Bringing social sciences and engineering together for climate resilience
The 39PHE/2024 project representatives took part in SGEM Social & Arts 2025 conference, held between 24–29 August 2025 in Albena, Bulgaria – an international platform bringing together experts from around the world in the field of social sciences, humanities, and the arts.
During the event, the UPT delegation delivered an interactive workshop focused on local climate action and the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) into community-level decision-making. The session provided an excellent platform to present the Support Center for Climate Actions UPT (SCCA UPT) — a structure established through the ELCA project and further consolidated through activities supported by the 39PHE/2024 project.
The workshop was facilitated by Lect. Dr. Habil. Eng. Rareș Hălbac-Cotoară-Zamfir, director of SCCA UPT, and psychologist Cristina Hălbac-Cotoară-Zamfir, both part of 39PHE project team. Together, they coordinated a series of discussions and collaborative exercises designed to help participants better understand how NBS can be integrated into local planning processes.
Through guided dialogue, researchers, practitioners, and representatives of local communities explored practical pathways to strengthening local adaptive capacity. The workshop showcased not only the technical potential of NBS but also the critical importance of understanding social behaviours, local risk perception, and community needs — dimensions essential for achieving meaningful and lasting climate resilience.
Framed within the broader mandate of the 39PHE/2024 project, the workshop underscored how strategic knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration can support the development of robust, community-centred climate strategies. The project's emphasis on multidisciplinary approaches was highly visible throughout the session, which brought together environmental engineers, psychologists, sociologists, local governance experts, and sustainability professionals.
The participation at SGEM 2025 represented an important step forward in strengthening the institutional role of SCCA UPT. It enhanced the Center's visibility at the European level, facilitated new collaborations, and opened opportunities for future partnerships. The insights collected during the workshop will directly contribute to SCCA UPT's capacity to accelerate local climate actions and to promote the integration of NBS within regional and European policy frameworks.
The event confirmed the organizational capacity of the Support Center for Climate Actions to design and coordinate impactful, participatory, and interdisciplinary workshops at international scale. It also highlighted the value of combining scientific excellence with local engagement — a vision shared across both the ELCA project and the activities supported by the 39PHE/2024 initiative.
Acknowledgment:
Participation in this event was financially supported through the 39PHE/2024 project, funded by UEFISCDI.