Beyond EVE: Organisations

German Architecture Museum

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 14:18:53 +0200

DAM – national center for architectural debate DAM is not just one of the many museums in the City of Frankfurt, is it also the “German Architecture Museum”, with a national claim. Nowadays all our European neighbours have their own national centers that address the country’s building culture. DAM is today increasingly taking up the challenge this entails, and it is something Heinrich Klotz had in mind when he founded the museum, and not only with its exhibitions, but also with conventions, symposia, and lectures, is fostering the debate on current and future architectural and urban design issues. DAM also continues to focus on current topics relating to Frankfurt. The “Pecha Kucha Night”, a series of events based on the successful idea as realized in Tokyo, is regularly held at locations outside the DAM and provides a relaxed interdisciplinary platform for the young community inspired by architecture and design.

Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF)

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 12:52:20 +0100

The Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) is the center for digitalization research in Berlin. Since its opening on April 3, 2017, scientists have been conducting research in the core areas of

● Digital Infrastructure, Methods, and Algorithms

and in the innovation areas of

● Digital Health

● Digital Society

● Digital Industry and Services.

The ECDF is a project based on a large-scale public-private partnership (PPP) between more than 30 companies, organizations, all four Berlin universities, the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and more than ten research institutions from Berlin science.

The ECDF has a planned duration of six years. With 38.5 million euros in funding, the project aims to create more links in the field of digitization in Berlin, try out new forms of cooperation, concentrate on innovative interdisciplinary cutting-edge research and attract excellently trained young scientific talent. The ECDF was approved by the Einstein Foundation Berlin in September 2016 after an elaborate review.

Association of German Cities

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 14:20:01 +0100

The Association of German Cities is the voice of cities and the national local-authority association of cities which are not belonging to a county as well as of most cities and towns within counties. As a community of solidarity of cities it represents the idea of local self-government to Federal Government, Federal States (Bundesländer), European Union, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The work and services of the Association of German Cities are primarily geared to the needs and interests of the direct member cities and their citizens. 2030 Agenda: Building Sustainability at the Local Level The German Association of cities initiated for its members the resolution: "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Building Sustainability at the Local Level". Members Cities are invited to sign up a commitment for a sustainable agenda and initiate activities and measures for sustainability. This could be measures like awareness raising, new strategies in politics and administration, reductions of CO2 emissions or strengthening global partnerships.

Institut für Verkehrs- und Infrastruktursysteme IVI

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:55:18 +0100

The Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI employs over 100 researchers in three departments. The institute collaborates closely with the universities TU Dresden and TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The institute is operating in a wide array of transport-related research and development topics, ranging from the fields of electromobility, traffic planning and traffic ecology, traffic information, vehicle propulsion and sensor technologies, while also incorporating traffic telematics, the information and communication sectors, as well as disposition and logistics. Special attention for the Fraunhofer IVI has been raised by its electronic ticketing application, its mobile public transport navigation solution SMART-WAY, and its cross-border disaster protection system. Recently, it has especially been the 30,7 m long AutoTram® Extra Grand – the world’s longest bus – equipped with hybrid propulsion technology and an electronic multi-axle steering system that has been the focus of attention.

The Fraunhofer IVI’s facilities and large equipment include high-performance laboratories, innovative test platforms and vehicles as well as modern hardware and software. In 2013, the institute’s research infrastructure was expanded by a new technical center including a vehicle hall and an adjacent test track.

Agora Verkehrswende

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:54:44 +0100

In partnership with key players in the fields of politics, economics, science and civil society, Agora Verkehrswende will pave the way for the full decarbonisation of the transport sector by 2050. We are developing an extensive climate protection strategy and will support its successful implementation.

This climate protection strategy revolves around the transition of the entire transport system from fossil fuels to electricity and fuel generated by renewable energy. The transformation of the transport sector includes increasing the efficiency of the entire traffic system by avoiding unnecessary traffic, transitioning to environmentally friendly modes of transport and improving individual modes of transport. The environmentally friendly development of urban traffic is a key component of the necessary revolution.

