BIP partner search for existing international summer school on Circular Cities organized at Ghent University (September 2022)

From within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering of Ghent University, we have organised since 2019 a multidisciplinary summer course on Circular Cities in the last 2 weeks of September, coordinated by Prof. Gijs Du Laing. Last year, this summer course was organised simultaneously at 3 different European cities, supported by the European Network EIT Raw Materials (see www.circucity.ugent.be), but in 2022 we will only organize it in Ghent. The summer school will be organized as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) with funding from the Erasmus+ programme.

A description of the summer school concept can be found below. The course file (3 ECTS credits) can be found here in the Ghent University Study Guide .

We are currently looking for universities interested to act as partner in this summer school project. Partners are asked at least 5 students to Ghent for participation in this summer course. Furthermore, professors or other experts active in renewable energy and e-mobility transition, sustainable water management, recycling of wastes, industrial symbiosis, sharing economy, urban food systems or sustainable buildings from partner universities can be involved as lecturers contributing to the summer school content (see description below). If someone from within your university is interested in participation in the 2022 edition of the summer school, i.e. providing students and/or experts/professors to contribute, please contact us (Gijs.DuLaing@UGent.be) by April 12.  

Participating student profiles

The summer school is open for students holding at least a Bachelor degree with a basic knowledge of chemistry, mathematics and physics. Students from multiple disciplines are encouraged to participate e.g. environmental technology, energy, industrial/civil/environmental engineering, architecture and urban planning, chemistry, materials sciences.

Description of summer school concept

Students are trained and challenged to co-develop novel solutions for sustainable circular cities. The programme is composed of 3 inter-woven training lines:

• Especially during the first week, the summer school consists of a series of interactive lectures and workshops given by experts in the field related to a variety of aspects of the circular economy. Case studies from companies showcase good practices in the circular economy, in particular the renewable energy and e-mobility transition, sustainable water management and recycling of wastes. These sessions are organised online for all students together.
• A multi-day tournament is woven through the seminars and lectures. For this tournament, small groups of 5 students are challenged to re-design a city district, meanwhile working towards sustainable development goals and dealing with 3 challenges imposed by the Tournament Board dealing with Water, Energy, and Materials. Each group presents its ideas and innovative solutions to deal with the challenges gradually throughout the summer school. At the end of the summer school, the final city design is presented and evaluated by the Tournament Board. Local and international experts guide and evaluate the tournament.
• Some crucial elements are taken up separately in thematic modules: industrial symbiosis, sharing economy, urban food systems, sustainable buildings. Throughout the summer school, the thematic groups will study cases, supervised by an expert, and present their findings to all other participants. This form of microteaching ensures an in-depth approach and allows students to work on a theme that best fits their profile.

Best wishes,

Gijs Du Laing

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering – Ghent University – E-mail: Gijs.DuLaing@UGent.be