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

 

Join us for the 2025 LAMASUS / BrightSpace Summer School: June 2-6, Laxenburg, Austria  

The LAMASUS / BrightSpace 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 LAMASUS and BrightSpace 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.

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 geodatabases and policy database, essential resources for conducting quantitative policy analysis and evaluating real-world scenarios. 

The course combines lectures by LAMASUS and BrightSpace 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.  

Summer school objectives

  • Get hands-on experience with LAMASUS advanced modelling tools and databases
  • Learn to interpret state-of-the-art statistical tools to benchmark the impact of policies on land use and the agricultural sector
  • Gain familiarity with the workings of integrated agricultural and forestry sector focused land use models (e.g. GLOBIOM) to evaluate European policy impacts on land-use, carbon emissions, and biodiversity
  • Navigate comprehensive databases on land-use, management, and, and policy drivers

Trainers 

The course will be taught by experienced scientists from IIASA associated with the LAMASUS project, 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, as well as experienced scientists from the BrightSpace project. 

 Researchers include:  

  • Tamás Krisztin, scientific coordinator LAMASUS, Senior Research Scholar in the Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group, IIASA 
  • Petr Havlík, principal investigator LAMASUS, Program Director and Principal Research Scholar of the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program 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 
  • Michael Wögerer, Researcher in the Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group, IIASA 
  • Juraj Balkovic, Senior Research Scholar in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services Research Group, IIASA 
  • 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