Sustainable Europe Research Institute
The Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) is a non-profit, pan-European think tank that investigates the possibilities of sustainable development for European societies. It was founded in September 1999 and is based in Vienna .
The mission statement is:
“Sustainability means fairness. With regard to global phenomena such as the economic crisis, climate change or scarcity of resources, the question arises of how we can preserve our freedom of action and that of our children under such conditions. SERI conducts applied sustainability research and offers approaches for a holistic management of essential problem areas with their social, economic and ecological aspects.
The activities of SERI concentrate on the change of Europe in the local, national and global context and are carried out within the framework of European, national and international research and cooperation projects. Our vision of sustainability is to enjoy life - and to be conscious and responsible in dealing with yourself, with others and with natural resources.
The aim of SERI is to create awareness. Because “everything we do - or not do - influences other people in our complex, networked world. Communication is therefore a central instrument for the scientific and advisory activities of the SERI. ""
SERI currently has two independent offices.
SERI Germany eV is based in Cologne.
In Austria, SERI operated as a sole proprietorship (“SERI - Dr. Friedrich Hinterberger”) until 2004, and since then as a GmbH (SERI Sustainability Research and Communication GmbH). It describes itself as "one of the leading institutes in Austria in the field of sustainable development". It summarizes its activities as follows:
“Our projects facilitate the solution of problems at the intersection of economy, society and the environment, taking into account ecological, economic and social responsibility. We support decision-makers in the field of sustainable development with information that is essential for their goals in the context of national, regional and European sustainability strategies. In addition to the documentation and presentation of relevant information, we communicate new ideas and concepts for sustainable development. These are conveyed to the target audience via new and "old" media (books, brochures, CD-ROMs, websites, etc.). "
SERI Vienna has (as of July 2012) nineteen ongoing projects. The institute publishes an annual report on its activities.