The [tra:ce] Wuppertal Research Seminar Concludes

On 13 July 2026, the closing meeting of the [tra:ce] Wuppertal Research Seminar took place in the auditorium of the Wuppertal Institute. Students from the PPÖ programme at Witten/Herdecke University presented their research findings there to staff of the Wuppertal Institute and to Prof. Wullweber and Dr. Sonja Knobbe from the [tra:ce].

The Research Seminar is run jointly by the [tra:ce] and the Wuppertal Institute (WI) as part of the cooperation between UW/H and the WI. It gives students the opportunity to work for a semester in ongoing research projects at the WI. On the WI side, Anne Caplan and Annika Rehm coordinated the collaboration.

A first group examined which indicators show the extent to which the parties to the Paris Climate Agreement account for gender aspects in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The group also asked how gender perspectives can be integrated to raise the effectiveness and ambition of climate mitigation measures. A second group assessed how transparently, clearly and consistently the parties formulate their contributions, measured against the ICTU requirements of the Paris rulebook, and the extent to which the results of the first Global Stocktake (GST) have fed into the new generation of NDCs. The third group developed a data-based site assessment system for the MENA region along two axes: the technology pathway (green hydrogen or CCS) and the industrial product (DRI steel or ammonia). The result is an indicator system that shows which countries are best positioned for which decarbonisation pathways.

The students thus gained direct insight into real transformative research practice. Their findings also feed into the work and publications of the WI.

For its design of the seminar, the [tra:ce] was also awarded the Teaching Prize for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) this year.