NEW RESEARCHERS COMMITTED TO SCIENCE IN THE SERVICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITIONS Researchers at ULiège have recently been supported by permanent research grants from the FNRS or ERC funding. Their projects, rooted in each of the University's three sectors, demonstrate the diversity of scientific approaches to understanding and addressing major contemporary challenges. Through these recently celebrated figures, ULiège concretely illustrates this multidimensional scientific commitment: Christine Frison (Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology), winner of a prestigious ERC Starting Grant, intends to support the decolonisation of international biodiversity law by rethinking legal frameworks to better respect the knowledge and rights of local communities. Brice Noël (Faculty of Science), a renowned climatologist who now holds an FNRS qualified researcher position, analyses the evolution of glacier melt and its effects on sea level rise, providing crucial insights into climate change. Finally, Anneline Pinson (Faculty of Medicine) explores the impacts of endocrine disruptors on brain development, highlighting the links between environmental health and cognitive development. This research illustrates ULiège’s central role in producing knowledge that is essential for an ecological, ethical and inclusive transition. TRAINING FOR TRANSFORMATION: SOCIALLY RELEVANT ISSUES IN THE SERVICE OF TRANSITIONS Winner of the 2025 ARES Research-Action Chair in Education for Sustainable Development, the project "Training (to train) in socially relevant issues" aims to respond to the needs and challenges of education for ecological and social transition. This project by the Didactics and Teacher Training (DIDACTIfen) Research Unit (Faculty of Sciences), conducted in collaboration with the Haute École Libre Mosane (HELMo), brings together researchers in didactics and pedagogy, teacher trainers, future teachers in training and those already in service within the framework of participatory action research. Disciplinary experts are called upon on a more ad hoc basis and according to emerging needs. The aim of this collective project is, on the one hand, to identify the training needs of (future) teachers in the ecological and social transition and, on the other hand, to develop and test tools (resources and training programmes for teachers) which address socially relevant issues in order to meet these needs. Corentin Poffé (corentin.poffe@uliege.be) SCIENCE, LIBERTIES AND SUSTAINABILITY: THINKING ABOUT DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL CRISES The "Science, Liberties, Democracies" cycle, organised by the University of Liège in 2024-25, explored the deep links between science, democracy and sustainability in a global context marked by multiple crises. Through conferences and study days, it highlighted the responsibility of universities towards environmental and social issues, addressing topics such as the ethics of international relations, citizen movements in Latin America and Hong Kong, and the social impacts of ecological crises. These meetings brought together experts, researchers and activists for critical reflection on the transition to fairer and more sustainable societies. The academic year was also marked by the awarding of honorary doctorates to three international figures engaged in major contemporary issues, who came to share their thoughts at conferences addressed to the university community. On 17th December 2024, Svante Pääbo shared valuable insight into our genetic origins, reminding us of our biological interdependence with other forms of life. On 18th February 2025, Mahbouba Seraj advocated for the inclusion of marginalised voices in building a more just and resilient world. Finally, on 25th March 2025, geochemist Charles Langmuir explored the deep connections between humanity and the Earth, emphasising our collective responsibility for the future of the planet. Through these choices, the University highlights the essential role of knowledge in informing ecological, social and cultural transitions. 8 | REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2024 – 2025
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