Research

The Wuppertal Institute explores and developsmodels, strategies and instruments to supportsustainable development at the local, nationaland international level. Sustainability researchat the Wuppertal Institute
focuses on ecology andits relation to the economy and society. Specialemphasis is placed on analysing and supportinginnovations that decouple the development ofprosperity from the consumption of naturalresources.

The Institute's seat is in Wuppertal. It is represented in Germany's capital by its Berlin Office since 2004. In 2005, the Wuppertal Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme jointly founded the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) in Wuppertal.

The four Research Groups are:

1. Future Energy and Mobility Structures
   Research Group 1 examines questions related totechnology and infrastructure, taking a systemsanalysis approach. In the areas of energy andmobility, it explores how the transition tosustainable structures can be facilitated, whatimplications this transition has and whatopportunities it offers. It seeks to evaluatetechnology and find coherent paths ofdevelopment, as well as carry out dynamicpotential analyses.
2. Energy, Transport and Climate Policy
   Research Group 2 focuses on strategies andinstruments for effective and integrated energy,transport and transportation, and climatepolicies. A central theme is the synergisticeffects of policy strategies that support thesustainable development of energy and transportsystems as well as climate protection ingeneral.
3. Material Flows and Resource Management
   Research Group 3 investigates material flowsfrom the extraction of raw materials through tofinal disposal, taking account of the global‘ecological rucksack' model as well as theland use involved. It develops concepts,strategies and instruments to improve resourceproductivity and sustainable resource management
4. Sustainable Production and Consumption
   Research Group 4 develops concepts andstrategies to promote sustainable management ofproduction and consumption patterns. This ismeant to make a contribution to the developmentand market launch of more sustainable products, production processes, and economy.

Foundation Caucasus Environment (FCE) is founded in 1998 in Georgia. FCE is a nongovernmental, nonprofit public organization with professional staff on environment and education. The organization is oriented on sustainable development and social issues and its activities cover the Caucasus region. At the same time FCE is a member of several international networks, just like the National Platform of Eastern Partnership in Georgia https://eap-csf.ge and acts as a coordinator of Working Group 3 of this platform: https://eap-csf.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298&Itemid=1396&lang=en-GB.
Moreover FCE is a member of the big international network Women in Europe for common Future (WECF) WECF http://www.wecf.eu. Furthermore FCE coordinates the Global Education Week (GEW) of the network of North-South Centre (NSC) of Council of Europe https://www.coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre/GE/GEW-NETWORK_en.asp#TopOfPage.

The organization holds the GEW once a year in Georgia. The Global Education program in Georgia is updated every year according to the themes and comments which are developed at the GEW seminars. These seminars are organized by the NSC of the Council of Europe with participation of all national coordinators of GEW network. The organization’s target groups are schoolchildren and teachers, university students, lecturers, women groups, refugees and Itinerary Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the conflict areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The permanent staff of FCE is 7 person and about 50 volunteers (students, schoolchildren and teachers, women groups, farmers, fishermen scientists, etc). Donors of the granted projects are EU, USAID, Eurasia Foundation, different countries' embassies in Georgia, among others.

Some recent implemented projects are:

1. "Integrated Hotspots Management and Saving the Living Black Sea Ecosystem HOT BLACK SEA", financed by EU BSB ENI CBC, 2013-2016; (team leader)
2. "Identification, Management and Sustainable Usage of the Eutrophicated areas of the Black Sea Coastal Zone", financed by UNEP GEF SGP (the project coordinator) https://www.facebook.com/foundationcaucasusenvironment, 2014-2015
3.   "Strenghening the Women Action for Sustainable Energy Development in Gali and Zugdidi Regions of Conflict areas of Abkhazi"