Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)

The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) is Switzerland’s centre of excellence for sustainability transformations. One of the University of Bern’s strategic research centres, we conduct research and teaching on behalf of a more sustainable world. Our aim is to chart pathways to sustainable development and to initiate transformations in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the spirit of engaged and transformative science, we deliberately work at the nexus of science and policymaking. By combining cutting-edge scientific tools with practical implementation, we contribute to sound solutions that are innovative, concrete, anchored in specific contexts, and supported by local actors.

CDE’s research agenda is co-created within long-standing partnerships spanning the global North and South. It focusses on the interplay of natural resources, land use and ecosystems, their political regulation and social institutions, and the living conditions and lifestyles emerging for diverse population groups.