History
Faced with the acceleration of climate change and the depletion of natural resources, societies are faced with existential challenges. In this context, universities play a crucial role in designing just transitions towards a society in tune with planetary limits. At the University of Liège, the new "sustainability and transition" course, compulsory in all courses of study, is a first manifestation of this. But the university, as a place of research, has the capacity to develop new knowledge to understand the causes of environmental crises, their impacts and the solutions to be envisaged. The relevance of the co-production of knowledge in the face of a complex reality was underlined by Nature magazine in 2018, as well as by the IPCC and the OECD. Transdisciplinary research, which integrates fundamental research, applied research and the expertise of non-academic players, enables us to better understand complex problems and react more quickly and effectively to the challenges that lie ahead. Announced in ULiège's strategic plan and supported by Rector Anne-Sophie Nyssen, the new "Laboratoire des Transitions" was presented to the Board of Directors in January 2025.
Background
The Laboratoire des Transitions is a new Centre d'Appui à la Recherche et à l'Enseignement (CARE) designed to promote collaborations between all scientific disciplines within ULiège and to amplify interactions with civil society in order to mark out trajectories towards just transitions and a society in tune with planetary limits. The creation of the Laboratory and the launch of specific calls for projects (to the tune of 3 million euros over five years) are flagship actions of the 2022-2026 Institutional Strategic Plan, aimed at the co-construction of transdisciplinary, participatory and forward-looking projects from a sustainability perspective, and thus contributing to the University of Liège's sustainability and transition policy.
Missions
The laboratory's raison d'être is to support transdisciplinarity and forward-looking approaches in teaching and research, so as to empower the University, territories and people to devise bold responses to the unavoidable challenges of transitions.
Its main missions are to
- Encourage and facilitate participation in trans-disciplinary and forward-looking initiatives in support of the University's missions;
- Institutionalize foresight and transdisciplinary approaches;
- Provide financial and methodological support for research-action projects linked to territories;
- Support the design and development of teaching programs in line with the laboratory's raison d'être;
- Participate in research projects;
- Publish scientific works and contribute to the University's popularization and dissemination activities.
Team
Prof. Sébastien BRUNET, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board
Antoine Huberland, Director
Antoine Huberland is an entrepreneur and Associate Professor at HEC Liège (ULiège), where he co-created the course "Business in the Face of Anthropocene Challenges," which raises students' awareness of sustainability and transition issues. He has extensive experience in team management and strategy development in the field of transitions and sustainability, gained across various sectors and notably at the international level. At the Laboratoire des Transitions, which he directs, he applies this expertise to embed the initiative within the academic landscape and its local communities, as well as to coordinate the team.
© ULiège
Alice Mouton, scientific coordinator
Alice Mouton has recognized expertise in biodiversity conservation, acquired over more than 12 years of international and interdisciplinary research. Her career is part of a dynamic of committed research at the interface between natural sciences and society, with a strong focus on issues of ecological justice and the co-construction of knowledge, notably through citizen mobilization.
© Virginie Havelange
Aurore Falla, Operational Coordinator
Aurore Falla coordinated the event Rêvons Liège 2030, initiated by the University of Liège in collaboration with the Théâtre de Liège, with the aim of federating academic, cultural, associative and citizen players around the challenges of the region's ecological and social transition. Aurore Falla has recognized expertise in the coordination of participatory projects, cross-sector coordination and territorial mobilization.
© Virginie Havelange
Floriane Fassotte, in charge of designing the "Sustainability and Transition" course
Floriane Fassotte designed the "Sustainability & Transition" course, which she coordinates across all ULiège faculties. Her interdisciplinary academic background enables her to articulate knowledge and dialogue with the fifty or so experts who have contributed to the development of the course. Driven by a desire to see teaching evolve around the challenges of sustainability and transition, she is working to strengthen collaboration between faculties, an essential condition for truly interdisciplinary learning.
