Symposium Transitions and Behaviour 2024

As a society, we face a large number of challenges. For instance, in the areas of mobility, climate change, healthcare and sustainable energy. To be able to accelerate transitions, knowledge about behaviour and how we can use this knowledge in the various transitions is needed. Worldwide, there is increasing attention to the role of behaviour and behavioural change in promoting transitions and/or solving societal challenges. The newspapers are full of it and academics as well as politicians and policymakers seem to agree that our behaviours and choices deserve more attention if we want to bring about serious change.

Research is often cited as the solution to transition challenges. Where does this attention to behaviour in relation to transitions come from? And what does research give us? In other words: What insights do transition and behavioural sciences bring to the surface, and what action perspectives does this give us? What are the tools that can shape the desired transitions?

During this symposium, we will discuss the interaction between behavioural and transition sciences in several parallel sessions with project stakeholders and experts. Although the twelve ongoing projects within the Transitions and Behaviour programme will be the starting point, cross-fertilisation and cross-domain questions will take centre stage. Among other things, the sessions will focus on the role of intermediaries in transition processes and linking opportunities, how tools can support transition processes, but also on the question of who we train in these kinds of interdisciplinary research projects. Where do these experts end up?

Programme and signing up

You can find the programme and application form on the NWO website.