Pact

The KIN Pact offers researchers and climate professionals from the fields of policy and practice a place to collaborate on their climate or transition issues.

KIN Pact: moving forward together

Are you a researcher, policy analyst or climate professional at a nonprofit organization? And despite your hard work and dedication, do your best climate plans keep getting shelved? Or do you work on sustainability policy within the government or the private sector, but sometimes lack the right knowledge?

The Netherlands is full of change-makers like you – people who want to drive transitions forward but run into barriers. Through the KIN Pact, we bring you together. Because we believe that collaboration between research, policy and practice is one of the keys to the climate transition. The Pact is here to help you make your work more impactful – so you can truly make a difference in the transition to a climate-resilient future.

What does the Pact offer?

The Pact supports you as a (practical) researcher or climate professional in your work on (climate) and system transitions. By facilitating cooperation and providing practical support. Whether you are affiliated with a (knowledge) institution or organisation or participate in a personal capacity. Because together, and by doing, we can make faster progress. Within the Pact, members work in working groups on various climate and transition issues.

  • You can establish your own network centered on a specific (climate) transition issue or theme.
  • You’ll gain access to a relevant and diverse community of doers and catalysts from academia and civil society
  • You’ll have the opportunity to establish a substantive link between your own research, program, or project and that of KIN
  • You can take advantage of the help and support offered by other Pact members – such as intellectual and practical expertise, networking opportunities, and research or practical programs – as well as practical resources like meeting rooms at various locations throughout the Netherlands.
  • You’ll receive (practical) support from the KIN in organizing activities (for your network)
  • We’ll help you increase the visibility of your research and/or organization within the broader KIN network
  • Be the first to receive invitations to events organized by other Pact members, the KIN, or KIN-affiliated organizations, such as Crutzen workshops, IPCC expert sessions, and personal invitations related to your expertise

What does membership mean?

  • Pact members help each other and advance their mission
  • Pact members actively contribute to the community. You can do this, for example, by contributing time, resources, your network, or facilities that other members can use
  • Pact members can join an existing network (or its activities) or start one from scratch
  • You join the Pact in a personal capacity
  • Membership is free, but we do expect you to be actively involved
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Van Pact naar imPact

From Pact to ImPact: accelerating transitions together across borders

Over the past year, 19 working groups within the Pact have put their shared knowledge into action. By clicking the button below, you can explore the interactive PDF to learn – organized by theme – about the valuable contributions they have made to the climate transition!

From Pact to imPact – PDF

How does the KIN Pact work?

The Pact operates from the grassroots level. Together with you, we want to bring up the urgent and relevant issues facing society and equip you with the right knowledge, skills and tools so that you can achieve your climate goals. That’s why we promote collaboration between research, policy and practice. We also encourage the exchange of knowledge between research and practice and help make this knowledge more applicable. This way, our collective knowledge gains momentum. Together we can make a difference!

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How can you become a Pact member?

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Curious? Sign up using the form accessible via the button below.

You’ll receive a confirmation email from us right away.
Welcome to the Pact, prospective member!

We’ll call you shortly afterward to get to know you and confirm your membership.
During this call, we’ll tell you more about the Pact and our core values and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Welcome to Pact!
Starting now, you’ll receive our newsletter (Newsflash) with the latest news and the events calendar, and you’ll have access to an overview of the Pact network.

Be sure to stop by one of our events or those organized by one of our working groups. Or join the Online Zeepkist to meet other Pact members and hear what they’re working on. Or share your own story!

Become a member

Do you have a question or need more information?

Curious whether joining the Pact is the right fit for you or your organisation? Sem Roefs, Pact Community Manager, is happy to talk it through with you.

Mail pact@hetkin.nl

How do the working groups operate?

Working groups consist of active members. This means that all members are members of the Pact. Within your working group, you take concrete steps toward your climate goals and address your climate challenges. You do this collaboratively, drawing on the shared knowledge and experience of other Pact members from the fields of research, policy, and practice.

Demand-driven themes
Working groups within the KIN Pact are formed around a specific issue or a demand-driven theme. Have you identified a need within your working group or within the Pact? As a member, you can organize activities or start a working group. At the KIN Pact, we’re specifically looking for initiatives that haven’t yet gotten off the ground.

As a working group, you’ll meet at least once for a kickoff meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to define the working group’s theme and objectives. These might include organizing events or producing knowledge resources or communication materials.

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How do you start a working group?

Pact members can also start their own working group as long as it aligns with the KIN’s mission and objectives. However, we do believe it’s important that your working group adheres to several principles of the KIN Pact – such as a demand-driven approach and a transdisciplinary focus – and, more importantly, can it get off the ground without the KIN Pact?

Would you like to start your own working group? We’d be happy to explore the possibilities with you. Please contact one of the KIN Pact team members using the contact information below.

How does the KIN support?

KIN works with you to find solutions and provides practical and financial support to get you and your working group started. This includes organizing a meeting, providing useful tools and resources or offering a small support budget. In addition, we can help you develop or identify suitable grants, or refer you to networks or organizations that specialize in this area.

Joining a working group

Are you interested in joining an existing working group? This may be possible, depending on the stage a particular working group is in. To do so, please contact the person listed on the working group’s page.

View all working groups

Become a member

Are you a researcher or do you work as a policy officer or climate professional for the government or a social organisation, and would you like to accelerate the (climate) transition? The Pact is here to help you do your job better, so that you can make a real difference.

Sign up

How is the Pact organized?

Curious about how the Pact is organised, how governance is arranged, and who is involved behind the scenes? We would be happy to tell you more about it.

