The International Conference on Sustainable Energy, ISEC 2024, a forum for research, business and energy policy, jointly organized by the Austrian Institute for Sustainable Technologies, the UN Organization for Industrial Development and the Federal Ministry of Austria, will take place for the third time on April 10th Graz, Austria, with the support of BE OPEN.
The focus of ISEC 2024 is on how we can achieve energy sovereignty within a time horizon dictated by climate change and defined by policy. Global solutions such as the transformation of our economic system towards a sustainable circular economy, the complete exit from fossil fuels, the implementation of sector coupling and energy storage systems as well as the smart electrification of the energy supply are the focus of the lectures and discussions.
The conference program consists of invited speakers from industry, science and politics as well as lectures and poster presentations from researchers from all continents. As a stimulus for future-oriented concepts, ISEC 2024 wants to inspire groundbreaking ideas on heat transformation in renewable energy systems and resource efficiency and enable a comprehensive exchange between research, industry and energy policy.
BE OPEN, in turn, will use its participation in the conference to promote the results and ambitions of the Foundation’s five-year SDG Student Competition Program, which focuses on a specific goal each year and to date covers SDG12, SDG11, SDG2, SDG7 and SDG13. The program aims to encourage the development of innovative solutions by younger creatives for a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Elena Baturina, founder of BE OPEN, explains why the conference is so important for BE OPEN: “From Austria’s recent national review of the 2030 Agenda and from what I have personally observed since I began my life here, it is clear how committed Austria is to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the UN SDGs at national and global levels. Austria has been promoting the principles of sustainable development in its ecological, social and economic dimensions for decades. BE OPEN is honored to be part of the International Sustainable Energy Conference agenda and we are sure that our commitment to engaging creative young people worldwide in the development and implementation of solutions for the SDGs will be valued and supported.”
BE OPEN firmly believes that creativity is an essential part of the transition to a sustainable existence. To achieve the United Nations SDGs, we need to think outside the box. We need creative thinking – design thinking – and creative action. Design plays a crucial role as a tool or vehicle for the implementation of the UN SDGs.
BE OPEN is a global initiative to promote creativity and innovation, a think tank whose mission is to empower people and ideas today to develop solutions for tomorrow. It is a cultural and social initiative supported by Austria-based philanthropist and entrepreneur Elena Baturina. BE OPEN was created to harness creative brain power through a system of conferences, competitions, exhibitions, master classes and cultural events.