A number of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concern environmental and climate aspects. The micro-module provides students with background knowledge about the SDGs. The micro-module deals with strategies for dealing with complex global environmental and sustainability problems. Particular focus is placed on technical solutions that are explored in laboratory experiments. In the laboratory exercises, we study how anaerobic digestion can be used to purify organic waste from environmental toxins and produce useful resources such as biogas and fertilizers. Analysing solutions to complex sustainability challenges often requires interdisciplinary expertise. The chemical, biological and physical perspectives applied in the lab environment are therefore integrated with technical and social science knowledge of environmental issues. In this way, the micro-module integrates perspectives from different scientific disciplines in the analysis of complex relationships between the SDGs to identify synergies and avoid goal conflicts.

For the syllabus of the micro-module, please see [here](https://studieinfo.liu.se/en/kurs/746G74/ht-2025-2#syllabus).

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Linkoping University

Solutions to global sustainability challenges

Understand solutions to complex sustainability challenges through an interdisciplinary perspective

Energy and sustainability

Critical and innovative thinking

The micro-module focuses on intercultural competence as a basic, democratic prerequisite for the education of younger children. Learners will get to approach and explore the concept of intercultural competence as a dynamic process, where the ability to be responsive in interpersonal communication is central.  The focus is also on various democratic dilemmas that can arise in educational practices for younger children where, for example, questions about children's participation versus the power of adults are actualized. ´The global perspective runs as a common thread in the micro-module, as different countries' ways of meeting diversity and interculturality are discussed, with a particular focus on early childhood education. Furthermore, work with democratic issues in educational settings is highlighted and practical examples are given of how communication and creativity can be used as didactic tools to support the acquisition of democratic values.

This micro-module will start with online lectures and activities, to lay down the theoretical foundation in the importance of intercultural competence for a democratic early childhood education. This will be followed by a mandatory face-to-face week, where you will have the opportunity to meet peers and par­ticipate in interactive activities. Site visits to early-childhood and extended education centres are planned, along with outdoor activities and a city tour in Norrköping. 

This module is an excellent choice for students of teaching programmes and or other disciplines within education and pedagogy, who are keen to develop their intercultural completence and curious about how they can work with democracy and equity in their fields.

Democracy and Equity in Early Childhood Education

How to educate the democratic citizens of tomorrow

Resilient communities

Global citizenship

The micro-module deals with ethical questions that rise from the development of more and more sophisticated autonomous systems. Questions of what requirements and standards we should hold technology to, and why. What kind of agents are artificial systems, and can they be considered moral agents? Can they be ascribed any moral responsibility at all? And where should the main responsibility for artificial intelligence (AI) be placed and why?

The micro-module focuses on three main areas of moral relevance for autonomous systems and AI:

1. Responsibility for decisions made by artificial agents.
2. Bias/discrimination as a result of AI use.
3. The importance of participation in the development of AI systems.

During this micro-module, students are provided theoretical tools for reflection on the development of AI, requirements that ought to be made regarding this technology and how it ought to be managed in society.

Member universities may require additional information from applicants. Please read the application information section carefully and include any extra required information in this section.

Other

graphical user interface, text, chat or text message

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Ethical questions about technology and AI

Inter-personal skills

Intra-personal skills

There is a lack of representation of children in cultural heritage institutions, particularly museums. Children's own cultural production, experiences, and life stories are seldom collected, recorded, preserved, or displayed.

To address this, the theoretical and analytical concept of children’s cultural heritage takes centre stage in this micro-module. Our starting point is that all children have the right to participate in culture and cultural heritage. We will delve into issues regarding the representation of children and children’s culture at cultural heritage institutions, especially museums.

One cluster of issues discussed includes the politics and ethics of representing children in archival collections and museum exhibitions. Another cluster concerns the conditions for children’s engagement as museum visitors and suggestions for improving museum practices.

In addition to online lectures and seminars, the micro-module includes an individual visit to either a physical or online museum. This visit is required as preparation for the online examining seminar and the written report.

This micro-module will broaden the horizons of any student and we will be happy to welcome participants from a wide range of backgrounds, especially if you have an interest in children, culture, heritage, design, communication, and democratic and inclusive social institutions.