The transformation of our transport system is a complex challenge facing all of society. It can only be done by the key societal players working together. Agora Verkehrswende provides the platform for this collaboration, develops processes and provides scientific information on scenarios and methods. Agora Verkehrswende focuses on the land-based transport of passengers and goods in Germany in a European context.

Hochschule RheinMain - IMPACT RheinMain

Hochschule RheinMain - IMPACT RheinMain — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:22:19 +0100

With its application IMPACT RheinMain, the Rhine-Main University of Applied Sciences has been selected for funding in the first round of the federal-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule". Among the recipients are 35 universities of applied sciences, a college of art and music, and twelve universities and colleges of education. The "Innovative University" federal-state initiative - a kind of excellence initiative for universities of applied sciences - is intended to support universities in their efforts to further distinguish themselves in the areas of transfer and innovation and to intensify their strategic role in the regional innovation system. The strategy for transferring scientific findings into practice is essentially based on the three profile-building research priorities of the Rhine-Main University of Applied Sciences: professionalism in social work, smart systems for people and technology and engineering 4.0 and their interfaces "Smart Energy", "Smart Home" and "Smart Mobility". The university pays particular attention to interdisciplinary cooperation between the individual disciplines. The aim of the IMPACT RheinMain project is to initiate and implement innovative projects from the fields with cooperation partners from industry and civil society.

Futurium

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:26:23 +0100

Futurium is a platform dedicated to Europeans discussing EU policies. Feel free to join any - or many of the groups of this platform. You can browse the groups without registering, but for leaving a comment or for liking you need to be a registered user. You can easily create an account here. You can post in any EU language; the community managers and other colleagues will do their best to respond in your language. The platform is initially developed for digital topics, but any topic relevant for European Union is welcome to be addressed here. The name “Futurium” refers to the times ahead us, as our policies impact the future. The more we engage, the more we have impact on our future.

Hinterher

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 15:34:16 +0100

Die Hinterher-Fahrradanhänger werden in München entwickelt und in unserer Montagehalle individuell für Sie zusammengestellt und montiert. Spezialisierte Partnerunternehmen im Umland von München stellen für uns die einzelnen Bauteile mit modernsten Fertigungsverfahren her. Einige ausgewählte Baugruppen wie z.B. die Laufräder lassen wir in Italien fertigen. Wenn Sie möchten, können Sie Ihren Hinterher auch persönlich bei uns abholen und die Montage Ihres Anhängers erleben. Bitte vereinbaren Sie dafür aber unbedingt vorher einen Termin mit uns.

Sustainable & Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 22:36:33 +0100

Regions are of critical importance to achieve the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda including the Sustainable Development Goals and the HABITAT III objectives. The traditional distinction between urban and rural is imprecise and obviously shapes conflicts hindering constructive approaches. Knowledge and policies can support sustainable and resilient urban-rural partnerships at various spatial levels for stronger regions. Innovative and comprehensive perspectives on common targets are needed together with strategies to put them into practice. It is important to understand the complexly structured continuum in-between the urban and the rural and unleash synergies by close interaction and mutual support. This perspective unfurls particular relevance concerning sustainable and resilient development pathways, including topics such as: 1 supporting equity in living conditions while accepting local particularities; 2 establishing multi-level, multi-actor and multi-sectoral regional governance approaches to mediate conflicting positions, trade-offs, dilemmas or paradoxes; 3 improving integrated land-use management, social and technological infrastructures and mobility services to enable proper living conditions and quality of life; 4 designing new sociotechnical approaches towards robust regional systems coping with climate change, extreme events, disruptive changes and uncertainties; 5 building the regional circular economy, enhancing resource efficiency based on a deeper understanding of the urban-rural metabolism; 6 exploiting digitalization strategies as catalyst and enabler of innovative development strategies irrespective of the location.

