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

2nd NexusNet Training School – Climate Resilient Management in WEFE Sectors, June, Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

Events, News, training

This enlightening exploration of Climate Resilient Management within the Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems (WEFE) sectors was hosted by the Scientific Institute for Leadership and Action (SILA) and organized by Vladimir Kitanovski at Lake Ohrid.

“Nexus Regional Forum of Stakeholders & Practitioners – From nexus thinking to nexus implementation in South Europe and beyond – Mutual learning between practitioners and policy makers” on the 27th – 29th September 2023 in Split, Croatia!

Events, News

The NexusNet Regional Forum focused on practitioners in the WEFE nexus, bringing together the community to discuss implementation challenges and opportunities, to exchange experiences and to support mutual learning between practitioners and policy makers. Despite significant research in Europe, practical application remains difficult, and the Forum seeked to address this gap.

Workshop: Nexus Implementation: Potential and Opportunities

Calls, News, Open calls

This workshop advances technical and policy-oriented research skills related to Nexus topics. Participants will gain valuable insights and practical guidelines for effectively integrating Nexus approaches into their case studies, strengthening their research's impact and rigour.

BIONEXT and Transformative change seminar – Thursday 12th September 2024

Calls, News

Join the Transformative Change Seminars, a webinar series by 7 Horizon Europe projects (part of the Transformative Change cluster of projects) working on transformative change for biodiversity conservation, aiming to foster collaborative learning, enhance synergies on concepts and methodologies, co-create adaptive solutions and tools and showcase shared experiences.

Analyzing productive interactions to explain societal impacts in transdisciplinary research

Blogs, News

The nexus approach as a transdisciplinary approach has emerged as a response to sustainable challenges in various sectors such as water, energy, food, climate, etc.

Boosting Grant Transparency and Impact: Insights from NexusNet’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Blogs, News

The monitoring and evaluation framework for grant-making and empowerment activities under NexusNet aims to assess the distribution and impact of grants awarded in 2022 and 2023.

NexusNet Regional Stakeholders Forum on Resource Recovery and Reuse on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus for a Low-Carbon Economy, held in Rabat, Malta on 14th of May.

Events, News

Τhe event was organized by NexusNet Cost Action and hosted by EWA, Water and Energy Agency, Government of Malta.

SustainFood Collaborative Learning School, Chesapeake Bay, Watershed

Blogs, News

The 2024 SustainFood Collaborative Learning School (CLS), organized by the SustainFood Network, Penn State College (PSU), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and Michigan State College in the United States of America, brought together early career researchers (ECRs) from five continents, 18 countries, and diverse research interests to learn, share knowledge, and develop best practices around Nexus.

New article published by BIONEXT project

News, News / Blogs

What causes #biodiversityloss? How does biodiversity impact climate, food, water, energy, transportation, and health – and how do these factors affect biodiversity? What solutions do we have to stop biodiversity loss?