In April 2023 and May 2024, GreenDeal-NET embarked on a journey with our call for applications for Short-Term Research Visits at one of our partner or associate member institutes. The response was astounding, with hundreds of applications flooding in.
Here, you will find firsthand accounts from those who participated in these visits, sharing their insights and experiences at their host institution.
In June 2025, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks as a visiting researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel through the short-term Green Deal-NET visits. The stay allowed me to connect with fellow researchers from the Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy and to explore future directions for my research in discussions with Prof. Sebastian Oberthür. I was also privileged to attend the Green Deal-NET Final Conference and witness the network’s significant contributions to the environmental and climate fields, as well as its role in strengthening ties between researchers and practitioners. Beyond the academic experience, it was a pleasure to return to Brussels - a city that was home for three years during my studies and work - and to reconnect with people and places that still feel so familiar.
I am deeply grateful to the GreenDeal-NET for the opportunity to undertake a research visit at King’s College London in 2024. As a PhD candidate in Environment and Politics at the University of York (UK), my research examines the geopolitics of energy transition, exploring how radical policy change emerges through the Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Agenda-Setting. During my fellowship, I focused on the governance challenges of the EU Green Deal, particularly its financing mechanisms. This experience allowed me to participate in seminars at King’s and LSE, where I engaged in rich academic discussions that improved my research skills and offered fresh perspectives on EU climate and sustainability policy. This research visit has been a transformative and truly inspiring chapter in my academic journey.
In February 2025, I had the privilege of joining CIES-Iscte in Lisbon through the short-term GreenDeal NET Research Visits. From the moment I arrived, I was warmly welcomed and immediately felt at ease in the modern, well-equipped campus environment. My time at CIES-Iscte was enriched by engaging in discussions that extended beyond the topic of environmental activism, sparking new ideas and broadening my perspective. The visit provided an excellent opportunity to focus on my research. Additionally, I had the chance to discover the unique beauty of Lisbon in winter, making this experience both professionally rewarding and personally enriching.
In October 2024 I got to spent four weeks as a visiting researcher at Lund University thanks to the GreenDeal-NET short-term research visit programme. Next to learning about the research done at the University, I had the chance to present, discuss and advance my research on policy frameworks for industrial decarbonisation and gain new perspectives on my work. It was very enriching to get to know the colleagues and a great chance to build lasting connections. Beyond that, it was great to discover Lund and its surroundings and enjoy a beautiful Swedish fall.
I had the wonderful opportunity to spend three weeks with Dr. Elin Boasson and Department of Political Science at the University of Oslo as part of the GreenDeal-NET short-term visits. Dr. Boasson's expertise on comparative case study methodologies was immensely helpful in shaping my research.
I felt very welcomed in Oslo by all the brilliant researchers who shared their work on climate policy and energy transitions. It was great to learn about everyone's perspectives on climate and energy policy across different disciplines. During my stay, I presented my case studies on justice and carbon pricing instruments at the Fridtjof Nansens Institutt and CICERO. The feedback and insights from experts in the field have been helpful in shaping my own research and I'm happy to say I left Oslo with a much more refined research design for two future publications.
And of course, a visit to Oslo would not be complete without a boat tour of the fjords, a trip to the sauna, and an exploration of the hiking trails outside the city. I will definitely miss the beautiful views!
My research stay at NTNU in Trondheim, hosted by the EUSEAS group, was an inspiring and productive experience. The interdisciplinary expertise and warm support of the team enriched my work on civil liability and compensation for shipping incidents involving alternative fuels. I had the chance to present my research twice to different research departments, and learned interesting perspectives from different research fields. The stay meaningfully contributed to both the depth and direction of my PhD. A special thanks goes out to my host professor Carine Germond and her colleagues for the warm welcome and insightful feedback. Staying in Norway in May was a true delight!
In September 2023 I got to spend two weeks as a visiting researcher at Dublin City University through the short-term GreenDeal-NET visits. The visit provided me with a chance to discuss my comparative research on just transition with academics, public officials, and civil society. I gained valuable new perspectives from colleagues working on similar topics and got a better understanding of the ongoing Irish debates on just transition. In addition to the value for my research, I got to know wonderful new people and very much enjoyed exploring Dublin and its surroundings.
I had the absolute pleasure of spending September at the Università di Trento as part of GreenDeal-NET's short-term research visit programme. During my research visit, I had the opportunity to network and learn from academics and other doctoral researchers across different disciplines, receive mentorship on my research, deliver a guest seminar on just transition, and attend a conference.