Sustainability Transformation Conference 2020

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 12:33:42 +0200

The German Environment Agency (UBA) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) invite you to attend a conference on “Sustainability Transformation Conference 2020: Socio-ecological transformation on the fast track – Covid-19 as catalyst of change?”.

The digital conference will focus on the transformation of the economy and society to shape a sustainable future. The event will be hosted by Svenja Schulze, German Minister of the Environment, and Dirk Messner, President of the German Environment Agency.

The agenda for the conference can be found here.

In light of the existing and expected restrictions on travel and group gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision was taken to hold the conference as a virtual event. Attendees can participate in the conference through a live stream on the homepage of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, and will have the opportunity to interact with speakers and other participants using voting tools and Q&A sessions (no installation needed). Links will be provided in the official invitation. There will be no registration and the conference will be held in English.

Battery Manufacturing Powers Up: Transatlantic Catch-Up and Cooperation

Information Technology & Innovation foundation ITIF — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 12:07:49 +0100

The global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating. Aggressive targets and outright bans on internal combustion vehicles have been announced recently in the United States and Europe. As this reality sinks in, a challenge arises: Asia, and especially China, dominates EV supply chains, particularly for batteries, the most crucial EV component. The response to this challenge has been fragmented at best on both sides of the Atlantic. The United States has largely left it to the states. The United Kingdom is scrambling to gain a foothold during Brexit. The European Union has adopted an ambitious plan, but questions remain about follow-through. Little attention has been given to transatlantic cooperation.

ITIF hosted a transatlantic discussion of EV battery policy and how cooperation and competition might best be balanced for this “industry of the future” that’s already here.

Speakers

David M. Hart

Senior Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Moderator

Rob Boyle

Senior Policy Analyst, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

Stephen Gifford

Chief Economist, Faraday Institution

Danny Kennedy

President, CalCharge

Ilka von Dalwigk

Policy Manager, EIT InnoEnnergy

The Code of Practice on disinformation

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 21:19:20 +0100

The role of platforms as gatekeepers of information and disinformation has become very important. During this CONNECT University session high-level speakers will discuss how successful was the implementation of the Code of Practice. The lecture will explore the issues of political ads transparency, scrutiny of ad placements, integrity of services, content ranking algorithms, access to data. Interactive talks will focus on how to ensure transparency of political activity on online platforms and how to arrange the access to platforms’ data for research purposes. Together with the representatives of online platforms, we will discuss approaches to secure the integrity of online services and the actions needed to empower platforms’ users. Moderator: Paolo Cesarini Head of Unit DG CONNECT I4 Media Convergence and Social Media Speakers: - Milan Zubicek, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Google - Ľuboš Kukliš Executive Director at Council for broadcasting and retransmission and Chair of European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services - Cornelia Kutterer, Senior Director, EU Government Affairs, AI, Privacy & Digital Policies, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft - Gianni Riotta, Dean of the Luiss School of Journalism in Rome

When Digital meets circular economy

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 20:49:10 +0100

The effects of climate change are estimated to intensify in the coming years as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions keep rising. If we could manage to make our economy circular then we could reduce GHG emissions by 56%. During the CONNECT University session on “When Digital meets Circular economy” Dr Janez Potočnik discussed not only the need to move to circular economy as a most efficient way to tackle climate change, but also how it is major prerequisite to also achieve many of the other environmental and social SDGs.

