Summer school: Advanced modelling techniques for land-use and policy analysis

Join us for the 2026 LAMASUS / BrightSpace / Tools4CAP Summer School: 8-12 June, 2026, at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.  

The LAMASUS / BrightSpace / Tools4CAP Summer School offers an immersive experience in the concepts, methodologies and outputs of cutting-edge econometric, biophysical, and integrated land-use modelling, specifically tailored to assess the impacts of European agricultural policies. Through engaging sessions led by passionate IIASA researchers, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the models’ frameworks, applications, and key findings, equipping them with valuable insights for policy analysis and research.

At its core, LAMASUS is about bridging the gap between policy formulation, implementation, and monitoring. LAMASUS connects key stakeholders—including the European Commission, national authorities, and local land users – through a robust policy evaluation process. The centerpiece of this process is the LAMASUS Toolbox, which provides policy pathways, targets, and model updates to inform decision-making at all levels – EU, national, and farm. 

BrightSpace supports the European Green Deal by developing strategies that help EU agriculture operate within a Safe and Just Operating Space (SJOS), balancing socio-economic well-being with environmental sustainability. The BrightSpace analytical toolbox offers forward-looking projections up to 2050, which assess the effects of technologies, governance structures, and policies. BrightSpace aims to inform policymakers with evidence-based recommendations to guide EU agricultural policies towards climate goals and sustainable practices.

The Tools4CAP project, which stands for Innovative Toolbox empowering effective CAP governance towards EU ambitions, supports the design and monitoring of the national Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans (SPs) 2023-2027. The 2023-27 CAP is based on a New Delivery Model, where Member States must submit a national Strategic Plan presenting the country’s needs and planned interventions for each specific objective. Innovative governance models are essential to enable result-based policymaking to deliver the best policy pathways to facilitate the green transition. Tools4CAP supports the design and monitoring of these pathways through bottom-up adaptation of innovative methods and tools.

Whether you’re planning to pursue a PhD, just starting one, supporting national ministries as a policy analyst, or actively shaping policy, this one-week course is ideal for you. Tailored for emerging experts—students, researchers, and policy advisors—it offers a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of applied policy analysis in the land-use sector, while expanding your knowledge of modelling tools, data analytics, and methods for evaluating current policies and simulating future policy impacts. 

During the one-week course, you will engage directly with the middle section of this process: the LAMASUS Toolbox. This means you will: 

• Explore how advanced econometric and forward-looking models are applied to study changes in land use and land management, particularly in the agricultural and forestry sectors. 
• Understand the policy pathways and feedback mechanisms that link farm-level impacts to regional, national, and EU-level policy goals. 
• Get familiar with the LAMASUS geodatabase and IIASA Accelerator, essential resources for conducting quantitative policy analysis and evaluating real-world scenarios. 

The course combines lectures by IIASA experts with practical workshops. The initial lectures will provide theoretical foundations and introduce the datasets and tools. Subsequent sessions will allow participants to apply these tools in guided exercises.  

The key outcome is to distinguish the benefits of various methods in analyzing land-use changes, assessing policy impacts, and offering expert advice to decision-makers.  

Trainers 

The course will be taught by experienced scientists from IIASA associated with the LAMASUS, BrightSpace and Tools4CAP projects, who were involved in various EU policy impact assessments including the DG CLIMA impact assessment of 2040 Climate Targets: Securing our future Europe’s 2040 climate target and path to climate neutrality by 2050 by building a sustainable, just and prosperous society. 

 Researchers include:  

• Tamás Krisztin, scientific coordinator LAMASUS, Senior Research Scholar in the Integrated Biosphere Futures (IBF) Research Group, IIASA 
• Anastasios Haniotis, Senior Guest Research Scholar at IIASA, Special Advisor for Sustainable Productivity at the Forum for the Future of Agriculture 
• Linda See, Principal Research Scholar in the Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability Research Group, IIASA 
• Leopold Ringwald, Researcher in the IBF Research Group
• Michael Wögerer, Researcher in the IBF Research Group
• Juraj Balkovic, Senior Research Scholar in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services (AFE) Research Group 
• Thomas Oberleitner, Research Scholar in the AFE Research group
• Richard Cornford, Research Scholar in the Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation Research Group, IIASA  
• Felicity Addo, Research Scholar in the Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group, IIASA
• Amanda Palazzo, Senior Research Scholar IBF Research Group
• Stefan Frank, Senior Research Scholar IBF Research Group