The dissertation deals with the political challenges of regulating plastic production, distribution, use and disposal at the level of the European Union using concrete case studies.
This text was translated with DeepL on 28/11/2025

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The SmartProSys project is an interdisciplinary, systems oriented strategy for the development of new methodological approaches to systematically replace fossil-based raw materials in chemical production, e.g. by using bio-based materials or (plastic) waste.
The PhD is aquired within the scope of the project, focusing primarily on sustainability policy.

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The CLEAR project investigates how area-based, community-led rural partnerships, particularly Local Action Groups (LAGs) established under the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) frameworks (former LAEDER approach), contribute to implementing a low-carbon economy (LCE) in rural Europe. Rooted in the EU’s participatory development model, LAGs represent bottom-up governance, enabling local communities to shape development priorities according to their territorial needs. This project recognises LAGs as pivotal intermediaries in bridging local realities with European climate and sustainability policies, while also addressing their underexplored potential to advance low-carbon transitions. LAGs have historically supported economic diversification, social inclusion, and innovation, creating resilient local economies through sustainable agriculture, renewable energy projects, and preserving cultural and natural resources. However, existing research shows that while LAGs are vital for local governance, their engagement in energy transition and carbon reduction remains limited. Furthermore, their collaboration with research institutions, a key requirement of the EU rural development policy, is weakly institutionalised. These gaps hinder the effective transfer of knowledge and innovation between universities and rural actors. CLEAR aims to address these challenges through two complementary dimensions: socio-organizational and analytical preliminary studies.

In the socio-organizational scope, the project will:

• Integrate and develop research collaboration among EU GREEN network partners, particularly PhD candidates and established researchers who have not previously worked together on rural sustainability issues, even though their research topics are similar.
• Foster direct cooperation between universities and LAGs associations in region, through structured interviews, seminars, and field meetings to enable two-way knowledge exchange and innovation transfer.
• Build a transnational research-practice community, enabling engagement in joint applications for European programs such as Horizon Europe or COST Actions.
• Promote EU GREEN partners and project outcomes through seminars to strengthen visibility and collaboration across the European Research Area (ERA).

In the analytical scope, the project will include:

• The implementation of simple, cost-free comparative research will allow for the development of a methodology and the selection of a scientific theory for description, thus allowing for the submission of further, more advanced research proposals in the future.
• Examine the factors that limit or facilitate LAG participation in the low-carbon transition (preliminary study for future project proposals).
• Theoretically ground findings in regional governance theory, behavioural economics, or sociological rational choice theory to explain decision-making mechanisms and motivational drivers influencing LAGs’ environmental engagement (preliminary study for future project proposals).

CLEAR adopts a mixed-method approach, combining (a) team building using online meetings, face-to-face seminars, internal actions at home universities, and (b) preliminary study for future full project proposals using content analysis of LAG strategies, semi-structured interviews, and theoretical interpretation. This project will map LAG engagement in low-carbon activities, identify best practices, and propose recommendations for improving cooperation between academia and LAGs. Ultimately, CLEAR seeks to enhance territorial resilience, social inclusion, and scientific collaboration by empowering rural communities and academic institutions to co-create solutions for sustainable and low-carbon development. By linking research, education, and community engagement, the project aligns with the EU GREEN mission and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, and 17, advancing the EU Green Deal aims.

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The CLEAR project explores how territorial community-led rural partnerships, in particular Local Action Groups (LAGs) established under the Community-led Local Development (CLLD) (formerly LAEDER approach), contribute to the implementation of a low-carbon economy (LCE) in rural Europe. Rooted in the EU's participatory development model, LAGs represent a bottom-up governance that enables local communities to shape development priorities according to their territorial needs. This project recognizes LAGs as key facilitators to connect local realities with European climate and sustainability policies while harnessing their underestimated potential to promote low-carbon transitions. LAGs have historically supported economic diversification, social inclusion and innovation, creating resilient local economies through sustainable agriculture, renewable energy projects and the preservation of cultural and natural resources. However, research to date shows that while LAGs are crucial for local governance, their engagement in energy transition and carbon reduction remains limited. Furthermore, their cooperation with research institutions, a key requirement of EU rural development policy, is only weakly institutionalized. These gaps hinder the effective transfer of knowledge and innovation between universities and rural actors. CLEAR aims to address these challenges through two complementary dimensions: socio-organizational and analytical preliminary studies.

In the socio-organizational dimension, the project will:

• Integrate and develop research collaboration between the partners of the EU GREEN network, in particular between PhD students and established researchers who have not yet worked together on rural sustainability issues, although their research topics are similar
• Promote direct collaboration between universities and LAG associations in the region through structured interviews, seminars and on-site meetings to enable mutual knowledge exchange and innovation transfer
.
• Establish a transnational research-practice community that enables participation in joint applications for European programs such as Horizon Europe or COST Actions
.
• Promote EU-GREEN partners and project results through seminars to strengthen visibility and collaboration across the European Research Area (ERA)
.