Agenda:

Moderator: Ilias Iakovidis, Adviser for Societal Challenges, DG CONNECT

10:00-10:10 Opening remarks by Gerard de Graaf, Director F. Digital Single Market, DG CONNECT

10:10-10:50 Presentation by Janez Potočnik, United Nations Environment Programme, Co-chair of International Resource Panel

10:50-11:25 Q/A session

11:25-11:30 Conclusions by Ilias Iakovidis, Adviser for Societal Challenges, DG CONNECT

Revisiting Collections

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 21:26:46 +0100

New strategies for communicating art and culture in a digitalized world will be the focus of the symposium "Revisiting Collections" on June 4 and 5 at the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF). At the two-day event, the significance of the digital for access to art and culture in all its facets and from a global perspective will be critically questioned. Thus, the structure and accessibility of digital collections are just as much a topic as, for example, the digital visualization possibilities of provenance chains. Performative aspects of the digital will also be examined. The symposium is interdisciplinary and international: invited are scholars, artists and experts from museums. Due to the limited number of places, participation on site is currently not possible.

Please stand back! User acceptance in automated vehicles

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 21:08:39 +0100

As part of the iKoPA project, Fraunhofer FOKUS is developing an interactive simulator for the virtual testing of automated driving and for the analysis of user acceptance. To this end, various driving scenarios were created in which students of the TU Berlin had to monitor the system behavior and intervene in difficult situations. The student with the best test drive result was awarded a prize.

In order for research and development of fully automated vehicles to continue in Germany, the acceptance of potential users of automated vehicles is crucial. As part of the iKoPA research initiative, a simulator for the virtual testing of automated driving is being developed with which users can experience various driving scenarios in a realistic car cockpit. As in a real automated vehicle, the steering wheel turns on its own in the simulator, while the user sees a virtual journey through a 3D world, projected onto a large screen. Various driving scenarios can be simulated, such as an undisturbed drive without other road users under ideal conditions. However, it is also possible to simulate complex traffic situations in which user intervention is necessary to prevent a collision with sudden obstacles. In addition, system errors such as unexpected rapid increases in speed, close driving due to sensor inaccuracies or hacker attacks can also be simulated.

The Civic City in a Digitized World

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 21:13:29 +0100

The world is turning to its darker face, apprehension is in the air, the Zeitgeist is one of rising anxiety as our social and our tribal selves increasingly clash as we become overwhelmed by the speed of change. Where do we belong when everything is on the move and the ‘real’ and the virtual blend ever more. How can we combine our desire for anchorage, belonging and stability, with our wish for connections and networks across the globe. How do cities create an atmosphere of opportunity, potential and a ‘can do’ attitude and can they offer us possibilities to grow and be inspired. Charles Landry is an UK-based urban scientist, author and internationally acknowledged advisor and speaker on future urban development. In the end of the 1980s he developed the concep of the Creative City; his most famous book “The Creative City: A toolkit for Urban Innovators” was published in 2000. “The Digitized City” (2016) and “The Civic City in a Nomadic World” (2018) are two of his most recent publications.

Taking stock of G20 sectoral ambition on decarbonising transport

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 13:38:11 +0100

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and Agora Verkehrswende jointly organize the webinar “Taking stock of G20 sectoral ambition on decarbonising transport”. This webinar presents the main conclusions of the report “Towards Decarbonising Transport – Taking Stock of G20 Sectoral Ambition” that has been released at COP23. Furthermore, the webinar participants are asked to feed their views into the 2nd edition to be released by GIZ and Agora Verkehrswende at COP24.

Background:

The transport sector consumes more than half of global oil demand and accounts for almost one quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the sector’s emissions are on the rise, with some forecasts predicting emissions to grow 60% by 2050. Such projected increases pose a major challenge to climate policy. They underscore that significant progress in reducing CO2 emissions in transport is essential for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In order to spotlight the crucial importance of the transport sector for climate policy, GIZ and Agora Verkehrswende have jointly compiled the report “Towards Decarbonising Transport – Taking Stock of G20 Sectoral Ambition”. The report summarises the mitigation policies enacted for the transport sector by G20 countries, and illuminates where more action is needed. Ultimately, the report aims to serve as a valuable tool for the climate community to gain a better understanding of the overall status of CO2 mitigation policies in the transport sector.