Bringing Green Transition Research to Brussels

Lessons from a Two-Day Event at the Representation of Hesse to the EU

Key features in a nutshell

• A two-day event in Brussels combining an informal dinner, a workshop with European Commission policy officers, and two panel discussions – around 60 policymakers and practitioners registered, with approximately 40 attending on the main day, along with researchers from three universities
• Built on an existing relationship with the Representation of the State of Hesse to the EU, which had already hosted several policy events for the organisers since 2018 – a head start well worth factoring in when planning a first Brussels event from scratch
• A professional external moderator kept the two 45-minute panel discussions on time and on track, freeing the organisers from having to moderate their own event

How did the format work?

Step 1: Conceptualisation

The Policy Engagement Unit at Goethe University Frankfurt – which coordinates the Erasmus+ project ENGAGEgreen and the Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship Programme of the Rhine-Main Universities (TU Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) – had organised various policy events at the Representation of the State of Hessen to the EU since 2018. In September 2023, the Policy Engagement Unit approached the Regional Representation of Hessen regarding a possible event on green transitions. The Representation of the State of Hessen to the EU advised on the topics of particular policy relevance in Brussels.

The Policy Engagement Unit at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Regional Representation of Hessen codesigned the two-day event, scheduling it for 11 and 12 March 2024.

Core aims of the event:

• Provide an applied overview of cutting-edge research on technical innovations for green transitions and political and financial frameworks for the roll-out of key technologies
• Connect researchers from Goethe-University Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt, and University of Vic directly with policymaking professionals from the European Commission, regional and national governments, as well as representatives from NGOs and business associations
• Provide an overview of the need for expertise in the European Commission to enable our researchers to better identify engagement opportunities and possible engagement formats

Step 2: Planning & targeted outreach

The Regional Representation of Hesse maintains an excellent mailing list, built up through its own policy events. Researchers and research managers from the three participating universities also personally invited Brussels-based practitioners they already knew.

• Panellists and Commission experts: The Policy Engagement Unit identified and invited representatives from various Directorates-General of the European Commission in late 2023 and early 2024, drawing on two complementary approaches: personal contacts built up over previous Brussels events, and a systematic review of the relevant Directorates-General’s organisation charts (see our article on key information sources for more on this technique)
• Panel audience: The Regional Representation and the Policy Engagement Unit sent out official invitations in early February 2024.
• Registration: By early February 2024, around 60 policymakers and other Brussels-based practitioners had registered.
• Logistics: The Regional Representation’s dedicated events team organised catering and prepared the event room.
• Moderation: With two 45-minute panel discussions on the agenda, the organisers decided early on to work with an experienced external moderator able to enforce time limits, rather than moderating themselves; the Policy Engagement Unit held a preparatory call with the moderator, Kai Bruns, and provided a briefing with panellist biographies and guiding questions
• Panellist preparation: The Policy Engagement Unit at Goethe University Frankfurt briefed all panellists ahead of the event

Step 3: Implementation

The event opened with an informal dinner on 11 March 2024. This was a deliberately separate, smaller gathering — around 12 representatives from Frankfurt, Darmstadt, and Vic Universities, the European Commission, and various think tanks and NGOs, all practitioners the organisers already knew personally, rather than a subset of the 60 people registered for the main day.

The main programme followed on 12 March 2024, with approximately 40 people in attendance:

• 10:00–12:00: Workshop with policy officers from two Directorates-General of the European Commission, who discussed their needs for scientific expertise and the channels they use to source it; participating researchers gained direct insight into the day-to-day work of European Commission policy officers
• 12:00–12:30: Light lunch
• 12:30–12:45: Welcome address and introduction by Claus-Peter Appel (Deputy Head of the Representation of the State of Hesse to the EU) and Professor Michèle Knodt (Chair of Comparative Politics and European Integration, TU Darmstadt)
• 12:45–14:15: Panel discussions

Panel 1: Technical innovations for green transitions

• Professor Christian Beidl, Chair of Internal Combustion Engines and Powertrain Systems, TU Darmstadt
• Dr Bernd Biervert, Head of Unit ‘Planet, People and Science for Policy – Clean Planet, Clean Energy Transitions’, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
• Dr Mabel Mora Garrido, Leader of the Environmental Technologies research line, BETA Technological Centre, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia
• Professor Anna Possner, Chair of Atmospheric Physics and Climate, Goethe University Frankfurt

Panel 2: Political and financial frameworks for developing and deploying key technologies

• Professor Tobias Berg, Chair of Banking, Goethe University Frankfurt
• Beatrice Coda, Seconded Head of Unit to CINEA, CEF Energy and Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism, DG Energy, European Commission
• Dr Cristian Kanovits, Team Leader, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
• Professor Michèle Knodt, Chair of Comparative Politics and European Integration, Institute for Political Science, TU Darmstadt

Step 4: Post-event follow-up

Within a week of the event, the Policy Engagement Unit shared the contact details for participating researchers and policy professionals. Several researchers and policy professionals have since stayed in touch, exchanging updates on new research findings and EU-level policy developments.

Challenges and how to address them

Overall, the event ran very smoothly, but it’s worth explaining why, so that other universities can calibrate their own expectations. The Policy Engagement Unit at Goethe University Frankfurt had already been collaborating with researchers and research managers at Frankfurt, TU Darmstadt, and the University of Vic through the ENGAGEgreen project and the Mercator Science-Policy Fellowship Programme and had organised three previous policy events at the Regional Representation of Hesse to the EU. This meant established working relationships, shared routines, and mutual trust were already in place before planning even began: researchers could focus entirely on presenting their findings, while the Policy Engagement Unit and the Representation’s event managers handled the organisational side.

Universities without this kind of existing infrastructure should expect the first edition of a comparable event to require noticeably more coordination time, simply to build the working relationships this team could already draw on.

It’s also worth understanding what makes the Regional Representation of Hesse such an effective partner: it organises more than 100 policy events per year, has a dedicated events team and a well-maintained mailing list, and is well known among Brussels policymakers. Its location – within walking distance of the European Parliament and most Directorates-General of the European Commission – makes it a popular venue. The main practical constraint is availability: the Representation needs to be booked at least six months before the intended event date. This is a calendar constraint on securing the venue and date — it does not reflect how much actual work went into planning the event. For that, see the resource table below.

A tip for first-time organisers
If your institution is organising a policy event in Brussels for the first time, get in touch with your regional or national representation in Brussels and ask if they would be willing to host the event on their premises and support you with the organisation. Most German federal states and many regions and countries across Europe maintain such representation offices in Brussels – and they often have a genuine interest in hosting substantive events themselves since it also raises their own profile. Beyond a venue, it’s worth asking specifically what else they can offer: access to their existing mailing list (far more efficient than building one from scratch), an in-house events team, and catering – all of which can significantly reduce both your costs and your organisational workload, as this event shows.

Tasks and resources

Researchers

• Prepared accessible policy pitches and answered questions concisely during the short panel discussions
• Codeveloped the thematic scope and suggested relevant expert contacts

Research managers and knowledge mobilisers

• Liaised with the Regional Representation of Hesse to the EU and approached potential panellists at the three universities and relevant Directorates-General
• Handled mailing lists, invitation workflows, catering, and social media coverage

Policymakers

• Took part in the informal dinner, the workshop, and the panel discussions
• Answered questions from researchers and the audience during the panels
• Established direct contacts with academic researchers for long-term knowledge exchange

A note on costs

Total expenditure – including catering, travel, and moderation – came to around €7,500. The Representation of the State of Hesse to the EU provided the event venue and beverages free of charge, which significantly reduced overall costs.

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de