Date: 30 July 2025
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 EET
Format: Hybrid (Online and In-Person) at the Athena Research Center, Archimedes Unit, Artemidos 1 str, Marousi

Topic: Bridging Methods for Sustainable Futures: Integrating Living Labs, Experimental Economics, and Innovation Frameworks

Presenter:  Lydia Papadaki, PhDc AUEB, Researcher AE4RIA

Abstract:

This presentation will provide an introduction to her PhD study, which investigates how systems innovation can be effectively integrated into socioeconomic frameworks to promote sustainable development. The study investigates real-world transitions across four thematic clusters: water, urban sustainability, the blue economy, and the circular economy, using participatory methods such as Living Labs, Climathons, and innovation accelerators, as well as tools from experimental economics, skills-gap analysis, and economic modelling. Drawing on 15 interconnected chapters and varied case studies, the presentation will demonstrate how qualitative and quantitative approaches may be combined to understand and facilitate transformation in complex socio-technical systems.

Join us online: Zoom Link 

Meeting ID: 895 1894 6830
Passcode: 134482

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Bridging Methods for Sustainable Futures: Integrating Living Labs, Experimental Economics, and Innovation Frameworks εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 07 July 2025
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 EET
Format: Hybrid (In-Person & online) at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB)

Topic: Closing the AI Gap between High-Income Countries and Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

Presenter: Prof. Yanis Ben Amor, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Development & Assistant Professor of Global Health and Microbiological Sciences, Columbia University USA

Abstract:

While AI technologies, particularly Large Languages Models such as ChatGPT, offer numerous opportunities for enhancing education, research, and innovation, their widespread adoption and effective utilization require substantial resources, infrastructure, and expertise. This discrepancy in resources between developed and developing countries could widen the gap between their respective universities, and their ability to use or develop these AI technologies. This session will explore how the availability of computational resources, data, expertise and talent readiness, as well as financial resources all play a crucial role and will determine or hinder the capacity to train and deploy advanced AI models. Training AI models like ChatGPT requires significant computational power and storage capabilities. Universities in developed countries often possess powerful computing infrastructure and can afford high-performance hardware or cloud-based services for AI training. Developed countries, with their advanced technological infrastructure and access to abundant data sources, are also more likely to possess the necessary data for training sophisticated AI models. In addition, developed countries tend to have a more established ecosystem for AI research and a larger pool of skilled professionals. They often attract top talent, have well-funded research programs, and offer extensive opportunities for collaboration. Finally, developed countries, with greater financial resources, can allocate substantial funds to AI initiatives in universities, enabling them to pursue cutting-edge research, establish specialized AI centers, and offer competitive salaries to AI professionals. This is in stark contrast with the resources available in developing countries. The session will try to suggest solutions, particularly for developers when designing, developing or deploying AI models, to prevent a widening digital divide brought by AI between the Global South and the Global North.

Join us online: Zoom Link 

Meeting ID: 834 5256 6083

Passcode: 519633

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Closing the AI Gap between High-Income Countries and Emerging Markets and Developing Economies εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: What Climate Repair & Biodiversity Can Learn from AI Driven MedTech Translation εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 10 June 2025
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 EET
Format: Hybrid (Online & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41)

Topic: Diet quality, groundwater depletion and the Sustainable Development Goal 2

Presenter: Prof. Alok Bhargava, Professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy

Abstract:
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 underscores the need for eliminating hunger, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. This paper assessed sustainable production of staple crops using data from India, taking in account transpiration efficiency and groundwater depletion that are critical in the wake of climate change. Moreover, it is essential to monitor glacier thicknesses reflecting water storage, tackling methodological aspects in analyzing glacier height changes from remote sensing signals. First, the analysis of data on production of rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, and pearl millet for 310 districts in India during 2000-2016, using dynamic random effects models, showed that greater rice output was significantly associated with higher well depths. Second, milk production was positively associated with well depths indicating the need for higher water utilization for improving diet quality. Third, an analysis of remote sensing data on changes in glacier heights for 0.5o x 0.5o grids in the Northern hemisphere indicated large and significant declines over time. Signal processing techniques apparently induced trends in the means and variances of the series; glacier thickness reductions were generally small using in situ data. Overall, the empirical results can facilitate evidence-based policies for tackling the “zero hunger” goal, cultivating water-efficient crops for sustainable agriculture, recharging groundwater, and monitoring glaciers for enhancing food security and improving diet quality.

Join us online: Zoom Link 

Meeting ID: 813 8508 7341
Passcode: 953471

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Diet quality, groundwater depletion and the Sustainable Development Goal 2 εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 20 May 2025
Time: 14:00 – 15:00 EET
Format: Hybrid & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41

Topic:Evidence from Economic Behavioral Experiments with African Farmers and Consumers: Methods, Insights, and Lessons Learned

Presenter: Valentino Marini Govigli, Assistant Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy

Abstract:
In this seminar, Valentino Marini Govigli presents key findings from FoodLAND, an EU-funded research project that combined field and laboratory experiments to better understand the behaviors, preferences, and decision-making processes of African farmers and consumers. His presentation will offer an overview of the main challenges encountered during data collection, along with empirical results related to participants’ inconsistencies, behavioral patterns, and structural analyses of risk and time preferences.