© Virginie Havelange
Governance and bodies
The CARE is managed by a Management Committee whose members are appointed by the University's Board of Directors for a renewable 4-year term.
The CARE is created for a renewable period of 4 years by decision of the University's Board of Directors.
Management Committee
The Management Committee is responsible for :
- adopt CARE's strategy;
- to manage the resources of the CARE and, if necessary, to draw up internal regulations setting out the conditions and practical arrangements for the use and provision of these resources;
- to draw up the CARE's budget and accounts, and submit them annually to the University's Board of Directors;
- to submit to the University Board of Directors, at the same time as the budget, the CARE's personnel prospects;
- to make proposals to the University's Board of Directors concerning the management of CARE personnel (in compliance with current regulations and without prejudice to the provisions of article 8.1);
- to create any advisory body in order to meet CARE's missions, and to define its composition and operation.
It is composed as follows:
- Professor Michel Moutschen, Vice-Rector for Research;
- Sybille Mertens, Advisor to the Rector on Environmental and Social Transition;
- Sébastien Brunet, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board;
- Alice Mouton, Operational Director of CARE;
- Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine)
- Christine Frison (Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology)
- Pierre Ozer (Faculty of Science, Arlon campus)
- Kevin Marechal (Gembloux Agro-Bio-Tech)
- Jacques Teller (Faculty of Applied Sciences)
The Management Committee meets at least twice a year, convened by the chairperson. Voting procedures are governed by the University's academic organization regulations.
Scientific Council's
The Scientific Council's mission is to:
- advise the Management Committee on CARE's strategy;
- organize calls for projects funded from the CARE's own budget, including the definition of evaluation criteria and procedures for granting and managing funding;
- organize calls for projects from other budgets for which it has been delegated responsibility, including the definition of evaluation criteria and funding allocation and management procedures, in consultation with the relevant bodies;
- planning cross-functional activities.
The Scientific Council is made up of representatives of CARE members. They are appointed to ensure a balanced representation of the diversity of CARE's fields of expertise and members. Members of the Scientific Advisory Board are appointed by the Management Committee for a renewable 4-year term. In the event of a member's resignation, the member replacing him or her completes the predecessor's term of office.
The Scientific Council invites to its meetings any person whose presence it deems useful for the examination of items on the agenda, including international scientific experts. Members of the Management Committee are invited to attend Scientific Advisory Board meetings in an advisory capacity.
The Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board is appointed by the University's Board of Directors for a renewable 4-year term.
The Chairman's duties include
- chair meetings of the Scientific Advisory Board ;
- support operational management;
- liaise between the Scientific Advisory Board and the Management Committee;
- report on the achievement of CARE's strategic objectives;
- represent CARE.
The Scientific Council meets at least twice a year, convened by the person chairing it.
Voting procedures are those set out in the University's Academic Organization Regulations.
General Meeting
The purpose of the General Meeting is to inform CARE's members about its strategy and activities. The General Meeting is made up of all members. Where appropriate, all members are entitled to vote. The General Meeting is chaired by the President of the Scientific Council. The General Meeting is convened at least once a year by the person chairing it.
Members participate in CARE's activities and regularly mobilize its resources.
CARE members include
- staff members paid directly from the CARE budget;
- winners of a call for projects whose conditions provide for secondary affiliation to the CARE, without prejudice to their main assignment to a research unit, department or faculty;
- members of the teaching and scientific staff who have been recognized as members of the CARE, affiliated to the CARE on a secondary basis, without prejudice to their main assignment to a research unit, department and/or faculty;
- members of the administrative, technical and manual staff who have been recognized as members of the CARE;
- members of civil society who have been recognized as members of CARE.
Membership is acquired and lost in accordance with the procedures defined in the internal regulations. The status of scientific collaborator may be granted to members from outside the Université de Liège, on the proposal of a member of the CARE and with the approval of the Management Committee.
Charter
