The DIE (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Manager, Luciana Garcia, offered an interesting guest lecture in the Bachelor Module Corporate Environmental Protection and Sustainability. She gave the students an overview of what DEI is and why it is important, both in a personal and a specifically corporate setting. Drawing on her professional experience, Luciana shared valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges of advancing DEI initiatives, as well as the personal motivations that have shaped her career in this field. A central focus of the lecture was the business case for DEI, demonstrating how inclusive workplaces can drive innovation, improve financial performance, and strengthen organizational success. She also discussed practical implementation strategies and potential career opportunities related to DEI. The session concluded with an interactive discussion, giving students the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on the topics presented.

On 10^th June, a delegation of Australian stakeholders specializing in industrial decarbonization visited BTU as part of the German-Australian Energy and Climate Partnership. During the workshop, following a welcome by BTU’s President Prof. Grande, the delegation was introduced to activities by the Cluster Decarbonization in Industries (CDI) to support industrial transformation by Madeleine Henning-Waniek (Head of CDI). This was followed by presentations by diverse scientific actors in Cottbus including an introduction to the multidimensional STEEP-Approach for industrial decarbonization by Prof. Lee (DTI); an overview of integrated energy infrastructures, the role of green imports and integration of data centers by Prof. Mario Ragwitz (Director, Fraunhofer Research Institute for Energy Infrastructures and Geotechnologies/IEG); insights into EU and German policy settings for industrial decarbonization & funding programs as well as the role of KEI by Jakob Flechtner (Head, Competence Center for Climate Action in Energy Intensive Industries/KEI); introduction to innovations for hard-to-abate sectors in the form of high-temperature heat pumps by Prof. Uwe Riedel (Director, DLR Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes); and insights into PtX developments in Germany especially for decarbonizing the chemical industry and the role of critical raw material imports by Dr. Sarah Bernhardt (Head of Section PtX Basic Materials, Power-to-X Lab Lausitz).

As part of the DeCarbon Days which will be taking place in Cottbus on 24^th & 25^th June 2026, the Chair of DTI will be hosting the session DeCarbon Drafts where BTU students will be able to share key insights from their study projects, theses and/or dissertation with the audience in the form of a 1min poster pitch, followed by an interactive poster session. To support the shortlisted presenters in their preparation, Prof. Lee and A. Kruschinski carried out a training session on 10^th June to share practical tips for capturing the attention & interest of the audience during a pitch, and also for preparing a scientific poster.

On 9^th June, the team from the Competence Center for Climate Action in Energy Intensive Industries/KEI Think Tank and DTI team came together for a workshop to share R&D activities and developments for both sides, and explore potential opportunities for synergies in their activities relating to engagement with industry and diverse stakeholders on opportunities and challenges associated with industrial transformation.

On 8^th June, Prof. Lee was invited as guest lecturer by the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (IEC) at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg as part of their module “Technology Assessment” in SS 2026. During the guest lecture, Prof. Lee highlighted the critical role of the human dimension (i.e., socio-political aspects) in the development and deployment of technological innovations, and share insights into the roles of risk perception, as well as heuristics and biases in public acceptance/resistance of emerging technologies.

On 4^th June, Dr.-Ing. Florian Keller, Deputy Head of the Technology Assessment Division at the Institute of Energy Process Engineering & Chemical Engineering (IEC), TU Bergakademie Freiberg, gave an in-depth guest lecture on life cycle assessment of chemical recycling processes as part of the DTI’s module “Multidimensional Approaches for Technology Assessment” in SS2026. Dr. Keller completed his Ph.D. on the topic of life cycle assessment of chemical recycling processes. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chair of Energy Process Technology (EVT) at IEC, he has extensive experience in the modelling and evaluation of innovative processes in the field of chemical process engineering. He also teaches modules on technology assessment and process chain modelling at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

In his guest lecture, Dr. Keller explained the fundamental methodology of life cycle assessment using numerous examples. He also addressed existing and upcoming EU regulations. Additionally, he illustrated how the environmental impacts of gasification-based methanol production and chemical recycling can be quantified.

On Thursday, June 4, 2026, Luis Luger, CSR Manager at the Berlin-based fashion company Iriedaily, gave a guest lecture in the Corporate Environmental Protection module. The students gained specific insights into the work of a CSR manager. After introducing himself and providing an overview of Iriedaily’s structure and early history, Mr. Luger explained how sustainability is reflected in the company’s values and strategy. He then focused on day-to-day and project-based work processes, illustrating them with visual examples. Mr. Luger also shared his experiences with external and internal barriers and obstacles that shape the work of a CSR manager. The session concluded with a brief discussion with the students. 

The Chair of Decarbonization and Transformation of Industry (DTI) at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) invited Ms. Olga Pashulia, who is coordinating the Environmental Management at the BTU to provide valuable insights into how the university is currently setting up and restructuring the management of environmental matters at our institution. The guest lecture in the Bachelor module Corporate Environmental Protection gave students a real-life example of how sustainability can be managed in a large corporation, specifically at our own institution. Here, Ms. Pashulia also highlighted the stakeholder relationship the university has with its students and invited them to participate through various initiatives in the sustainability of BTU.