Children´s cultural heritage at museums

Thinking critically about preservation and display of children's past and future

Media and information literacy

Healthcare quality has improved as a result of the development of new technologies, treatments and disease understanding. However, these developments come with increasing costs and resource demands that many healthcare systems struggle to manage. This leads to limited access to such advancements and the creation of socioeconomic, geographic and demographic barriers. 

Most deadly diseases can be treated and cured if detected early enough. Early-stage detection and interventions are typically low-cost and have minimal impact on the patient´s life quality. Unfortunately, many people realise their condition too late.  

Two Swedish startups – [Neko Health AB](https://www.nekohealth.com/se/en) and Sund Medical Decisions AB- are working with Linköping University to develop new clinical screening and health monitoring technologies. Their goal is the identification of risky individual behaviours and early-stage detection of diseases, enabling low cost and impact interventions. Sceptics believe that preventative care would merely shift increasing healthcare costs from sick to healthy individuals. Neko and Sund want to address these concerns by employing novel, low-cost and widely accessible technologies. 

Smartphones are now everywhere and offer unique opportunities for innovation. Equipped with cameras, microphones, speakers, LEDs and other sensors, they have the potential to be the base components for medical devices. This has sparked an explosion of research efforts in the “low-resource settings” arena, where the goal is to create healthcare tools that are available to everyone, regardless location or income.

**Your challenge**

In this challenge you will be tasked to develop a smartphone-based medical screening/monitoring tool using optical technologies. You will create an accessible, low-cost prototype for home or remote use that helps individuals understand and manage their health. The performance limitations of such devices will also have to be taken into account, when developing your solution.

By bringing together an international and interdisciplinary group of students, this challenge looks to integrate the diverse perspectives necessary to address global health inequalities. Students from all backgrounds will work together to ensure that the solutions are inclusive, culturally sensitive and technically robust, maximising real-world impact.

Health in Your Hands - Innovating Smartphone-Based, Photonic Diagnostics for All

What if your smartphone could help save lives?

Entrepreneurship, technology and innovation

As smartphones and similar devises have become ubiquitous in our society, they present a unique and unforeseen opportunity for telemedicine, remote monitoring and the empowerment of individuals to engage and better manage their own health. These devises are, in essence, handheld computers that can access several sensors and sources that are similar/analogous to components used in current and emerging optical medical devices.  However, relative to these medical devices, smartphone components are limited in performance and range as they were optimised for other tasks uses.

This micro-module will introduce students to several optical methods employed (or emerging) in medical screening and monitoring and how these principles “could be” implemented using or modifying smartphone technologies currently available. These techniques and concepts will be approached at a general (empirical) level, consistent with the students´ current competence and diverse discipline backgrounds.

Also, ethical questions will be discussed, such as whether the consequences of reducing costs and increasing access to these techniques can meet these actual needs and demands of all individuals in the greater society. The challenge for the students is to develop a basic understanding and vocabulary to describe how this may be achieved and whether these devices are “good enough” to make a positive impact.

The popular science orientation makes the micro-module useful for students of not only technical but also humanistic disciplines. Supplemental materials will also be provided for more advanced students to explore independently beyond the scope of this generalised micro-module offering.

The following topics are covered:

- How light can be used to access both tissue function and structure in the context of detecting disease and/or monitor health in a broad population.
- The principles of operation of technologies within smartphones and smart devices, including discussions on what tasks they have been optimized and how that can differ from the needs of a medical device.
- The challenges and ethical considerations when developing a medical device that would perform equivalently across a diverse population, ranging over different skin pigmentations, ages, obesity, health status, genders, etc

Health in Your Hands - Smartphones as Medical Devices: when is simple, too simple?

Exploring the Promise and Pitfalls of Digital Health Tools

Urban environments are teeming with bioresources, such as various types of biomass and organic waste, that often go underutilized. This challenge invites you to delve into the complex problems associated with the suboptimal use of these bioresources and explore how anaerobic digestion can transform them into valuable biogas and biofertilizer.  

Despite the significant potential of anaerobic digestion, many urban bioresources are wasted or poorly managed, contributing to environmental degradation and energy inefficiency. Your challenge will be to examine the current landscape, identify barriers, and propose strategies to integrate biogas technology more effectively into urban settings. More specifically, you will identify an underutilized urban bioresource, define the reasons behind its lack of use, and propose concrete solutions.

