Professional, Scientific & Technical

Professional, scientific, and technical activities in the EU Taxonomy recognise the enabling role of knowledge-intensive services in the green transition. This sector covers research, engineering, and consultancy activities that directly support emissions reduction and climate adaptation across the economy.

Activities include close-to-market research and development of low-carbon technologies, engineering services for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and technical consultancy for climate risk assessment and adaptation planning. These are classified as enabling activities because they provide the expertise that other sectors need to achieve Taxonomy alignment.

For relevant activities, the technical screening criteria can require demonstrable links between professional services and measurable environmental outcomes. Research must then target technologies with significant emission reduction potential, engineering must deliver solutions that meet the applicable criteria for the relevant sector, and adaptation consultancy should apply best-available climate science to infrastructure and building resilience assessments.