The challenges faced by society today, including climate change and scarcity of energy resources, require answers of an interdisciplinary nature in the study, design, operation, and regulation of systems that generate, transport or use energy.

The University of Coimbra has been addressing these challenges in the context of its Energy for Sustainability (EfS) Initiative, bringing together professors and researchers from the Faculties of Science and Technology, Economics, and Psychology and Educational Sciences.

The conference in Energy for Sustainability aims at creating a forum where stakeholders, researchers, practitioners and students from different scientific domains can discuss and share their experience and proposals regarding approaches to tackle the need for a more sustainable world.

EfS 2013 will act as an ideal forum to air recent advances and future trends in study, design, operation, and regulation of systems that generate, transport or use energy and it is open to students and experts interested in their development and application. The theme for the EfS 2013 is "Sustainable Cities: Designing for People and the Planet" which is dedicated to debating the challenges posed by the increasing concentration of the world's population in cities. Up for discussion are topics grouped under four main categories: Smart Cities, Buildings and End-uses, Clean Energy Supply, Policy and Assessment.

We invite everyone involved in research to participate in EfS 2013. The Conference will be a privileged forum for debating new research streams and challenges and for identifying areas of success and partnership opportunities in the fields of Energy and Sustainability.

We look forward to welcoming you to Coimbra on the 8th September 2013.