Collaborate with industry experts from [St1 Biokraft,](https://st1biokraft.com/) engage in interdisciplinary research, and present your innovative solutions to stakeholders. This challenge-based learning experience promises to be both intellectually stimulating and practically impactful, driving sustainable development and helping cities transition to greener futures.  

The challenge includes a face-to-face (F2F) week at Linköping University in Sweden. During the F2F week, you will get the opportunity to engage with some of the most advanced biogas systems in the world, you will interact directly with the challenge provider, visit state-of-the art biogas research facilities, and get a tour of a full-scale biogas plant at Tekniska Verken AB in Linköping.  

Join us and be part of the solution!

This challenge is given within the context of the course Advancing Sustainable Futures: Integrating Biogas Production into Society for a Greener Transition. For more infromation about the course and the syllabus, please see [here](https://studieinfo.liu.se/en/kurs/746G75#overview).

St1 Biokraft biogas production plant in Mönsterås - under construction

Building cities of the future: harnessing new urban bioresources

Turn organic waste from a problem to a solution

Circular economy

**About the Company**  

[Nodra](https://nodra.se/) is on a mission to create better everyday lives for all residents of Norrköping. We ensure the availability of clean water, sustainable waste management, and stable broadband services—day in and day out, year-round. Our goal is to operate so seamlessly that people hardly notice us, which means everything is working just as it should. As a municipally-owned company, we carry a significant responsibility to lead and drive the transition toward a sustainable future. One of our key tasks is to help Norrköping climb higher on the waste ladder (Avfallstrappan), ensuring better waste management practices that prioritise reuse and recycling.  

**Background to the Challenge**  

Effective waste management is a critical pillar of sustainability. While Nodra provides a range of waste services to support Norrköping’s residents, we recognise the need to make them more accessible, user-friendly, and engaging. To encourage the community to move up the waste hierarchy—focusing on reuse and material recycling—our services must evolve to meet people’s needs in a way that is simple, intuitive, and motivating.  
We believe that by better understanding our residents—their habits, challenges, and motivations—we can create an even greater positive impact. By partnering with creative, forward-thinking learners like you, we hope to uncover fresh insights and innovative ideas to enhance our services and inspire sustainable behaviours across the city.

**The Challenge**

Your challenge is to reimagine Nodra’s waste services to help Norrköping and its residents move higher on the waste hierarchy with a focus on reuse and recycling. We want you to explore how our services can be more accessible, effective, and engaging, making it easier and more appealing for people to make sustainable choices in their daily lives.  
We are looking for creative, human-cantered, and practical solutions that can truly empower Norrköping’s residents to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle.

This challenge is given within the context of the course InGenious - Cross Disciplinary Project. You can find more information and the course syllabus [here](https://studieinfo.liu.se/en/kurs/799G52#syllabus).

Up the waste ladder

Innovating Norrköping’s path to a sustainable future

Climate change is the biggest challenge of our time. To solve the climate challenges we face, we must first understand something about the complex relationship between the natural, social and political systems that drive climate change. This micro-module introduces concepts such as sustainable development, environmental issues and planetary boundaries to open the door for students to examine those systems and understand how they affect each other. The micro-module thus, deals with the causes and effects of global environmental problems, and discusses the social, political and economic conditions at play within the planetary boundaries.    
During the micro-module, students will develop their understanding of these phenomena through lectures, online laboratory activities, workshops, seminars and group work.

For the syllabus of the micro-module, please see [here](https://studieinfo.liu.se/en/kurs/746G73/ht-2025#syllabus).

Global Sustainability Challenges

Using planetary boundaries to understand climate change

This international challenge invites students to contribute to the design and testing of a **Digital Key system** that enables smart, secure vehicle access using wireless technologies. Proposed by ACTIA, an international company with strong ties to universities and engineering schools, the challenge reflects real-world project workflows and offers a valuable entry point into the mobility sector.

The challenge is divided into two main assignments, each focused on a different wireless technology:

**Assignment 1 – BLE Subsystem**  
Students will develop a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based subsystem that detects and connects to nearby authorized devices, such as smartphones or smartwatches. When a moving object (BLE source) is detected and validated using a whitelist, a secure connection is established. The system then estimates proximity based on predefined zones around the vehicle (e.g., front, rear, left, right). Once the user is close enough, the system hands over to the UWB subsystem for more precise tracking.

