News and media appearances
Here you will find all and any news on our current work.
22.-25. April 2026
Our team took the project on the road, hosting our very first workshop in Pühajärve and Narva. We gathered a group of international scholars to tear into our ongoing research and see if what we are doing holds water. Over three days, discussions focused on mechanisms of industrial modernity, sustainability interventions, technocracy, comparative country cases, and methodological advances, including large language model–based analysis. Huge thanks to Lea Fünfschilling, Bruno Turnheim, Ed Steinmueller, Paul Edwards, Frank Feraart, Victoria Donovan, Melvin Wevers and Kaspar Beelen for the sharp critiques and thoughtful engagement.
21.-22. April 2026
European researchers unite in Tartu to tackle sustainability challenges
The Deep Transitions team co-organised the fourth thematic workshop, “Multi-system Dynamics in Sustainability Transitions,” on 21–22 April, bringing nearly 15 researchers from across Europe to Tartu. The two-day workshop focused on examining the interconnected transitions of socio-technical systems in the domains of energy, mobility, and food.
According to the organiser, Research Fellow of Sustainability Transitions Sophie-Marie Ertelt, it has been great to continue the tradition of the yearly workshop format on multi-system dynamics and to welcome leading researchers in the field to Tartu. „The continued interest in the workshop shows that multi-system dynamics has become an important research stream within sustainability transitions studies,“ said Ertelt.
20. April 2026
Estonian researchers unite in Tartu to tackle sustainability challenges
The team organised a networking event titled “Sustainability Research in Estonia,” which brought together researchers from the University of Tartu, Tallinn University, TalTech, and other higher education institutions across Estonia. The event aimed to map overlapping interests and foster future collaboration on pressing ecological and social challenges. The day-long program kicked off with introductions to the Deep Transitions research team and the SustainERA project, followed by insights into ongoing transitions research at TalTech. The afternoon session featured a series of rapid-fire presentations covering diverse angles of the field—ranging from climate crisis governance and international energy relations to the technosemiotic reframing of AI systems.
1. Mar 2026
It’s official: Laur is taking up the mantle as Professor of Sustainable Transitions. For his inaugural lecture on 10 March in Tartu University assembly hall, he’s skipping the pleasantries and going straight for the juggernaut: whether our current scientific path is enough to steer us away from global disaster. This public lecture explores Laur’s core research themes and is open to staff, students, and the public. Stay for the live Q&A to challenge the status quo and debate the future of sustainability. Read more…
6. Mar 2026
Anna-Kati recently opened a panel discussion exploring the disconnect between sustainability goals and actual practice within industrial societies at Cross-Innovation Day 2026. By establishing the research framing for the session, she examined how persistent technological optimism often limits broader transformative power that could be sparked by social innovation. Read more about CIDAY26…
4. Dec 2025
Laur presented some tentative ideas about theorizing industrial modernity at the Network of Early Career Researchers in Sustainability Transitions webinar. He also got into a boxing match with Bruno Turnheim but, as always, the best bits have been excluded from the broadcast. Read more…
6. Nov 2025
As we struggle with environmental and societal crises, there’s a growing need to rethink the foundational ideas of industrial modernity according to Laur Kanger, Professor of Sustainability Transitions, who was the invited guest speaker at a policy seminar hosted by CIRCLE and SIRI. Read more…
17-18. Jun 2025
RiDe project kick-off seminar in Tartu
The Deep Transitions research team gathered to discuss Laur Kanger’s newly launched European Research Council–funded project “The Rise and Fall of Industrial Modernity” (RiDe) and to set goals for the near future. The seminar brought together both local and international team members, who shared their work ranging from time series analysis, applications of artificial intelligence, and studies of industrial modernity to theoretical frameworks.
03. Dec 2024
European Research Council has awarded a Consolidator Grant to Laur Kanger. Read more…
27. Feb 2024
Getting out of our current environmental, biodiversity, and climate crisis will require major changes to societies around the globe. What exactly are the barriers to such a transformation, and which countries are best placed to make the change and could therefore serve as an inspiration to others? Read more…