Closing of CLIMACT center

The CLIMACT center was created jointly by University of Lausanne (UNIL) and EPFL in June 2021 to promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research and initiatives that address the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The center was spearheaded by its executive director, Dr. Nicolas Tétreault, and guided by its two academic co-directors: Professor Samuel Jaccard from the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment (FGSE) at UNIL and Professor Michael Lehning from the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) at EPFL. Professor Julia Steinberger (FGSE, UNIL) also served as CLIMACT's academic co-director for UNIL from June 2021 to April 2023.

CLIMACT has achieved a number of major successes: the creation of an interdisciplinary community of over 75 researchers and more than 95 CLIMACT Scholars, the funding of 17 research projects that have generated over CHF 1.4 million in external funding, the organization of some 60 seminars and 30 events, and participation in major projects such as SWEET EDGE and UrbanTwin.

Other structures and key players will pursue CLIMACT’s missions such as the Enterprise for Society Center (E4S), the Competence Center in Sustainability (CCD), the Expertise Center for Climate Extremes (ECCE) or the new Vice Presidency for Strategic Development (Prof. Stéphanie Lacour).

The CLIMACT center has been closed following a joint decision by the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and EPFL. Prof. Michael Lehning serves as a contact point for questions.