On 19^th May, Prof. Lee (BTU-DTI) and Prof. Gräber (TU Freiberg – IEC) welcomed Alexander Kronimus, Managing Director of the PBC industry association VinylPlus Deutschland e.V. to the Institute of Energy Process Engineering & Chemical Engineering (IEC) at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg for exchanges on the potential of chemical recycling in the form of gasification for valorization of PVC containing waste streams, as well as the activities of the NK2 (Network for a Circular Carbon Economy) Network. During his visit, Mr. Kronimus also visited the lab, bench-scale and pilot-scale facilities at IEC to gain a first-hand impression of the innovations and advances in circular carbon technologies.

On 7^th May, Prof. Lee was invited by Plastics Europe to contribute to a podium discussion on “Circular Plastics as a Key to a More Resilient Europe” during the IFAT Munich 2026. Together with Dr. Jens Hamprecht (BASF & VP – Global Plastics Steering Committee Coordination), Klaus Wohnig (Atmedio GmbH & CEO, Deputy Chairman of BVSE) and Maximilian Nichterlein (Economics Spokesperson – Plastics Europe), they discussed jointly with the audience about the current state of the Circular Economy Act and its implications for industry, investment and markets; international perspectives on competitiveness and market dynamics, including experiences and impulses from China; requirements for design for circularity, recycling infrastructure and effective market mechanisms; and pathways to accelerating the transition towards closed-loop plastics systems without undermining Europe’s industrial base.

IFAT Munich is the world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies, focusing on water, sewage, waste, and raw materials management. Held every two years in Munich, it acts as a global hub for industry professionals, showcasing solutions for circular economy, sustainability, and resource efficiency. IFAT Munich 2026 attracted over 3,400 exhibitors from over 60 countries and around 142,000 visitors from almost 160 countries.

On 27^th April, the team from Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) visited the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (IEC) at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg to learn about the innovations which are being developed in the fields of closed carbon cycles with the integration of renewable energies. GTAI is the international economic promotion agency of Germany, supporting/facilitating international companies in setting up their businesses in the country. Prof. Martin Gräbner – Director of IEC – invited Prof. Lee to join in the exchanges with GTAI to provide her insights and perspectives on the socio-political aspects which are promoting/hindering the development and deployment of innovative technologies for decarbonization and circularity in Germany/Europe.

On 9^th April, the DTI Research Workshop brought together young researchers who are pursuing research and further qualification along the Social-Technological-Economical-Ecological-Political(i.e., STEEP) dimensions in the fields of decarbonization and industrial transformation at DTI for a day of intensive research exchanges.

In WS 2025/2026, DTI collaborated with the Energy Innovation Center (EIZ) to expose BTU students attending the “Communication of Science & Technology Module” to innovations which are being developed at the EIZ at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, and to enable insights into how they contribute to and support Germany’s sustainability transformation. Two labs from EIZ participated in the collaboration namely the Electric Power Systems Lab (Grid Simulator) as well as the Energy Storage & Conversion Lab (Green Hydrogen).  

As part of their assignments, each project group developed a short (2min) science communication video focusing on either the Grid Simulation Lab or the Green Hydrogen Lab. Additionally, each student also prepared a short “Elevator Pitch” (1 min) to elicit interest in the labs. On 4^th February 2026, students whose videos and pitches were shortlisted are invited to present their videos and/or pitches to EIZ colleagues. For those interested, selected science communication videos are available on the DTI website under https://www.b-tu.de/en/fg-dekarbonisierung/media-downloads.

On 30^th January 2026, project partners of the Singapore-Germany collaborative project “Waste-to-Products” via chemical recycling of mixed waste streams for feedstock and product flexibility (CR-Waste2Products) carried out an online meeting to officially kick-off their collaboration in this 3 years project. This project is funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (Singapore Funder – A*Star) and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (German Funder – BMFTR) under the program “4^th Singapore-Germany International Collaboration on Circular Economy”.

Partners from Singapore are the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) at the Nanyang Technological University and Alba Singapore SC Ltd while Partners from Germany are – besides DTI from BTU – the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions Germany GmbH. Within the 3 years project from 01.10.2025 – 30.09.2028, CR-Waste2Products aims to develop new knowledge and expertise through synergies between Singaporean and German partners for innovative solutions in the field of waste gasification that can be implemented in major cities and metropolitan regions of Germany and Singapore, as well as contributing to the transference to other countries. In the project, the gasification of various waste streams will be investigated and evaluated along the technological, economic, ecological, and socio-political dimension (STEEP-approach).

On 26th January 2026, the Vordenkwerk Industry Transformation –  an information & networking platform with about 100 actors from civil society, Think Tanks, Science & Politics focusing on topics on the journey towards climate neutral industry – organized an excursion to the Institute of Energy Process Engineering (IEC) at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Focus of the visit was a technical tour of the pilot facilities at IEC for chemical recycling (i.e., pyrolysis & gasification). Following the technical tour, Prof. Lee moderated a hybrid discussion between Vordenkwerk participants, Dr. Jens Hamprecht (BASF), Andreas Neumann (LyondellBasell) and Prof. Martin Gräbner (IEC) which enabled insights into the potential of chemical recycling for decarbonizing Europe’s chemical sector, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced in their development and deployment.

On 7th January, Prof. Lee was invited to the Duale Hochschule Sachsen (DHS) in Riesa to share her insights into the multidimensional challenges and opportunities associated with the societal and industrial transformation in Germany with students of the DHS. Besides sharing examples of how she’s engaging young adults at the BTU in science communication activities to elicit their interest to contribute to transformation activities, she also discussed with the DHS students how young adults in Germany/Europe could be motivated to engage actively in transformation activities in their regions.