"The relationship between technology and society changes; it is becoming a widely recognized view that future technology policies including energy policies have to be not only technically, but also socially acceptable. While it is uncertain what this shift means for the transformation of political decision-making about energy, the implications for the scientific ethos are obvious. It seems to be no longer tenable to view the research as accomplished in the seclusion of laboratories and detached from the impact of energy technologies on social systems. If science is to assist political reason convincingly, then competences have to be built, which allow conceiving the technical and the social as two interlinked phenomena.The main goal of TEACHENER project was to foster transdisciplinary education and build a bridge between Social Sciences and Humanities on the one hand and teaching about energy at technical higher education institutions on the other. To accomplish this goal, project partners 1) mapped the demand for SSH approaches at technical higher education institutions (HEIs) in project countries, 2) designed the TEACHENER EDUKIT as a complex and flexible set of Teaching Modules covering various topics associated with social aspects of energy, 3) tested Teaching Modules at partner technical HEIs and during two Student Winter Schools.The TEACHENER EDUKIT, being a main result of the project, is a complex set of ready-to-use, innovative Teaching Modules covering various topics associated with social aspects of energy for educating Master and PhD students at technical higher education institutions. Innovative educational practices, constituting the EDUKIT, provide the graduates of technical energy studies with interdisciplinary skills, knowledge and competencies in social sciences and humanities, enabling them to better respond to the needs of the labour market related to the shift to knowledge society and a fair energy transition with new or adapted job profiles. The EDUKIT and accompanying e-book ""Integrating Social Sciences and Humanities into Teaching about Energy: the TEACHENER EDUKIT"" encompass the project results. The EDUKIT has been incorporated into teaching curricula at technical institutions participating in the project, either as standalone courses for MSc/PhD students or as parts of existing courses offered at the technical university.The partnership behind the project consisted of 'socio-technical teams'. Each such a team consisted of researchers from one SSH institution and one technical HEI partner:- In Poland it was Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) and Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT), - in Spain MERIENCE and Catalan University of Technology (UPC), - in Czech Republic the Institute of Sociology of Czech Academy of Sciences (ISAS) and Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), - in Germany the team consisted of researchers from the department of Urban and Enviromental sociology and Monitoring and Exploration Technologies from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.The TEACHENER consortium encourages technical university teachers to use TEACHENER EDUKIT, an integrated toolbox consisting of the following eight Teaching Modules, each devoted to a different topic:1.ENERGY AWARENESS2.PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS OF ENERGY DEVELOPMENT3.ENERGY AND THE PUBLIC4.SOCIAL IMPACT OF ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES5.TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT6.SMART METERING. SOCIAL RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK GOVERNANCE7.CONFLICT MANAGEMENT8.DECENTRALIZED ENERGY SYSTEMSOn the dedicated web-platform available under www.teachener.umk.pl, one can download the ready-made Teaching Modules and adapt them to the own requirement of teaching at a technical university"

Using a deliberative approach, ECOSENS will analyse citizens’ views and risk perceptions, benefits and potentials of current and new nuclear technologies in the context of major societal challenges (climate crisis, sustainable energy policies, energy security). It will review through a socio-ethical lens the uptake of recommendations on stakeholder engagement and transdisciplinarity (notably integration of social sciences and humanities) in nuclear research and decision making, developing recommendations to overcome challenges. Societal stakeholders (authorities, industry, academia and civil society) are engaged to explore and co-construct possible energy futures and the role of nuclear energy therein. Sustainability assessment of current nuclear energy technologies will take into account the entire life of the nuclear investment including the nuclear fuel cycle. Integration of new technologies (Gen III+, IV, SMR) is then explored in the context of the future energy market and societal developments to identify the possible roles of nuclear energy in the climate neutral economy targeted for 2050. Multiple perspectives (nuclear experts, social scientist, stakeholder, society) are integrated and methodological recommendations for sustainability assessment are agreed. To address the weaknesses of existing economic models, ECOSENS develops a novel model based on the system of provision approach in order to create and calculate indicators relevant for a plethora of stakeholders (consumers, governments, suppliers). The model will include the “social discount rate” and considers the limits of our planet, as reflected in the “circular economy” system. A series of national case studies evaluates the model and provides relevant recommendations to stakeholders. ECOSENS activities and results will be largely communicated and disseminated through the network of stakeholders established to support innovative involvement, as well as through Open Access facilities.

The project aims to establish and clarify the benefits and added value of more aligned and harmonised regulations and standards for prioritised topics related to decommissioning and initial phases of radioactive waste handling, including shared processing facilities between Member States (MS). The project has a two-phase approach: first engaging with Stakeholders to assess needs and pros/cons for harmonisation and identify priority areas for deeper analysis (WP2). The second phase will pursue deeper engagement with Stakeholders to further assess the highest ranked priority areas in Work Packages (WP) focusing on (i) cross border services and cooperation (WP3), (ii) circular economy (WP4), and (iii) advanced technologies (WP5). These WPs will review (inter)national practices, capture lessons learned, and assess opportunities. WP6 on Regulatory Framework will identify regulatory differences between MS and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with harmonisation, while quantifying the benefits of aligned regulations and proposing harmonisation methodologies. The project will: - support coordination between Stakeholders, - enhance existing commitments to facilitate sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience, - develop strategies for shared treatment and storage facilities, cross border services and cooperation, and explore additional mechanisms to build capacity in MS, - assess and clarify the benefits and any disadvantages of harmonisation, - deliver S&T-based solutions and share best practices by engaging and supporting coordination between different actors through the TSOs and regulators, - define conditions and opportunities of a high safety circular economy. The action will reinforce the activities of the EURAD, PREDIS, and SHARE projects, while encompassing MS national programs and the wider European Community, including i.e. ERDO, ENSREG, WENRA, IAEA, OECD NEA, IGDTP, SNETP, DigiDecom.