Research

The construction of the Future Circular Collider by CERN generates large quantities of excavated material. This excavated material (mostly molasse) is to be converted to such an extent that it can be used for arable and forest soils. The project is concerned with the extent to which this can be achieved (1) safely and (2) in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. (1) After technical treatment by two project partners, cultivation trials are planned on CERN land. Experiments with comprehensive measurements (in particular air, plants, soil) are to be planned and carried out in order to be able to investigate safety. (2) It is conceivable that the conversion technology could also be used in other construction projects involving excavated earth in the Alpine region (e.g. tunnel drilling, subway railroad construction). Market research and life cycle assessments will provide an initial estimate of the technology's potential.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, some 420 million hectares of forests worldwide have been lost to deforestation over the past 30 years, severely compromising their important functions (e.g., sequestering carbon to slow climate change, conserving biodiversity, providing wood as a renewable resource). It is estimated that agricultural expansion is responsible for nearly 90% of global deforestation. A large part of tropical forests converted into agricultural land is used for the production of globally traded commodities (esp. palm oil, soy, cocoa, coffee and natural rubber). Consumption of these goods in the EU is responsible for about 10% of global deforestation. The European Commission has recognized these facts and the responsibility they entail, and has therefore proposed a regulation to put an end to deforestation. This requires objective traceability from the production of the raw material to the customer. Therefore, traceability is the first technology component used in DeFREE: a product tag based on a QR code makes it possible to trace the product back to its origin. In a second step, the remote sensing component assesses whether deforestation has occurred in the production area and its surroundings since 2020. In cases of doubt, more detailed in-situ data are required. Such ground data are not always easy to obtain - especially in tropical and subtropical countries. Therefore, crowdsourcing is used as a third component in DeFREE: crowdsourcing. In our project, crowdsourcing data is a valuable data source to train the system and ensure reliable results.

The aim of the project is to measure and approximate the reaction of Austrian households in view of the various crisis our society has to face. In particular, the consumer reaction in view of food consumption and the identification of diet patterns shall be detected. Crises, that are significant impacts changing our society, are: the still actual COIVD 19 pandemic, actual price boosts for food (and other consumption goods), increasing inflation rates, the energy crisis, and the climate change issues we have to tackle in the immediate future. To be able to get a deep and detailed view of the actual situation in Austrian households, a qualitative study approach will generate plausible hypotheses. 30 to 40 case studies are intended, covering different household sizes, income classes, education status, etc. to get an overview of developments in Austria. The final goal of the study are hypotheses, that can be tested in a subsequent study design (quantitative study paradigm).