7th JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance

The sustainable finance field is at a critical inflection point, where knowledge consolidation as well as the exploration of new frontiers will be crucial to long-term success. The focus of policy and research is expanding to include emerging topics. 

In light of global developments, increasing firms’ competitiveness, particularly in the energy and energy-intensive sectors is vital to ensure a successful green transition. Innovation in those sectors needs to be urgently supported through the strategic use of untapped resources from capital markets, while maintaining a focus on sustainability.

Another key area of interest is related to sustainability disclosures, including e.g. whether and how reporting and transparency affect financing conditions and asset performance, as well as analytical tools for materiality assessment. Beyond climate, awareness is growing of the financial consequences of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Understanding these risks and their implications for financial stability and investment strategies is becoming increasingly important in shaping best practices.

Furthermore, digital technologies, particularly AI, offer unprecedented opportunities to leverage climate-related and sustainability data. Studies demonstrating how new methods can enhance decision-making and policy development in sustainable finance are fundamental in supporting the transition. 

For these reasons, the JRC Summer School on Sustainable Finance aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss recent developments and innovations in the field of sustainable finance. By doing so, it exposes researchers to the most demanding issues faced by the industry and helps them produce policy-relevant research. At the same time, it provides independent scientific advice to policy, reaffirming the crucial role of research in informing policy-making.

Organisation of the School

The school addresses different types of communities, including scientists and policy officers working at public and/or international institutions, as well as private-sector experts active in the field of sustainable finance. To facilitate cross-fertilization and promote the development of policy-relevant research and science-based policy, the event will feature both academic sessions and more policy-oriented lectures.

Papers in the broader field of sustainable finance are welcome for presentation. 

The event and the social dinner are free of charge upon registration. However, participants will need to cover their travel and accommodation costs. The JRC will provide practical assistance in booking reasonably-priced accommodation in the local area and arrange local transportation. 

Venue

The event will be held in-person at the JRC’s premises in Ispra (Italy), and it will also be possible to follow from remote. The JRC in Ispra is the third biggest European Commission site after Brussels and Luxembourg. Established in 1960 as a nuclear research site, is today one of Europe’s leading research campuses with many laboratories and unique research infrastructures. Ispra is beautifully set at the foot of the hills with a splendid view on Lake Maggiore, Lombardy region, and lakeside pedestrian walks. The nearest big city is Milan (60 km), Malpensa airport is around 30 min. drive from the JRC.

Submission procedure

Please send a full paper or an extended abstract to JRC-FINANCEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-FINANCE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) with “Submission Summer School on Sustainable Finance” in the email’s subject line, by April 4, 2025.

Registration

A link to register for in-person and remote attendance will be circulated with the programme. 

Key dates

Deadline for paper submission: April 4, 2025

Notification of acceptance: April 28, 2025

School dates: July 10-11, 2025

Organisers

Prof. Andreas G. F. Hoepner

For the European Commission - Joint Research Centre: 

Lucia Alessi, Giacomo Cotignano, Dominik Hirschbuehl

Contact: JRC-FINANCEec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-FINANCE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)