**Assignment 2 – UWB Subsystem**  
The second assignment involves developing a UWB-based positioning system that activates after BLE handover. UWB allows for high-precision real-time tracking and can determine whether a user is inside or outside the vehicle. Students will build upon results from a previous CDIO collaboration, which identified key areas for improvement: system robustness, real-time operation, and vehicle-level integration.

**Real-World Application**  
Throughout the project, students will test their subsystems using real hardware (development kits provided by ACTIA) and evaluate their performance in both lab and real-world environments. Security, especially in the context of post-quantum threats, is a critical consideration.

Although the two sub-projects are technically independent, the final objective is to deliver a coherent, integrated system. Teams will need to coordinate at key milestones to ensure their components work together.

**Why It Matters**  
Wireless access and positioning systems are rapidly evolving across the automotive industry and beyond. Understanding their technical, security, and usability dimensions is crucial for engineers working in connected and autonomous vehicles, smart cities, or the Internet of Things (IoT). This challenge provides direct experience with these technologies while simulating how cross-functional teams operate in international, industry-driven contexts.

**Student Benefits**  
Participants will develop technical skills in wireless communication, embedded systems, real-time algorithms, and system integration. They will also gain experience in project management, teamwork, and intercultural collaboration. The challenge includes industry feedback and offers visibility with potential employers—making it not only a rich learning opportunity but also a professional springboard into the industry.

Motivation letter is a personal statement and it might include a brief introduction of yourself, explanation why are you interested in the learning opportunity you are applying to, any relevant experience or skills that you have, your goals and how this opportunity will help you achieve them, This document should not be more than 400 words.

Motivation Letter

CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a document that summarizes your educational and professional history. It must provide a detailed overview of your academic and work experience, skills, achievements, and qualifications.

INSA Group

Multiple Wireless Technologies for Vehicles

A Concrete Use Case for Smart Cars

Transport and Mobility

**What is this module about?**

Business modelling in the circular economy is something quite different than in the linear economy. Partners, stakeholders, and suppliers all must be taken into consideration when forming an innovative company with a circular business idea. This module covers the foundations of business models and sustainability in the light of business development. Then we move into practical exercises where you get to work with circular business models.

**What will you learn?**  

You will explore the intersection between innovative business models and sustainability – two fields that, when combined, can lead to real change. The module focuses on business applications and provides practical skills for working with both physical and digital business ideas. Through case studies you will learn by practicing business modelling on real cases.  

**Who is this module for?**  

If you are interested in how the circular economy will shape both innovative solutions and business, it does not matter what background you have. This module is designed to be given for students coming from technical, sustainability, or business backgrounds.

**Preliminary schedule**

Below you see a preliminary schedule for the module. Note that the synchronous sessions (in bold) are obligatory . The asynchronous sessions and group work appear in the schedule in specific days every week to give you an idea of how much time you need to invest in the module and how you can structure your studying. You can of course plan your week and studying according to your own needs and schedule.

Week 1

**Monday: Welcome lecture and course overview - 2h - synchronous (time TBA)**

Tuesday: Innovation lecture - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Wednesday: Innovation - lecture - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Thursday: Innovation discussion - 2h - Online forum

Friday: Business Modelling lecture - 2h - Asynchronous - self-study

Week 2

Monday: Business Modelling lecture - 2h - asynchronous - self-study

Tuesday: Business Modelling discussion - 2h - Online forum

Wednesday: Sustainability lecture - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Thursday: Sustainability lecture - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Friday: Sustainability discussion - 2h - Online forum

Week 3

**Monday**: Circular business modelling - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

**Circular business modelling - 2h - Synchronous (time TBA)**

**Tuesday: Kickoff group assignment - 2h - Synchronous (time TBA)**

Wednesday: 1st group meeting - 1h - Synchronous (time based on group agreement)

Thursday: Time for group assignment work - 4h - synchronous or asynchronous - based on group agreement

Friday: Time for group assignment work - 4h - synchronous or asynchronous - based on group agreement

Week 4:

Monday: Time for group assignment work - 4h - Synchronous or asynchronous - based on group agreement

**Tuesday: Presentation Group assignment - 2h - Synchronous (time TBA)**

Wednesday: Individual reflection - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Time for group assignment work - 2h - synchronous or asynchronous - based on group agreement

Thursday: Individual reflection - 1h - asynchronous - self-study

Time for group assignment work - 2h - synchronous or asynchronous - based on group agreement

Friday: Hand in individual reflection

Hand in group assignment

Business modelling in the circular economy

How entrepreneurship and innovation can contribute to a more sustainable economy.

