CARISMA side-event at the UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference

Global R&D cooperation in climate mitigation technology: opportunities and challenges

Research and development (R&D) is increasingly taking place at a global scale across a geographically dispersed set of interlinked units and activities. This globalization of R&D not only involves R&D collaboration across OECD countries but increasingly between universities and private companies in large emerging economies, such as China, India and Brazil as well as in other countries. This side event will explore the implications of the emergence of emerging economies as new players in global R&D for the development and diffusion of climate technologies on a global scale, and how these developments may affect the discussions in UNFCCC institutions on R&D cooperation.

The side event will present key findings from researchers involved in the CARISMA project (http://carisma-project.eu/), which has undertaken research on the globalisation of R&D in selected climate technologies as well as a mapping on climate mitigation research and innovation cooperation. Further, the side event will convene a group of UNFCCC and non-UNFCCC stakeholders, who will present their view on the topic from the perspective of the private sector, the European Commission, the Technology Executive Committee and the national negotiator.

The aim of the side event is to provide up-to-date information and facilitate discussions about the issue of global R&D cooperation in climate technologies to inform negotiators and decision makers involved in discussions and negotiations under the UNFCCC.

Key questions to be addressed and discussed during the side event include:

  • What are the opportunities and challenges for the involved companies in offshoring of R&D in climate technologies to emerging economies?
  • How does collaboration between EU and emerging countries impact development and diffusion of technologies for mitigation?
  • How can initiatives under the UNFCCC move beyond the prevailing North-South 'technology transfer' model to incorporate the increasing global integration of R&D in climate technologies? 
  • How can multilateral governance systems be designed to enhance the overall benefit of global R&D cooperation in terms of accelerating technology development and diffusion?

Agenda

11:30 – 11:35 Opening (Heleen de Coninck, Radboud University, coordinator CARISMA)

Insights from research

Short presentations outlining research results and policy proposals by CARISMA researchers including short Q&A sessions.

  • 11:35 – 11:50 R&D offshoring to emerging economies: implications for European industries – Ulrich Elmer Hansen (UDP)
  • 11:50 – 12:05 Presentation of CARISMA policy brief & report on international R&D cooperation – Sören Lindner (Radboud University)
  • 12:05 – 12:15 Global R&D cooperation from the perspective of the European Commission: experience from Horizon 2020, SET Plan, and Mission Innovation - Martina Lyons (EC)

Brief Q&A

Round of views and discussion

Stakeholders from public, private and financial sectors give their views on what international institutions should do about climate mitigation R&D cooperation, and how public-private cooperation could work in that field. Each of the panellists ends with a recommendation, on which the audience can vote.

  • Cooperative R&D for climate change and the GCF – Juan Hoffmeister (GCF)
  • Global R&D cooperation with emerging economies in the hydrogen/fuel cells: opportunities and challenges – Marieke Reijalt (European Hydrogen Association)
  • The role of the TEC in climate mitigation R&D – Gabriel Blanco (UNICEN)

Discussion until 13:00h

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