The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), together with the German UNESCO Commission, has honored the Summer School "Social Innovation in MINT" at the TUD Dresden University of Technology (TUD) with the "National Award - Education for Sustainable Development". The summer school aimed to inspire students from various departments to engage in social innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration and practical methods. In total, the jury recognized 23 initiatives for their special commitment to education for sustainable development.

In August 2024, students from various degree programs came together at the TUD for the Summer School. The participants were given tools to develop sustainable solutions for social challenges and implement them in their own projects. Over three intensive days, they gained practical knowledge of business models, creative techniques and social innovations, which they were able to incorporate directly into their own ideas. Experts from science and business supported the students with keynote speeches and workshops. The highlight was a pitch in which the teams presented the concepts they had developed to a panel of experts.

"The Summer School was an enriching and intensive time that I look back on fondly. I am delighted to have received the award and am particularly grateful for the appreciation it expresses," says Katharina Hunger, Summer School organizer and Research Associate at the CIMTT Center of Production Engineering and Management. "The students worked on their ideas with a lot of creativity and commitment and showed how important sustainability and social community are to them. Accompanying this process was a great enrichment for me. It was particularly impressive to realize that socially sustainable topics hardly played a role in the everyday life of many of the participants - an area with a lot of untapped potential," adds the industrial engineer.

Background to the award

The "National Award - Education for Sustainable Development" recognizes organizations, networks and municipalities that are committed to shaping our society in a livable, sustainable way as part of the UNESCO ESD 2030 programme. Sustainable development means ensuring human dignity and equal opportunities for all in an intact environment.

Contact
Katharina Hunger
Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering
CIMTT Center of Production Engineering and Management
E-mail:
Phone: 0351-463 33597