental Policy Group met with scientists, NGO's and policymakers to learn more about the science-policy interface in different institutions.

From 17- 19 February, 10 ENP PhDs headed to Belgium to explore the environmental science-policy interface with academic institutions, NGOs and European policymakers. First on the agenda was KU Leuven. On Tuesday, 18 February, ENP PhDs visited the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, meeting with fellow PhDs, professors and post docs for a series of presentations on how the different academic institutions within Leuven are organized and on Wageningen-Leuven interactions. This was followed by a World Café, where PhD students discussed their research informally with each other. Next on the agenda was Brussels. On Wednesday, 19 February, ENP PhDs headed to Brussels, accompanied by several colleagues from KU Leuven. First, they met with the WWF European Policy Office to learn about the process of European environmental policymaking and effective NGO lobbying strategies. This followed by visits to the European Parliament and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. For all of these different visits, the role of science and scientists in environmental decision-making was discussed. Want to know more? Check out the Environmental Policy Group facebook page, and stay tuned for the upcoming PhD Trip report.