The METIER final conference, co-organised by the JRC and the Partnership for European Environmental Research (PEER), was held 4-6 November in Brussels. The event was attended by 89 young scientists and 30 lecturers from all over the world discussing their latest research results on how to tackle the complex challenges of climate change, water availability, biodiversity and sustainable land use. One of the main purposes of the event was to provide training in entering into dialogue with practitioners and policy makers, getting to know their needs and how to respond to them.