In the analytical field, the project will include the following:

• Conducting a simple, free comparative research will allow the development of a methodology and the selection of a scientific theory to describe it, so that further, more advanced research proposals can be submitted in the future
.
• Investigate factors limiting or facilitating LAG involvement in the low carbon transition (preliminary study for future project proposals)
.
• Theoretical grounding of results in regional governance theory, behavioral economics or sociological rational choice theory to explain decision-making mechanisms and motivational factors that influence LAGs' environmental engagement (preliminary study for future project proposals)
.

CLEAR adopts a mixed methods approach combining (a) team building through online sessions, face-to-face seminars and internal actions at home universities and (b) a preliminary study for future full project proposals through content analysis of LAG strategies, semi-structured interviews and theoretical interpretation. This project will map LAGs' engagement in low-carbon activities, identify good practices and propose recommendations to improve collaboration between HEIs and LAGs. Ultimately, CLEAR aims to improve territorial resilience, social inclusion and scientific collaboration by empowering rural communities and academic institutions to jointly develop solutions for sustainable and low-carbon development. By linking research, education and community engagement, the project is in line with the EU GREEN mission and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 7, 9, 11, 13, 16 and 17, and advances the objectives of the EU Green Deal.
This text was translated with DeepL on 28.11.2025

Community-led Low-carbon Economy Actions for Rural areas: barriers and opportunities in area-based partnerships (CLEAR)

The CLEAR project investigates how area-based, community-led rural partnerships, particularly Local Action Groups (LAGs) established under the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) frameworks (former LAEDER approach), contribute to implementing a low-carbon economy (LCE) in rural Europe. Rooted in the EU's participatory development model, LAGs represent bottom-up governance, enabling local communities to shape development priorities according to their territorial needs. This project recognizes LAGs as pivotal intermediaries in bridging local realities with European climate and sustainability policies, while also addressing their underexplored potential to advance low-carbon transitions. LAGs have historically supported economic diversification, social inclusion, and innovation, creating resilient local economies through sustainable agriculture, renewable energy projects, and preserving cultural and natural resources. However, existing research shows that while LAGs are vital for local governance, their engagement in energy transition and carbon reduction remains limited. Furthermore, their collaboration with research institutions, a key requirement of the EU rural development policy, is weakly institutionalized. These gaps hinder the effective transfer of knowledge and innovation between universities and rural actors. CLEAR aims to address these challenges through two complementary dimensions: socio-organizational and analytical preliminary studies.

In the socio-organizational scope, the project will:

• Integrate and develop research collaboration among EU GREEN network partners, particularly PhD candidates and established researchers who have not previously worked together on rural sustainability issues, even though their research topics are similar.
• Foster direct cooperation between universities and LAGs associations in region, through structured interviews, seminars, and field meetings to enable two-way knowledge exchange and innovation transfer.
• Build a transnational research-practice community, enabling engagement in joint applications for European programs such as Horizon Europe or COST Actions.
• Promote EU GREEN partners and project outcomes through seminars to strengthen visibility and collaboration across the European Research Area (ERA).
.

In the analytical scope, the project will include:

• The implementation of simple, cost-free comparative research will allow for the development of a methodology and the selection of a scientific theory for description, thus allowing for the submission of further, more advanced research proposals in the future.
.
• Examine the factors that limit or facilitate LAG participation in the low-carbon transition (preliminary study for future project proposals)
.
• Theoretically ground findings in regional governance theory, behavioral economics, or sociological rational choice theory to explain decision-making mechanisms and motivational drivers influencing LAGs' environmental engagement (preliminary study for future project proposals).
.

CLEAR adopts a mixed-method approach, combining (a) team building using online meetings, face-to-face seminars, internal actions at home universities, and (b) preliminary study for future full project proposals using content analysis of LAG strategies, semi-structured interviews, and theoretical interpretation. This project will map LAG engagement in low-carbon activities, identify best practices, and propose recommendations for improving cooperation between academia and LAGs. Ultimately, CLEAR seeks to enhance territorial resilience, social inclusion, and scientific collaboration by empowering rural communities and academic institutions to co-create solutions for sustainable and low-carbon development. By linking research, education, and community engagement, the project aligns with the EU GREEN mission and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, and 17, advancing the EU Green Deal aims.
This text was translated with DeepL on 26/02/2026

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The approximately two to three-week research stay at the Institute of Spatial Management at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences serves to further academic qualifications and is funded by the EU GREEN network. The thematic focus is on sustainability policy and waste management, which is why this institute was selected.
The research stay includes networking with local scientists, presentation of my research and participation in a scientific seminar. In addition, the stay offers the opportunity for field research on the national implementation of EU sustainability policy.
This text was translated with DeepL on 28/11/2025

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