Join us online:
Zoom link
Meeting ID: 824 3441 6400
Passcode: 914583

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Evidence from Economic Behavioral Experiments with African Farmers and Consumers: Methods, Insights, and Lessons Learned εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 13 May 2025
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 EET
Format: Hybrid & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41

Topic: Adaptation Investment Planning for Regional Resilience

Presenter: Dr. Kostas Dellis, Senior Researcher AE4RIA

Abstract:

Adaptation finance is characterized by a significant gap between the funds needed and those available, despite some progress. International public adaptation finance flows to developing countries reached US$27.5 billion in 2022, though further increases are warranted. Europe, as the fastest warming continent, faces major climate risks with an annual adaptation finance gap of €15-64 billion. Current funding relies heavily on public sources, highlighting the important and urgent need for private sector. My research examines the structural, institutional, financial and economic barriers that hinder the mobilization and allocation of adaptation finance. It highlights the transformative potential of innovative financial mechanisms and frameworks, and specifically Adaptation Investment Planning, to overcome these barriers in aligning investment strategies with adaptation goals. Emphasis is placed on the integration of public and private sector efforts, the role of governance in enhancing policy coherence, and the importance of regional and local approaches tailored to diverse climatic and socio-economic contexts. The seminar will introduce the Adaptation Investment Cycle (AIC) developed under the auspices of the HEU Pathways2Resilience project, which provides a dedicated framework currently applied to EU regional and municipal entities in line with the target of EU Mission Adaptation to support over 150 regions in achieving climate resilience by 2030.

Access the seminar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86811738695?pwd=pKXIj6De5GeEB4T5GFIhmyqq6qxJ4z.1

Meeting ID: 868 1173 8695
Passcode: 955566

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Adaptation Investment Planning for Regional Resilience εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 30 April 2025
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 EET
Format: Hybrid & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41

Topic: History matters: how the ocean’s history informs the ongoing climate change

Presenter: Prof. Ali Mashayek, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge

Abstract:

In this session, Prof. Mashayek will explore how the oceans’ physical, chemical, and biological processes have evolved over time — and how understanding this history is crucial for responding to climate change on timescales that matter for humanity.

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https://us06web.zoom.us/postattendee?mn=FW2GooaJi1nxSbc_1f8g7pgGhmiWjTMxsx8h._O6AyTn99EmydCTv

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: History Matters: How the Ocean’s History Informs Ongoing Climate Change εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 08 April 2025
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 EET
Format: Hybrid & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41

Topic: Consensus Group Decision Making Under Model Uncertainty with a View Towards Environmental Policy Making

Presenter: Prof. Athanasios Yannakopoulos

Abstract:

In the seminar, the paper “Consensus Group Decision Making Under Model Uncertainty with a View Towards Environmental Policy Making” (Environmental and Resource Economics, 87, 1611–1649, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-024-00846) will be presented. Authors: Phoebe Koundouri, Georgios I. Papayiannis, Electra Petracou, and Athanasios Yannacopoulos.

In this paper, the authors propose a consensus group decision-making scheme under model uncertainty consisting of an iterative two-stage procedure based on the concept of Fréchet barycenter. Each stage consists of two steps: the agents first update their position in the opinion metric space adopting a local barycenter characterized by the agents’ immediate interactions and then a moderator makes a proposal in terms of a global barycenter, checking for consensus at each stage. In cases of large heterogeneous groups, the procedure can be complemented by an auxiliary initial homogenization stage, consisting of a clustering procedure in opinion space, leading to large homogeneous groups for which the aforementioned procedure will be applied. The scheme is illustrated in examples motivated by environmental economics.

Access the seminar here:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83316431935?pwd=Q9ZIGEJ0kJEgCsB2WAHDdAJjlvEj6k.1

Meeting ID: 833 1643 1935
Passcode: 454407

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Consensus Group Decision Making Under Model Uncertainty with a View Towards Environmental Policy Making εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Date: 26 March 2025
Time: 14:00 – 15:00 EET
Format: Hybrid & In-Person at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Room A41

Topic: Earth Observation in support of SDGs: Monitoring and achievements

Presenters:

Evangelos Gerasopoulos, Director of the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Director of the Greek GEO Office, co-chair of GEO Programme Board

Danai-Eleni Michailidou, Research associate at IERSD/NOA, Ph.D. in Biology, Data scientist and GIS specialist

Abstract:

Earth Observation (EO) can enhance our ability to track and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but its potential remains largely untapped by national information systems and monitoring frameworks due to challenges related to lack of technical capacity, standardized methods and data harmonization. Over the last decade, several international initiatives have pushed the streamlining of EO in support of the SDGs further. Exemplifying this, the GEO EO4SDG initiative has been consistently working with national entities to enhance EO capacity and delineate the roadmap for EO adoption in SDG support, not least through a dedicated toolkit for cities. In Europe, UNGGIM-Europe is in parallel creating robust workflows for delivering SDG indicators through EO in direct interaction with Eurostat and statistics agencies of Member States, a process that is maturing into the exploitation of EO for Official Statistics (through a relevant GISCO Task Force). The Greek GEO Office is actively participating in these efforts through capacity building activities, dissemination of best practices and key datasets, development and application of standardized methodologies, as well as case-studies to highlight the added value of EO, with emphasis on spatial disaggregation and thus, localization. The presentation will attempt to touch upon the benefits of EO, the main achievements and most impactful projects and initiatives of the EO community, as well as national implementation efforts from our Institute, within projects like SMURBS and JustRedi,  with the scope being to explore further collaboration opportunities between the EO and SE communities and initiate common planning.

Access the seminar here:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83612112965?pwd=HOhGdODlTbor5qTqEpAFGEaubPFy4a.1

Meeting ID: 836 1211 2965
Passcode: 313597

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Earth Observation in support of SDGs: Monitoring and achievements εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.

Access the seminar here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85967298992?pwd=foaakysQtLg7mjrlFq7okrNhS4gUoI.1#successhttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/87513123307?pwd=0RGj2zbahYO2vaoS30tZzgLjahGdst.1#success
Meeting ID: 859 6729 8992
Passcode: 287201

Το άρθρο AE4RIA Research Seminar: Embedding Success: Vectorizing the Future of Skills, Occupations, and Policy Insights εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Ae4ria.