Opening of the Helmholtz Research School on Energy Scenarios 10 May 2012 [23.05.2012]

On 10 May the Helmholtz Research School on Energy Scenarios has been opened officially with a reception. Talks have been held by Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Bauer (KIT Energy Centre), Prof. Dr. Armin Grunwald (KIT-ITAS) and Dr. Ulrich Fahl (University of Stuttgart).

The Helmholtz Research School on Energy Scenarios provides a structured educational programme for international PhD students who address challenges connected with energy scenarios in their research. Three pillars form the topical focus of the programme: New methods for the construction of energy scenarios are developed in order to address the complex transformation of the energy system. The impacts of scenarios on energy policy and public debate are investigated from an empirical perspective and methods to systematically assess and compare various energy scenarios are developed. The research school offers a broad lecture programme which supports the PhD-students in coping with these demanding questions. But since the questions are strongly interconnected with each other the aim is also to provide an interdisciplinary environment in which the PhD-students come into a close exchange and are able support each other. From spring 2012 on in two periods of three years in total nearly fifty PhD-students can take part in the programme.

The research school is financed by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and is carried out in cooperation of seven institutes: three KIT institutes, two institutes of the University of Stuttgart, the German Aerospace Center DLR and the Fraunhofer ISI. In order to cover the interdisciplinary setting of the programme besides energy economics and engineering also philosophy, social sciences and technology assessment are involved. The programme is coordinated by ITAS and the University of Stuttgart. Additionally the research school is supported by well-known international partners from academia and practitioners applying energy scenarios.