INTEGRATE applied a mixed-method, mixed model approach to address its research objective and consisted of several interlinked work packages: In WP1, a cross-sector consistent vision of a climate neutral Austrian economy was developed with stakeholders as basis for a back-casting process, in which the corresponding consistent pathways were identified. While for transport a detailed analysis of required policy measures and policy packages had been completed earlier (ACRP project QUALITY, Final Report of December 2021), such comprehensive policy discussion was lacking for industry, manufacturing and energy, as well as for the buildings sector. WP2 was devoted to the former (industry, manufacturing and energy) and WP3 to the latter (buildings). Individual sector agents, interest associations and the public sector lacked information on cross-sector feedbacks, interdependency implications, and distributional implications of policy measures and policy packages including on private and public budgets. To supply such information, WP4 developed an Integrative Economic Evaluation Tool (IEET), covering the sectors analyzed in WP2 (industry, manufacturing and energy), WP3 (buildings) and transport (building upon the ACRP project QUALITY, thus with no explicit WP in INTEGRATE). The IEET was created to analyze two crucial dimensions in order to guide the design of transformation-enabling policy packages: in WP5 distributional implications were assessed (via public and private budgets, by economic sector, household income group and geographical location type, as well as by age spread) and in WP6 implications for a financial market providing sufficient financial resources for investment (public, private or in partnership) are discussed. The financial sector is the catalyst for risk-return-adequate investments in sustainable activities and assets across all sectors of the economy.
Building upon the cross-sector common vision (WP1) further detailed consistent pathways for industry, manufacturing and energy (WP2) and buildings (WP3) were derived. These were evaluated via the Integrative Economic Evaluation Tool (WP4) whose outputs, along with distributional (WP5) and financial market implications (WP6) and the thus derived design suggestions, were used to develop coherent policy measures (WP7). These measures were integrated into policy packages and lead to recommendations to enable politically feasible Austrian climate neutrality pathways, coproduced with stakeholders. The project management WP8 also oversaw dissemination and management of the interaction with the Scientific Advisory Board.