**Module content**

This micro-module aims to introduce practical AI, focusing on basic machine learning. The goal is to understand how to build AI systems using machine learning, gain insight into the possibilities and limitations of the technology, and to get an overview of common methods for machine learning.

**Module outline**

Elements of AI, Part 2: Building AI is an online module that you can take at your own pace. Simply go to the following website and start the course after you've been admitted: [https://buildingai.elementsofai.com/](https://buildingai.elementsofai.com/).

The micro-module is based on self-study and is examined with self-correcting tests and submissions. If you have completed the online module Elements of AI, Part 2: Building AI with advanced honors, you can have your results validated. This includes a validation test with questions similar to those found in Elements of AI, Part 2: Building AI. For more information see the module's info page: [Elements of AI, Part 2: Building AI](https://www.ida.liu.se/~ETE337/info/courseinfo.en.shtml).

Elements of AI, Part 2: Building AI

Learn about the practical methods that make artificial intelligence a reality

**The module is divided into two parts:**

The first module, Perspectives on International Communication (2.5 ECTS), focuses on intercultural communication in general, and takes as its point of departure some central theories, notions and practices from anthropology and sociology, in order to provide a framework for a critical analysis and understanding of obstacles and pitfalls in intercultural communication. The aim of the course module is to provide the students with tools to be able to identify and remedy communication breakdowns in favour of creating less friction in professional intercultural contexts.

The second part, Intercultural Communication with English as a Lingua Franca (5 ECTS), builds on the theories and notions studied in the first part, but here, the focus is on communicative situations where English is the language of communication. Here, linguistic features will also be analysed and discussed as possible obstacles and/or resources to successful communication.

Intercultural Communication in an English-speaking World

Learn to successfully communicate in English in a professional and international environment.

Language learning

In an era where clean energy is more crucial than ever—amid the rise of cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and other energy-intensive technologies—the need for sustainable solutions has reached a critical point. Green hydrogen is at the forefront of this transition, offering a viable path to reducing carbon emissions and securing a cleaner future. Recognising its importance, the EU has introduced policies to support energy-focused start-ups (e.g. The SET Plan), fostering innovation and accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy.

[Organic H2](https://organic-h2.com/) is one such start-up, emerging from years of cutting-edge research in organic electronics, electrochemistry, and conductive polymers. With a scientifically validated technology and patents in LOHC and LOPC, the company is now navigating the challenging path from research lab to market. Like many deep-tech start-ups, Organic H2 must bridge the gap between scientific breakthroughs and commercial viability while integrating into a rapidly evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

**Your Challenge**

In this challenge, you will take on the role of strategic advisors to help Organic H2 transition from a research-driven innovation to a successful market player. Learners will dive into a start-up journey, exploring how scientifically proven technologies transition from research to real-world applications. This process emphasises sustainability, localised economies, social justice, and well-being. This challenge will emphasize: Sustainability – ensuring the long-term environmental and economic viability of hydrogen solutions. Localised economies – exploring how Organic H2 can integrate into different  regional markets. Social justice & well-being – addressing how hydrogen solutions contribute to fairer, more sustainable societies.

Through hands-on problem-solving, market adaptation strategies, and entrepreneurial ecosystem integration, you will help Organic H2 define its path toward establishing itself in the energy industry. By the end of this challenge, you will gain a deep understanding of the hurdles and opportunities that deep-tech start-ups face, equipping you with the tools to turn research into real-world impact.

From lab to market

Overcoming early-stage challenges in green energy innovation

There is a lack of representation of children in cultural heritage institutions, particularly museums. Children's own cultural production, experiences, and life stories are seldom collected, recorded, preserved, or displayed.

To address this, the theoretical and analytical concept of children’s cultural heritage takes centre stage in this micro-module. Our starting point is that all children have the right to participate in culture and cultural heritage. We will delve into issues regarding the representation of children and children’s culture at cultural heritage institutions, especially museums.

