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Durham University, Science Europe, TERI and DFG Unite for COP31 Side Event on Implementing National Climate Targets
Durham University will join leading international research and policy organisations at COP31 to host an official UNFCCC side event exploring how science can drive effective climate mitigation and adaptation.
The event is being delivered in partnership with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, India), Science Europe and the German Research Foundation (DFG), bringing together senior representatives from academia, research funding organisations and policy communities across Europe and the Global South.
The session on "Science-based Implementation: Strengthening Global Science-Policy Partnerships", will take place on 13 November 2026 as part of the official COP31 side event programme in Antalya, Türkiye. The event was selected under the COP31 thematic areas of Transitioning Energy, Industry and Transport, Just Transition, Technology, and International Cooperation.
The discussion will examine how research-performing and research-funding organisations can strengthen science-policy collaboration to accelerate climate action and support the implementation of sustainability transitions. Particular attention will be paid to building stronger partnerships between countries, ensuring that scientific knowledge is translated into practical action, and identifying best practices of impactful and equitable climate governance.
Durham University's contribution will be led by Prof Petra Minnerop, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability), Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy (CSDLP), and Principal Investigator of the JusTN0W initiative. She will join an international panel expected to include representatives from TERI, Science Europe and DFG, alongside additional invited contributors from the wider research and policy community.
The session will explore several key questions, including:
- How success should be defined for science-policy partnerships.
- What meaningful co-creation between researchers, policymakers and societal actors looks like across Europe and the Global South.
- How universities, research organisations and policy bodies can strengthen science-for-policy activities that advance a genuinely just transition.
- How COP31 and future COPs can support stronger science-policy partnerships and connect global climate goals with locally grounded implementation.
The side event reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that the best available evidence informs climate decision-making at all levels. Discussions will highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, open science, and knowledge exchange in supporting ambitious and effective climate action. Durham University is once again delighted to be able to feed research from science and law into global climate negotiation and discussions at this year's conference of parties.
Following COP31, the partner organisations plan to publish a summary of key messages and pathways for action emerging from the event, helping to strengthen international cooperation and support future science-policy engagement on climate implementation.