UNU research focuses on the challenges faced by the United Nations and its Member States. Our current research portfolio supports all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to inspire global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges.
Project
Responsible Electronics in the Climate Change Era (REC2)
The project is led by TU Dresden in close collaboration with national and international partners, including UNU Resource Nexus, and brings together a strong interdisciplinary network of principal investigators and cooperation partners.
Project
CARE - Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction
The project runs as a Cluster of Excellence led by Technische Universität Dresden and RWTH Aachen University, with participation from international partners including UNU Resource Nexus.
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Raising awareness of Carbon Concrete Composites through AI-assisted learning (CarbonConcrete-AI)
CarbonConcreteAI develops AI-supported learning to advance global knowledge on carbon concrete and circular construction.
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Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre Aachen – Bangkok – Chennai – Dresden (ABCD Centre) - Phase 2
In 2026, the ABCD-Centre enters the second phase as a strengthened consortium of five academic institutions in three countries on two continents.
Project
Resource Nexus analysis of critical raw materials landscape in Central Asia
The project provides a systemic framework for assessing sustainable raw material extraction in Central Asia, thereby supporting the Institute's mission to develop sustainable strategies for managing material flows and resources in a holistic, integrated manner.
Project
Excellence in Digital Transformation Internationally
Analyse Digital Indicators to measure and evaluate the maturity level of digital government performance.
Project
Risks for Urban Migrants and Refugees
Based on seven case studies, the ARRIVE project develops recommendations to reduce the risk of refugees and urban migrants in secondary cities.
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Training on Digital Public Infrastructure
Strengthen digital public infrastructure (DPI) as a cornerstone of effective, transparent, and user-oriented public service delivery.
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From Causation to Threshold: Developing a Refugee Law-Based Policy Support System for Climate Displacement, Tested Through African Case Studies
This is a joint PhD project between UNU-CRIS and Ghent University.
Project
Strategic Assessment of Flood and Earthquake Risks For Risk-Informed Planning in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SAFER-BiH)
Spatial flood & earthquake risk assessment focusing on key risks to provide recommendations for risk-informed spatial planning & risk governance