Special thanks to Louisa Parks for all the work she put into organising this research visit, and Marco Nicolò for all his help and support during my time in Trento!
I am a 4th-year PhD in Laws candidate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a research interest in corporate sustainability reporting regulation. I was awarded the GreenDeal-NET Short-Term Research Visit to conduct research at the Department of Law of Aarhus University. The campus featured with yellow-brick buildings and oak trees is glamorous! During the visit, I investigated the development of sustainable finance in the EU, rationales of formulating tougher reporting rules, and primary EU laws regulating sustainable finance disclosure. I joined the weekly gathering of the EU and international law group, meeting other colleagues who work on climate and environmental law.
I am very grateful to Professor Ole Pedersen and Professor Kateřina Mitkidis for their precious support and advice on my research work. Also great thanks to my buddies Pierrick BRUYAS, Ebru Demir, Elena Cirkovic, Søren Fur Boje, Søren Arvig Verdoner, and Jesper Kjeldgaard for their kind sharing! This experience has substantially enriched my knowledge about how financial laws can be designed to facilitate the green transition.
In October, I completed my 3-week research stay at Open University of the Netherlands, as part of the GreenDeal-NET short-term research programme. During my time at the Open Universiteit, I had the opportunity to connect with fellow researchers in environmental sciences, in a very nature-based environment. I presented my work and received valuable feedback. Additionally, I used the opportunity to conduct interviews in both Heerlen and Maastricht, focusing on their nature-based solutions' (NBS) partnership strategies - what do their partnerships for NBS look like, how do they function, and with what results?
I'm feeling mixed emotions as my (almost) one-month GreenDeal-NET research visit at Maastricht University Faculty of Law ended. While I'm sad to see it end, I am genuinely delighted and grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of this enriching experience. It was a fantastic opportunity to work alongside the brilliant Professor Marjan Peeters and delve into the fascinating world of the Emissions Trading System and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and its implications for Georgia. The University of Maastricht offers an ideal working environment with a supportive staff. I met truly wonderful individuals during my fellowship, and the connections I made will potentially last a lifetime.
Initiatives like this are crucial as they promote more equal and inclusive scientific communities, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.
My stay at Heidelberg University with Prof. Dr. Jale Tosun and her team has been both insightful and inspiring.
The research visit gave me a unique opportunity to discuss my ongoing research with Prof. Tosun and her team, and to gain valuable feedback from them. I also presented my first paper to a group of Prof. Tosun’s master students who are studying the European Green Deal.
Prof. Tosun’s team are conducting research on very similar topics as me and everyone has been incredibly welcoming and supportive. It has been such fun and I felt part of the team and the network.
Additionally, these three weeks allowed me to broaden my network, meeting scholars for a cup of coffee and chatting about ongoing research on topics such as climate politics in Latin America and greenhouse gas emissions data at the local level. Hearing about the research being conducted at Heidelberg University gave me inspiration for my own PhD project.
Heidelberg is a beautiful city. I was lucky to visit while there was snow. Seeing the snowy castle on a quiet sunny morning and trail running in the hills surrounding Heidelberg were some of the highlights of my weekends.
I spent the four weeks of February 2024 at VUB Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, Brussels School of Governance as part of Green Deal-NET short-term research visit programme.
In addition to exploring the hidden beauties of Brussels city during my stay, the fellowship was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet like-minded people having similar research interests with diverse expertise and backgrounds. I enjoyed very much the Centre's open environment where we could discuss various green topics together, from polar bears, earth system governance, EU climate policymaking, and just transition to Eurocentrism.
The discussion and conversation with Sebastian Oberthür and his whole team enabled me to view my current projects from different disciplinary angles, which encouraged me to further sophisticate my comparativist perspectives on Europe’s and East Asia’s climate governance development.
My experience with the GreenDeal-NET Short-Term Research Visit at the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy, Technical University of Munich, immensely enriched and impacted my academic journey and research pursuits. Collaborating with scholars like Professor Miranda Schreurs and Dr. Stefan Ćetković provided me with a stimulating academic exchange and growth environment. During my stay, I presented my research on carbon capture and storage, shedding light on its growing significance in climate change mitigation strategies. Engaging with peers and mentors at the school broadened my perspective on the intersection of policy and technology in addressing climate challenges.
This experience not only enhanced my academic knowledge but also facilitated valuable professional networking opportunities and personal growth. The forthcoming publication of my article, "From Niche to Necessity: The Growing Role of Carbon Capture and Storage in Climate Change Mitigation," is a testament to the insights gained during my fellowship.