One cluster of issues discussed includes the politics and ethics of representing children in archival collections and museum exhibitions. Another cluster concerns the conditions for children’s engagement as museum visitors and suggestions for improving museum practices.

In addition to online lectures and seminars, the micro-module includes an individual visit to either a physical or online museum. This visit is required as preparation for the online examining seminar and the written report.

This micro-module will broaden the horizons of any student and we will be happy to welcome participants from a wide range of backgrounds, especially if you have an interest in children, culture, heritage, design, communication, and democratic and inclusive social institutions.

**Preliminary schedule**

Below you can find a preliminary schedule for the micro-module. Please keep in mind that changes may occur. The links for the online sessions will be send to the participants in due course.

- 19 May: 15:30 - 16:30 CEST Introduction
- 28 May: 13:00 - 17:00 CEST Drop-in, Interactive group meeting (Optional)
- 05 June: 13:00 - 15:00 CEST Seminar group 1 (TBA)
- 05 June: 15:00 - 17:00 CEST Seminar group 2 (TBA)
- 15 June: Hand in final assignment

Elements of AI is an online module that you can do at any time and in any pace at [https://www.elementsofai.com/](https://www.elementsofai.com/). The module is a self study module of the online material and is examined through self correcting and peer reviewed exercises. When you have completed Elements of AI you can register to this module to get your results validated. To verify that you have really taken the online course, you have to upload your certificate from Elements of AI and do a validation test with questions similar to the ones in the online module. For more information see the following website: [ETE318 Elements of AI - Course Information.](https://www.ida.liu.se/~ETE318/info/courseinfo.en.shtml)

Elements of AI

What is AI? Learn more about the basics and core concepts of artificial intelligence.

The micro-module is based on the United Nations' 17 sustainability goals within Agenda 2030. Participants will carry out in-depth work within one of the goals and broaden their knowledge in other sustainability goals by becoming familiar with the work of other groups. This micro-module involves working with a sustainability challenge of your choice.

During this micro-module you will be learn how to identify a challenge linked to one of the 17 goals in Agenda 2030 and analyze it from temporal, cultural, and geographical perspectives. You will also be able to obtain, interpret, and compile information from scientific literature and the surrounding society relevant to manage the identified challenge. You will propose a way to wisely handle the challenge based on information from relevant sources. Finally, you will communicate your result in English, both in writing and orally.

Sustainable development

UN Global Goals and sustainability challenges

This is an online beginner’s Swedish module which includes pronunciation exercises, reading, oral training, basic Swedish grammar and short writing exercises. After having completed the module, you should have basic knowledge of Swedish – A1 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Swedish for Foreign Students - level A1

Language studies

a robot standing in front of a large blackboard

In this module, play is treated as a central part of childhood and it is described from different research-based perspectives. Play is also related to teachers’ mission to stimulate creativity, learning and development and promote social community between children. Furthermore, how teachers can create environments for play is discussed, as well as the pedagogical potential in play as a way to interact and communicate. The module develops upon a childhood sociological perspective, including concepts such as children's perspectives and children's agency.

The module will start with online activities that will provide the theoretical background in play as a pedagogical resource. During the face-to-face week at Linköping University, campus Norrköping (12-16 May 2025), you will have the opportunity to meet peers and par­ticipate in interactive activities. Vari­ous play situations, including both outdoor and indoor play, will be explored. Site visits to early-childhood and extended education centers are planned, along with excursions to both the forest and the city of Norrköping. Students will also employ their different backgrounds to inform discussions about play.

This module is an excellent choice for students of teaching programmes and for students of other disciplines that are curious about how play can stimulate creativity and learning in their filed.

Play as a pedagogical resource to support children´s development, learning and creativity

Join us in exploring the great learning potential of play and make a difference in children´s education.

The module addresses the concept of responsible innovation—innovations that strive to ethically and sustainably align technological progress with societal needs within planetary boundaries. It covers the potential impacts of innovation, taking into account various ethical and sustainability perspectives. Additionally, the organisation of the innovation process for implementing responsible innovations will be discussed. The module will also examine sustainability from a policy perspective.