Read more

Frequently Asked Questions

The Pact is there to contribute to your climate mission or that of your organisation. Pact is for anyone who believes that cooperation can make this happen faster, better and in a more enriching way. Do you have a plan? Then you can always contact one of the Pact representatives from KIN.

Cooperation within the Pact mainly takes place in working groups. Members of a working group tackle an issue themselves, often related to their own field of work or background. With KIN, you can also collaborate for the Pact, for example by organising events with us. If you are already working on an issue, we at KIN can give it visibility or connect you with a working group from the Pact community.

No, that is not necessary. Pact membership is free of charge and we do not ask you to contribute your own budget. We do ask Pact members to be committed and to have an open, proactive attitude. We would like Pact members to be open to collaboration and to regularly attend each other’s events. We are developing various new financing instruments for existing and new working groups to finance their initiatives.

The KIN Pact comprises two work programmes: ‘ACT – Accelerating Just Climate Transitions in Urban Regions’, which aims to accelerate climate transitions in various neighbourhoods in the Netherlands in a fair manner. The THRIVE x KIN Purpose Accelerator programme will be completed at the end of 2024. In this programme, PhD candidates conducted research into good examples of pilots and interventions in the field of climate neutrality and resilience.

The KIN Pact approaches issues from a systemic perspective. This means that different themes are often linked.

The themes are determined by demand and therefore arise from identified urgent social issues or research tasks. The Strategic Advisory Council (SAR) of the KIN prioritises themes based on tasks where we, as the KIN Pact, can make a difference. The KIN focuses on themes related to the system transitions to a climate-proof and climate-neutral society, such as cities and infrastructure, energy, industry and economy, nature, agriculture, food and water, planetary health and sustainable care. Cross-cutting themes offer a special lens on a larger theme, for example: Climate Justice and Connectedness, Imagination, Institutional and Human Capacity, Innovation and Technology, and Planetary Boundaries.

Not sure whether your (research) topic fits in with the Pact? Send an email to pact@hetkin.nl, and we will work with you to see how you can get involved. 

The Pact was established as a place where members can meet during online and live events and chance encounters. Are you looking for research partners and curious about who within the KIN Pact might be eligible? You will find a comprehensive overview in the members’ area. You will gain access to the members’ area as soon as you have registered for the Pact. The list is also available on request. To request a copy, please email pact@hetkin.nl.

There are already many good initiatives in the Netherlands that are committed to making the country climate-proof and climate-neutral. The Pact aims to create more cohesion in these existing networks and to help ensure that the right knowledge reaches the right parties by promoting mutual knowledge exchange.

Organisations and individuals (in a personal capacity) can become members of the KIN Pact. The names of all members can be found in an overview in the Pact member area. You will have access to this as soon as you become a member. The list is also available on request. To request a copy, please email pact@hetkin.nl.

KIN supports the Pact with time, money and practical matters. Members of the permanent KIN team (community managers and programme coordinators) facilitate meetings and help find relevant networks. There is a budget to pay for Pact activities. In addition, KIN offers communication support via a website, mailing list, newsletter and social media channels, which we use to promote cooperation and visibility.

In addition to the Pact, KIN also focuses on the development of projects and programmes. The ACT programme is an example of a (relatively) long-term work programme (three years, €1.5 million), as are Just Water Transition Mozambique and The Cost of Doing Nothing (in progress). In addition, we facilitate shorter projects that can be implemented quickly and in response to demand, using new financing instruments such as the Network Grant and the Knowledge to Action Grant.

Yes, where we see gaps in the current funding system, we develop new funding instruments such as the Network Grant and the Knowledge to Action Grant.

The Pact Calendar, which provides an overview of all upcoming events organised by Pact, can be found in the events overview. Pact members also receive regular mailings announcing upcoming events and meetings. If you would like your colleagues to receive these mailings as well, please ask them to register or send an email to pact@hetkin.nl.

Would you like to stay informed about all activities and news concerning the KIN? Then sign up here for the (monthly) newsletter. 

That is certainly possible. Please send an email to the Pact via pact@hetkin.nl, and we will ensure that your request is forwarded to the appropriate parties. We also organise a quarterly Online Soapbox where you can ask questions or briefly pitch an idea to the other community members.

Frequently Asked Questions – working groups

A working group consists of a group of people with a common goal who organise activities to achieve this goal. The working group determines its own activities. These vary from meetings, projects (such as a roadmap, white paper or guide), Make-atons, theatre shows, skill labs, living labs or other forms. The KIN is there to provide support.

There are currently 20 working groups active. Click here for an up-to-date overview.

Working groups consist of Pact members and are transdisciplinary. This means that they represent various (scientific) disciplines and different sectors of society, ranging from business, civil society organisations and government to knowledge institutions.

Working groups make agreements among themselves about their working methods. When sessions or meetings are organised, the KIN communicates this via the various communication channels of the Pact and in the Events Calendar. We also share public meetings via the KIN newsletter and social media channels.

That depends on the phase a particular working group is in. In principle, all Pact members can start a working group if it is in line with the mission and objectives of the KIN. Some of the things we look at are whether the working group meets the following criteria: demand-driven, transdisciplinary, falls within the KIN focus areas, and would not get off the ground without the KIN Pact.

Working groups can be organised in various ways, such as a Community of Practice (CoP), project group or consortium.

The KIN focuses on system transitions towards a climate-proof and climate-neutral society. Thematic areas include: cities and infrastructure, energy, industry and economy, nature, agriculture, food and water, planetary health and sustainable care. Cross-cutting themes include: climate justice and solidarity, imagination, institutional and human capacity, innovation and technology, and planetary boundaries.

Still unsure? Send an e-mail to pact@hetkin.nl, and we will see if it fits within the mission and goals of KIN.