From 24 to 27 March 2026, the House of Energy, Climate and Finance (HECF) at the University of Duisburg-Essen will host the 4th Climate, Energy and ESG Workshop in Essen. Under the direction of Prof Dr Rüdiger Kiesel, the conference will bring together leading scientists and high-ranking practitioners from the fields of energy, climate and financial markets.

The event will focus on current challenges at the interface of climate policy, energy markets and sustainable financing. The programme is divided into four main topics, each of which will take up half a conference day:

• Climate policy with a special focus on the EU ETS
• Financing the green transition
• AI in energy markets
• Enterprises and climate change

Renowned speakers from international research institutions, central banks, companies and business schools - including representatives from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Bundesbank, the University of Edinburgh, BI Norwegian Business School, the University of St. Gallen, DTU Copenhagen and the Oxford Smith School - will organise presentations and panels. The programme will be complemented by a German-language SME panel discussion and moderated expert panels with representatives from academia and practice.

A special item on the programme is the Outreach Talk on 25 March 2026, which is explicitly aimed at a broader audience with an interest in the subject. The speaker will be Darius Maleki (Inglosus, Maleki Group). In the subsequent panel discussion, representatives from business and science will discuss current developments in the field of climate and energy economics.

In addition to invited talks, the workshop offers poster sessions for theoretical and empirical research papers. Two Best Poster Awards (CHF 300 each), sponsored by Risks, will recognise outstanding contributions from young researchers and conference participants.

The main workshop will take place on 25 and 26 March. The conference will be framed by a PhD Spring School on 24 March and a Practitioner Course on 27 March, which will specifically address young researchers and practitioners.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.

With the Climate, Energy and ESG Workshop, the HECF is once again emphasising the importance of the University of Duisburg-Essen as a research location in the field of energy and climate finance and sustainable transformation

Further information and registration: lef.wiwi.uni-due.de/forschung/energy-climate-finance-workshop/