Organisation profile

Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.

Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.

Main research areas

Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.

Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.

Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.

We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.

Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.

Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.

With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.

Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses

In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.

  1. Training Programme „Sustainable University Development“

    Michelsen, G. (Project manager, academic), Rieckmann, M. (Project manager, academic) & Aguirre, P. (Partner)

    01.02.1114.05.11

    Project: Transfer (professional training)

  2. Care4Care

    Lehr, D. (Project manager, academic)

    01.12.1931.12.24

    Project: Research

  3. Participation Case Scout

    Newig, J. (Project manager, academic) & Rose, M. (Project manager, academic)

    01.04.1931.03.22

    Project: Other

  4. DigiTaL - Teilprojekt 09: Digitale Lehr-/Lernformate zur Internationalisierung der Master- und Promotionsphase

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic), Soltau, A. (Project manager, academic) & Sundermann, A. (Project staff)

    01.08.2131.12.25

    Project: Teaching

  5. Environmental Communication among the Media and Environmental NGOs in Malaysia

    Mohamad Saleh, M. S. (Project staff) & Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)

    01.10.1330.09.16

    Project: Dissertation project

  6. Textile-Transformation

    Beyers, F. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project staff)

    01.11.1731.10.20

    Project: Dissertation project

  7. Machbarkeitsstudie für das Projekt Nachhaltige Geschäftsmodelle und Wissensnetzwerke - Entwicklung des Wissensnetzwerks Sustainability durch Informationstechnik auf der Grundlage softwaregestützter nachhaltiger Geschäftsmodelle

    Rolf, A. (Project manager, academic), Möller, A. (Project manager, academic), Fritzsche, A. (Project manager, academic) & Mandel, R. (Project manager, academic)

    01.04.0131.05.02

    Project: Research

  8. EML-Symposium: 6th Environmental Management Leadership Symposium

    Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Esders, M. (Project staff) & Harms, D. (Project staff)

    German Research Foundation

    01.12.0909.06.11

    Project: Research

  9. Mindsets in value-driven conflicts

    Schuster, C. (Project manager, academic) & Harinck, F. (Partner)

    01.08.2031.07.21

    Project: Research

  10. Proyecto de educación ambiental para la conservación del Área Protegida Municipal Bosque de Bolognia

    Miranda, O. (Project manager, academic), Benavides Frias, C. (Project manager, academic), Flores, S. (Project manager, academic) & Antezana, N. (Project manager, academic)

    01.04.16 → …

    Project: Teaching

  11. Green Fashion Challenge: Modekultur, Textilien und Nachhaltigkeit

    Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic) & Hampe, L. (Project staff)

    01.01.2001.03.21

    Project: Other

  12. ZIM Korrosionssensor: Entwicklung eines Sensors zur kontinuierlichen Überwachung von Korrosions- und Belagbildungsprozessen

    Ruck, W. (Project manager, academic) & Opel, O. (Project staff)

    01.11.1212.04.16

    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

  13. Einsatz von Gamification am Beispiel von Artenschutzsensibilisierung

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Krebs, A.-K. (Project staff)

    01.10.2330.09.25

    Project: Research

  14. Nachhaltige Raumentwicklung - Wirtschaften in Netzen: Regionalvermarktung und Akteursnetzwerke von der Elbe bis zur Heide

    Schrader, R. (Project staff), Lang, F. J. (Project staff), Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic) & Burandt, A. (Project staff)

    15.10.1228.02.13

    Project: Teaching

  15. Kili-SES (NCP): Demand and values of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP)

    Martín-López, B. (Project manager, academic), Groß, M. (Project staff), Pearson, J. (Project staff) & Julius, J. (Project staff)

    German Research Foundation

    01.07.2001.02.26

    Project: Research

  16. FoodLabHome

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Pleißner, D. (Project manager, academic)

    01.10.1830.09.21

    Project: Research

  17. Vereinfachung und Verschlankung des Naturschutzrechts

    Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)

    01.10.0730.04.08

    Project: Research

  18. Mycorrhizae in tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning

    Eisenhauer, N. (Project manager, academic), Ferlian, O. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic) & Heklau, H. (Project manager, academic)

    01.01.17 → …

    Project: Research

  19. "Invasive" Arten im Prozessschutz

    Kapitza, K. (Project manager, academic) & Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic)

    01.05.1730.04.20

    Project: Dissertation project

  20. 2042: 2042: A transformative longitudinal study - energy module 1.0

    Bickel, M. (Project staff)

    01.04.1401.04.17

    Project: Research

  21. Ciência sem Fronteiras Alemanha

    Ruck, W. (Project manager, academic)

    01.12.1130.06.12

    Project: Teaching

  22. IndiWa: IndiWa: Indicators for successful land- and water management

    Evers, M. (Project manager, academic) & Lange, L. (Project staff)

    01.05.0931.07.11

    Project: Research

  23. SSCM: Sustainable Supply Chain Management. State of Practice in German Companies

    Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Harms, D. (Project staff)

    15.06.0809.09.10

    Project: Research

  24. KITA 21: Die Zukunftsgestalter. Wissenschaftliche Begleitung und Evaluation des Modellprojekts KITA21 der S.O.F. Save Our Future – Umweltstiftung

    Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic), Gottmann, T. (Project staff), Czerwinski, A. (Project staff) & Bastian, A. (Project staff)

    01.03.0825.03.11

    Project: Research

  25. PoST: Processes of Sustainability Transformation (Promotionskolleg)

    Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Kater-Wettstädt, L. (Coordination), Fischer, D. (Partner), Halberstadt, J. (Partner), Schaltegger, S. (Partner), Leventon, J. (Partner), Heinrichs, H. (Partner), Lang, D. J. (Partner), Wiek, A. (Partner), Kümmerer, K. (Partner), von Wehrden, H. (Partner), Vilsmaier, U. (Partner), Rodriguez Aboytes, J. G. (Project staff), Pöggel, K. (Project staff), Hübel, C. (Project staff), Buhr, M. (Project staff), Beyers, F. (Project staff), Laudan, J. (Project staff), Albrecht, S. (Project staff), Weber, H. (Project staff), Rathgens, J. (Project staff), Keβler, L. (Project staff), Hilser, S. (Project staff) & Juarez Bourke, S. (Project staff)

    Robert-Bosch Foundation

    08.12.1631.12.21

    Project: Research

  26. Kolleg Didaktik: Digital

    Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Stinken-Rösner, L. (Project staff)

    Joachim Herz Stiftung

    01.01.2030.09.22

    Project: Teaching

  27. sUMMITDiv "Europe’s alpine flora: past, present and future"

    Wipf, S. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Rixen, C. (Partner), Steinbauer, M. J. (Partner), Jurasinski, G. (Partner), Grytnes, J. A. (Partner) & Bjorkmann, A. (Partner)

    10.11.1431.12.18

    Project: Research

  28. DBU Antibiotikum: Entwicklung eines umweltverträglichen Antibiotikums

    Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), Leder, C. (Project staff) & Rastogi, T. (Project staff)

    German Federal Environmental Foundation

    01.11.1430.04.18

    Project: Research

  29. BNE Mobilität: Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung - am Bespiel des Themenfelds Mobilität

    Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic), Gottmann, T. (Project staff), Rieckmann, M. (Project staff) & Schröter, U. (Project staff)

    30.08.0716.06.09

    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

  30. FSM I: International Leadership Training (ILT) Sustainability Management - Onlinephase Jahrgang I

    Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Dubielzig, F. (Project staff), Seidl, N. (Project staff) & Grimm, J. (Project staff)

    01.02.0911.03.10

    Project: Transfer (professional training)