The ‘International Policy Perspectives’ series highlights leading international policy institutes and partnerships that are helping governments translate evidence into practical policy and service reform. Through short case studies, it explores how different countries are strengthening evidence-informed policymaking and what lessons these approaches may offer for Australia.

As Australia accelerates its transition to a Net Zero future, identifying effective policy solutions – and translating complex technical evidence into decisions that are politically feasible, coordinated and socially acceptable – remains a central challenge.

In Germany, adelphi contributes to addressing this challenge through its role in the Kopernikus project Ariadne, a multi-partner research consortium focused on the energy transition, offering an example of how research, policy and stakeholder perspectives can be brought together to support decision-making.

This case highlights a model of collaboration in which an intermediary organisation facilitates structured, ongoing exchange between research, policy and stakeholders, rather than relying on one-off advisory inputs alone.

Strengthening the science-policy interface

Project Ariadne is part of Germany’s Kopernikus Programme – a major government-funded research initiative focused on strengthening the science-policy interface in the energy transition.

The project explores energy transition strategies and their systemic effects, as well as cross-sector interactions, including the decarbonisation of industries and the housing sector.

It examines how different policy instruments can be designed to achieve the objectives under the Paris Climate Agreement in an efficient and socially balanced way.

The Ariadne project demonstrates a model of collaboration in which engagement is continuous and embedded within the research process rather than occurring simply at periodic consultation points.

Driving climate dialogue

The Ariadne project specifically addresses decision-making challenges in energy transition policy and facilitates dialogue with politicians, stakeholders and citizens across sectors. After all, the energy transition can only succeed through a joint learning process.

Within this model, adelphi contributes by designing and implementing stakeholder participation processes across areas such as industry, heating and climate foreign policy.

The project brings together representatives from government, the private sector, science and civil society in a continuous exchange, through which research design and results are tested and refined over time.

To better understand the impact of different policy instruments and develop socially sustainable strategies, these processes involve representatives from government, business and the broader public.

adelphi uses a range of stakeholder dialogue formats to provide a safe space for researchers and policymakers to explore approaches to diversifying Germany’s energy supply.

Alongside often complex and contested debates between government, political parties and the broader public, this work incorporates stakeholder perspectives into ongoing discussions.

Insights for Australia

Australia’s energy transition is taking place within a complex policy environment, where responsibility is shared across governments, markets and sectors. For policymakers, this creates a need to coordinate across jurisdictions and sectors while managing competing priorities in the rollout of renewable energy.

In Australia, elements of this are already visible in initiatives that bring together government, industry and communities to inform energy policy and planning, including Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) planning processes in NSW and Victoria, transmission planning led by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and community engagement processes associated with infrastructure reforms.

However, these existing processes tend to be time-bound, project-specific, or focused on consultation, rather than on embedded, iterative forms of dialogue that connect research, policy, and stakeholder perspectives over time. The Ariadne model illustrates how more structured and sustained dialogue can help surface trade-offs and support more coordinated decision-making.

It also highlights the role of communities of practice in supporting ongoing learning in the energy transition. The potential for such practices to scale regionally and internationally signals an opportunity for governments and industry worldwide.

Rather than seeking consensus upfront, such approaches enable policymakers, researchers and stakeholders to work through competing perspectives and uncertainties over time, supporting more informed and durable decisions.

Similar questions are also emerging in Australian work on co-design and community participation in the energy transition, including a recent APPI-supported project about the involvement of Aboriginal Land Councils in regional transition planning.

Strengthening open and proactive dialogue among policymakers, industry and consumers could help the Australian energy sector respond to emerging energy challenges in a more stable, efficient and effective manner.

Lara Bate is an External Affairs Associate at the Australian Public Policy Institute. She is currently completing a Master of International Development at the Geneva Graduate Institute.