About SINCERE

The SINCERE project will develop new economic modelling tools to understand the resource use patterns of China and the EU. The project will also address indicators and metrics, institutions and policies, and will examine historical patterns between resource indicators, trade and macro-economic performance, with the overall aim of strengthen collaboration between European and Chinese researchers. 

The SINCERE project is part of a collaborative funding initiative by The Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR France), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Germany), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC UK), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC China) and the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO Netherlands) on the green economy. The project is supported by an advisory board and it collaborates with stakeholders and other researchers. 

Research areas

WP1  Analytical frames of a circular economy, resources and sustainable growth in China, Europe, and international
WP2  Analysing Historical Dynamics
WP3  Indicators and Metrics
WP4  Institutions and Policies
WP5  Resource Efficiency, Circular Economy and Macroeconomic Dynamics

Impact

The research will provide evidence of considerable value to policymakers. Both the EU and China, along with many EU member states, have adopted high-level policies to advance resource efficiency and circular economy aspirations. However, existing data and insights are limited, both in terms of the likely economic implications of achieving higher levels of resource efficiency, and in terms of the drivers (principally innovation and technological change) of resource efficiency and the way in which these can be influenced by policy.

Through developing indicators for studying the green economy, we will enable researchers statistical agencies to better monitor resource efficiency. Evidence on the comparative innovation performance, and on the effectiveness of innovation policy support, will be of direct use for those involved in developing innovation policy for resource efficiency.

By advancing the state-of-the-art in macro-economic and dynamic systems modelling of resource efficiency, SINCERE will enhance the analytic capacity of researchers and policy organisations. The benefits will be felt both in terms of the substantive conclusions, and in terms of the methodological insights.

Impact will be achieved through the engagement of stakeholders directly in the work; through publications and dissemination of outputs; through the development of datasets and tools that will be springboards for further analysis.