The goal of the RISIS Research Seminars is to foster the exchange of ideas within and outside RISIS community. In each seminar, scholars and practitioners present and discuss their ongoing research. Seminars promote communication among scholars at a critical stage of their research on a shared topic.
The seminars should involve a broad scholarly audience in science policy, higher education and innovation. To improve the effectiveness of the seminars, a discussant from the scientific community is involved.
Seminar general outline
Seminars are dedicated to the presentation and discussion of ongoing quantitative research by researchers and practitioners addressing topics relevant to the field. Use of quantitative data, including those from the RISIS datasets and from the European Higher Education Sector Observatory, is encouraged.
Be a presenter
If you are interested in presenting your work in the RISIS Research Seminars, please contact Georg Zahradnik.
RISIS Seminar #53
Title: Cap-and-trade policies and regional environmental innovation: evidence from the EU Emissions Trading System
Date: 11 February 2026
Presenter: Sebastian Losacker, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (with Tim Becke and Sandro Montresor)
Discussant: François Perruchas, Universitat de València
Chair: Thomas Scherngell, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Abstract: We investigate whether more regionally stringent cap-and-trade (C&T) policies induce regional innovation in environmental technologies and whether this effect spills over to proximate regions. Compiling a novel regional dataset, we test this argument for the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) over the period 2005-2020. We find evidence of an intra-regional spillover effect, which is weaker in regions specialized in environmental technologies. We also identify inter-regional spillovers through spatial proximity and trade relationships, but not via knowledge networks. Instrumenting C&T exposure with a Bartik IV supports a causal interpretation of our estimates.
RISIS Seminar #54
Title: Family instability and access to higher education in Europe: what policies help? Evidence from EU-SILC
Date: 11 March 2026
Presenter: Kristina Lindemann , University of Edinburgh
Discussant: tba
Chair: Benedetto Lepori, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology/Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano
Abstract: Using EU-SILC survey data for 25 European countries, this talk asks whether public policies can reduce gaps in tertiary education linked to family structure. I compare young adults from two-parent families with those whose parents separated and those who lost a parent, and relate these differences to two policy areas: (1) benefits for single parents and (2) financial support for tertiary students. Results from multilevel regression models point to student aid as the key lever: where student support is more generous, the gap for youth from separated families is smaller, especially in low- and middle-SES households.
