What's in it for me?
Conference aim:
MatchPoints 2025 is for everyone with a professional interest in the Climate agenda - that is researchers and PhD students, politicians, think tanks, climate professionals from both public and private organisations, industry leaders and youth movements. The conference will be held in English and will explore climate challenges and solutions within these themes:
- Carbon
- Energy
- Circularity
- Land use
- Citizen climate engagement
- Cities going green
- From lab to market
- Plan B: Navigating worst-case-scenarios
- Regenerative construction
- Green and Digital Transition
- Climate and the geopolitic scene
- Onsite visit to AU Campus Viborg
You can also experience real life cases, panel discussions and expert contributions, keynote presentations, meet-the-expert-lunches and several inspiring insight-talks. Moreover the conference has a specified focus on dialogue, networking and engagement. Let's talk to each other!
The MatchPoints conference series
Since 2007, MatchPoints has been the annual flagship conference of Aarhus University, bringing together researchers, journalists, politicians, business leaders and engaged citizens to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. The purpose of MatchPoints is to create dialogue between Aarhus University and the world around it concerning subjects of wider societal interest. For this reason, MatchPoints is always open to the public. The speakers at MatchPoints conferences rank among the most highly esteemed national and international figures in the subjects being discussed, and the conferences are usually interdisciplinary.
Expected output for key participants:
- Researchers will have a a unique opportunity to present their research and get valuable feedback: not only from other researchers in a wide range of fields, but from representatives from industry, local government and NGOs. This cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral dialogue will give new insights into the barriers that prevent society from translating research findings into real-world climate action. Matchpoints 2025 is an opportunity to boost the relevance and impact of your research.
- Besides learning about the newest research and solutions, company representatives will have the oppurtunity get useful input to help the company navigate the struggle to find a market for their innovative products. At Matchpoints 2025, we’ll discuss approaches to creating a market for climate technologies.
- Employees from Danish municipalities will have a chance to discuss how to balance building defences to mitigate the consequences of climate change with transforming their operations and policies to reduce their climate footprint - and be inspired on how to take action on multiple fronts at once, by influencing residents’ behaviour, implementing climate-friendly policies and sharing good solutions with other municipalities.
- Participants from NGOs or the general public will have the chance to experience news, cases and cutting egde research from experts and researchers from the field - and participate en dialogues on the responsibility of the individual, the role of technology and the need for government regulation. The conference themes offer a more holistic understanding of climate change and will provide some of the knowledge and tools you need to contribute to a sustainable future.
From apathy and paralysis to commitment and action
The climate crisis is an existential threat to humanity. But as societies and individuals, we’re doing too little too slowly. Matchpoints 2025 is about breaking free of the apathy and paralysis that affects many of us in the face of this crisis by identifying and overcoming the barriers that keep us from commitment and action – so we can take the next steps towards a sustainable future together.
To stabilise the climate for future generations, we have to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Fortunately, we already have an arsenal of effective tools and strategies, but the solutions we already have aren’t being mobilised effectively and at scale. This challenge requires engagement at every level - from industry, NGOs, and local government to individual behaviour change. Also, technology and scientific research cannot solve the climate challenge in isolation – it will also take behavioural changes, incentives, political regulation and perhaps even new institutions. Matchpoints 2025 is where the interdisciplinary approach it takes to achieve this comes alive. Therefore Matchpoints 2025 is not just for the scientists who are monitoring the rising temperatures and the engineers who are developing the technical solutions. The conference is a unique opportunity for specialists and non-specialists, scientists and citizens, to work together to explore the challenges and barriers we face – and find paths forward to overcoming them. After two days of inspiring, actionable knowledge-sharing, debate and bridge-building, the participants will leave Matchpoints with a renewed sense of purpose, clarity and engagement – ready to step up the pace in the fight against climate change.
Join us for the conference and help build a sustainable future through collaboration and innovation.