Responsible Innovation for a Sustainable World

How we can innovate for the better

The module introduces the concept of the metacrisis as a denominator for the Anthropocene, the climate crisis, the mass extinction of life and loss of trust and social cohesion in society. It introduces how value systems and identities relate to our responses to these crises around us, and explores how the understanding of values, and thinking in terms of interconnected complex systems can help us chart relevant paths ahead as professionals, members of communities and collaborators in ecosystems.

Responding to the metacrisis

Untangling myths and values to help us navigate our future

New sustainability programs at the EU level, such as the Nature Restoration Law, One Health Program, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy, raise questions for natural resource-based companies on how to integrate restorative and regenerative practices while ensuring long-term viability. For Södra, a leading Swedish forestry cooperative, the forest is more than just a source of renewable raw material for the Södra industries—it provides climate benefits, ecosystem services, long-term economic potential, and represents a core of Swedish innovation. Moreover, forests are a shared spaces for both people and wildlife, offering both livelihood and recreation.  

Södra is Sweden’s largest forest-owner association, founded in 1938 and today a strong cooperation of 52,000 individual forest owners. Members are diverse, ranging from farmers who actively manage their forests to city-dwellers who have outsourced the work. With local roots in southern Sweden and a presence in the global market through its industrial activities, Södra’s primary mission is to ensure the profitability of its members’ forest estates and to secure markets for their raw materials. This is achieved through a focus on high-value industrial segments and a balance between productive forestry and nature conservation, while always respecting members’ property rights. Innovation, sustainability, and the interests of the forest owners guide the cooperative’s work, with the ambition to create sustainable value from every tree.  

As the importance of sustainability has grown, Södra has integrated this focus across almost all levels of the organization. At the same time, public opinion on how forests should be managed is shifting, and Södra must continuously adapt and develop its practices to remain competitive—both in the market and among its members.  

In light of this educational challenge and aligned with recent developments in EU legislation, Södra needs to consider whether it is time to proactively redefine its strategies. Aligning with forthcoming and expected regulations and programs is not only a matter of compliance but a strategic opportunity. By acting early, Södra can strengthen its position as a leader in sustainable forestry and turn these challenges into new market opportunities. Innovation in products and services that support biodiversity and ecosystem health will allow Södra to meet the growing demand for sustainability. Moreover, by focusing on regenerative practices, Södra can further establish itself as a pioneer in combining ecological restoration with long-term economic resilience and Swedish innovation.  

Your challenge is to investigate how Södra can increase their positive ecological and societal impacts based on their position and take lead in the transition to a sustainable society. What assets and values can be utilized and what new innovative grips need to be taken?

The sustainable forest challenge

How to make the forest viable through restorative and regenerative practices

Which benefits spill on society and local communities when we are able to explore multiple  implications of socio-economic factors and prospective geopolitical events? How is dealing professionally with the future as a study object? What type of mindset and study career is needed for developing a rigorous methodological framework in future studies?

These questions are among the ones that the participants to ECIU Challenge 2025 ‘Engaging with the Future’ will address and research: they will be involved in an innovative learning environment, dealing with in-presence participatory workshops and lectures and online meetings and seminars with experts and academics. Collaborating in groups and supported by tutors, students are also called to challenge the world with a visionary attitude in formulating ideas about new educational paths and multidisciplinary competencies for ‘Engaging with the futures’.

Within the ECIU educational framework, participants  (BA and MA students), researchers and professionals dealing with future studies and related issues will imagine how anticipatory perspectives can be stimulated at the individual and social level and discuss the possible interconnections between disciplines (anthropology of the future, foresight and scenario planning, risks and disasters anticipatory plans) and across relevant global issues (demographic crisis, ecological transformations, social and political hysteresis, cultural changes).

The 2025 edition of the Challenge will offer in-presence lectures by researchers of both Trento and Linkoping University (Poli, Odella, Foradori, Fredrickson, Dahlin), participatory workshops and online seminars with international experts and professionals of Social Foresight.  Innovative learning models will be implemented in classes and assessments evaluation, encouraging students' creativity and critical thought; each group of participants will be supervised by Teamchers that will assist them in dealing with their projects and progressing in their learning paths. Finally, issues related to European innovation and cultural diversity could also be explored during the two weeks of international mobility (Soi, Trento and Norrkoping Campus, Sweden) during meetings with community and institutional representatives that may contribute to enrich the participants’ educational experience.

Member university

Linkoping University

Member university

Linkoping University

Learning opportunities of Linkoping University