Innovation emerges where strong collaborations, extensive synergies and creative research networks are fostered. NEXUSNET action builds on scientific cooperation and robust research ties towards advancing excellence, interdisciplinary research, and young researchers’/innovators’ empowerment.

Innovation emerges where strong collaborations, extensive synergies and creative research networks are fostered. NEXUSNET action builds on scientific cooperation and robust research ties towards advancing excellence, interdisciplinary research, and young researchers’/innovators’ empowerment.

COST Action CA20138

Network on water-energy-food nexus for a low-carbon economy in Europe and beyond – NEXUSNET

NEXUSNET is an international network of researchers collaborating with universities, research institutions, policymakers and the business sector to better understand how the water-energy-food Nexus fosters policy coherence and biophysical interactions in the domains of water, energy and food, supporting the transition towards a circular and low-carbon economy in Europe. The network focuses on job creation, enhancing wellbeing, establishing broad synergies and care for the environment. The Nexus concept is tested at different scales (i.e. local, regional, national, European), while the international dimension is explored through the involvement of international proposers. More Nexus-compliant practices are foreseen through a knowledge/research sharing hub at European level and beyond. Public-private initiatives pave the path for Nexus compliant practices, building on network members’ advice. NEXUSNET will deliver examples of nexus compliant policies, decision making, and recommendations to best achieve them, to come-up with an overview of Good Nexus Practices in Europe (policy coherence, Nexus-compliant practices and more coherent nexus evaluations). Trans-disciplinary approaches are adopted to test Nexus compliant practices with the involvement of relevant stakeholders, while interaction and engagement with current and finished Nexus-related projects will be pursued. Academic Nexus knowledge will be translated into practical and applicable knowledge for the private sector or policy makers. A series of intense knowledge transfer and dissemination actions are planned to ensure that the network will have a significant impact in Europe and beyond.

Activities and Grants

Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)

STMTs are funded as part of the COST Action CA20138 NETWORK ON WATER-ENERGY-FOOD NEXUS FOR A LOW-CARBON ECONOMY IN EUROPE AND BEYOND (NEXUSNET). STSMs allow scientists to conduct short research and study visits up to six months to a research institution or laboratory in another COST Country in order to strengthen the existing networks and to foster collaboration, to learn a new technique or to use equipment, data and/or methods not available in their own institution and to contribute to the scientific objectives of the Action.

Training Schools

Training schools are intensive coaching opportunities for Action participants that last for up to 15 days. Training is organized by each COST Action on a topic of their choice and held on the premises of a participating institution or organization. Young researchers in particular typically benefit from the training school initiative; however study opportunities can also be offered more widely within the Action and can be useful for participants wishing to learn new skills or retrain.

Meetings, workshops and conferences

Meetings are organized by COST Action Management Committees (MC) in any COST Member State joining the network. They can be of different types, such as MC meetings, working group meetings, workshops and conferences. They may be open to the wider community and provide opportunities to enhance the COST Action’s visibility. COST will contribute to the travel and subsistence costs of the invited participants, and to the cost of organizing the meeting.

Conference grants

These grants are aimed at young researchers and PhD students from Inclusive Target Countries (ITC) and help individuals attend beneficial international conferences that are not organized by COST Actions.

Communication and Dissemination

The sharing of scientific results is vitally important in strengthening science and research. Due to the value and impact communication and dissemination activities can have on the wider research community, COST actively encourages and supports Actions to share outcomes with researchers, policymakers, the private sector and civic society such as NGOs.

Virtual Networking Tools

COST has developed two new types of Grants to respond to the rising need of digital tools in the context of the pandemic and to ensure continuity of COST Actions’ work activities: a) Virtual Networking Support (VNS) Grant to stimulate virtual collaboration among all the members of a given Action by designating a Virtual Networking Support Manager. The successful applicant will be selected by the COST Action Management Committee (MC) to promote the virtual collaboration, such as developing a virtual networking strategy for the Action, taking overall responsibility for Virtual Mobility Grants and supporting the MC in the discussions and planning of virtual events and collaboration activities, b) Virtual Mobility (VM) Grants to strengthen the existing networks by allowing individual participants to foster collaboration, to exchange knowledge, to learn new techniques, etc. The successful applicants will be selected by the MC to perform activities that do not necessarily require in-person presence. These activities may include surveys, questionnaires or preparation of protocols, virtual mentoring of activities that can generate capacity, build new skills, etc.

News and events

1st Training School on Nature and People in the Nexus

News, Open calls, training

We are happy to announce the 1st Call for applications to join the training schools, organized and funded by the COST Action CA20138 "Network on water-energy-food nexus for a low-carbon economy in Europe and beyond - NEXUSNET". This year's school focuses on "Nature and People in Nexus" and will take place at the premises ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal, 22-26 May 2023.

2nd Call for Inclusive Target Countries Conference Grants and Dissemination Conference Grants

News

We are happy to announce the 2nd Call for applications for Inclusive Target Countries (ITC) Conference Grants and Dissemination Conference Grants (DCG) funded by our Action.

3rd Call for Short Term Scientific Missions and Virtual Mobility Grants

News

We are happy to announce the 3rd Call for applications for Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) and Virtual Mobility Grants (VMG) funded by our Action.

COST Action CA21104 – Call for applications for training school

News

This is the 1st Call for applications for Training School (TS) on Sustainable Hydropower funded by the COST Action CA21104 “Pan-European Network for Sustainable Hydropower – PEN@Hydropower”.

The Nexus in Education and Career Development

2022

Nexus research for improved policy support: water scarcity in Europe

News

Presentations of the webinar “Nexus research for improved policy support: water scarcity in Europe” that took place on 31 January 2023

2022

BIONEXT website has been already launched

News

BIONEXT website has been already launched. BIONEXT is a four-year project. During the four years we demonstrate the reasons for biodiversity loss and make visible the interdependences between biodiversity, water, food, energy, transport, climate, and health.

2022

Nexus research for improved policy support: water scarcity in Europe.

News

Nexus Project Cluster and COST Action NEXUSNET facilitated by UNU-FLORES organize a webinar on ‘Nexus research for improved policy support: water scarcity in Europe’ which will be held on 31 January 2023 (14-16:45 CET). The Webinar aims to create a platform to share advancements from nexus research and support the ongoing policy process.

2023

The sixth NEXUSNET blog “Potential and applications of the WEFE Nexus in the Western Balkans” is now published.

News

Τhe sixth NEXUSNET blog "Potential and applications of the WEFE Nexus in the Western Balkans" is now published by Amaryllis Zachariadou, MA in Arts and Cultural Manager, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.

2023

EGU General Assembly 2023 – Session HS5.10 “From research to practice: creating impact by managing the WEFE nexus and pursuing climate resilience”

News

This is a friendly reminder of the Water Resources Policy and Management sessions organised at the next year's EGU GENERAL ASSEMBLY (23-28 April 2022). You are invited to submit abstracts to our session “From research to practice: creating impact by managing the WEFE nexus and pursuing climate resilience”