HNEE receives funding for sustainability projects with international partner universities

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) will receive up to 399,000 euros from the federal programme 'SDG Partnerships' for cooperation projects with partners from Ecuador and Cuba over the next few years.

"Deepening the Engagement with the SDGs through the Development and Implementation of innovative Learning Spaces" is the title of the programme funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD), which is being led by HNEE and the Berlin Weissensee School of Art. SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals.

"I am very pleased that we can revitalise our partnerships with two Cuban universities with this project. In particular, I expect a lot of input from our Cuban colleagues on the topic of sustainability. Because what many people don't realise: Although Cuba's economy is suffering from the pandemic and is experiencing a dramatic decline, the energy revolution has made Cuba the most sustainable country in the world within just a few years, as the environmental organisation World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) found back in 2006. Our Ecuadorian partner university is also very sustainable. So I think that we will learn a lot from each other over the next four years," says HNEE project manager Prof. Dr phil. Benedikt.

Creating spaces
The overarching aim of the project is to improve the structures for graduate education at the partner universities in Ecuador and Cuba. Ultimately, they should be able to offer SDG-related study and qualification programmes that are in line with the local context and the state of the art.

Specifically, the project aims to further develop two teaching modules from the new Master's degree programme "Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation" with reference to the SDGs together with the partner universities. The modules are intended to provide innovative teaching and learning spaces for students so that they can work on ideas for social innovation in practice and exchange ideas. The establishment of an "Innovation Studio" is intended to promote the ability to think systemically and critically in order to be able to deal with the complex interrelationships between the SDGs and sustainable development. Another framework is the "SDG Simulation Game", in which students set up their own sustainable companies in a fictitious world that focus on three SDGs at the core of the company. This allows the SDGs to be applied in terms of content and subject matter.

First joint workshop in June
The entire project work is accompanied by regular activities such as online meetings and joint workshops. There will be a particular focus on a pilot workshop in June this year, which will serve to discuss the different perspectives, situations, needs and requirements of the partner universities and then adapt the project planning with a concrete plan.

The partner universities
The partner universities in Cuba include the Universidad Central 'Marta Abreu' de Las Villas, Santa Clara and the Universidad de Sancti Spíritus "José Martí Pérez", Sancti Spíritus. From Ecuador, the Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, is involved in the programme.

About the 'SDG Partnerships' programme
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) uses funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to support international university partnerships on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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