Fit4Future Summer School 2025 - From Circular Economy to Circular Society A blended learning course on what you can learn today for the challenges of tomorrow
The circular economy is an economic system that aims to eliminate waste and make the most of resources. Instead of the traditional "take, make, dispose" model, where products are used and then thrown away, the circular economy focuses on reusing, repairing, recycling, and regenerating materials to keep them in use for as long as possible.
A circular society goes beyond just economic and material cycles. It rethinks the way we organize our entire way of living, including social structures, culture, and governance. While the circular economy focuses on resources and businesses, the circular society includes people, communities, and fairness in resource use.
How can we move beyond a wasteful, linear economy toward a truly circular society? How do social dynamics shape economic transformation? And what does it take to build circular practices that go beyond mere technological fixes and ecological modernisation logics?
Join our blended learning Summer School From Circular Economy to Circular Society and explore these pressing questions with leading experts and like-minded peers. Starting with online content and two key lectures by Professor Melanie Jaeger-Erben :
May 9, 2025 | 3-5 PM – From Circular Economy to Circular Society: Why Economic Transformation is First of All a Social Challenge
June 20, 2025 | 3-5 PM – From Circular Consumers to Circular Regions: Different Levels of the Circular Society
These sessions will lay the groundwork for our offline intensive week (Sept 1–7, 2025) at BTU Campus, where you will:
✔️ Critically examine the limitations of a globalized, growth-driven economy
✔️ Develop the skills to think circular and apply circular strategies beyond greenwashing
✔️ Explore the origins and evolution of the circular society concept
✔️ Design alternative business models and practices that integrate social and environmental justice
This is more than a course—it’s an opportunity to co-create the future of circular transformation. Ready to challenge the status quo?
The Fit4Future Summer School is part of the Master Programme Transformation Studies, it can also be choosen as IDS module by all BTU students. There will be opportunities to develop study projects in the context of the module.
Master and PhD students from other universities are warmly welcome!
Apply now via Moodle or an e-mail to melanie.jaeger-erben(at)b-tu.de and be part of the shift from a Circular Economy to a Circular Society!
Fit4Future Summer School 2024: “Powering tomorrow: Doing research for a sustainable energy transition”
Fit4Future Summer School 2024: “Powering tomorrow: Doing research for a sustainable energy transition”
The Fit4Future Summer School 2024 will be a dynamic learning environment where postgraduate excellence meets the challenges of tomorrow. Our thematic focus for this edition is the critical analyis of transitions to sustainable and clean energy. Against the backdrop of the escalating challenges of climate change, this focus on sustainable energy solutions is more important than ever.
Throughout the programme, participants will engage with the various aspects of sustainable energy, explore the role of different transformation paradigms for the energy transition and assess the transformative power of renewable energy transition pathways in an interdisciplinary setting. Our renowned international experts will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments through lectures, workshops and field trips, creating a dynamic learning environment that encourages critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving.
Join us in 2024 for an exciting journey into the future of sustainable energy, where knowledge, ideas and solutions come together to shape a cleaner and more resilient world.
Dates:
- Online sessions
| Friday, May 24, 15:00 – 17:00 (CET) | Friday, June 7, 15:00 – 18:00 (CET) | Friday, July 5 15:00 – 18:000 (CET) | |
| Topic | Kick-off Challenges of just energy transitions | Energy transition, democratisation and (de)growth | Policies for Decarbonisation and Energy Transitions – The case of Lusatia |
| Lecturer | Prof. Dr. Melanie Jaeger-Erben, BTU Cottbus | Dr. Jörg Radtke, RIFS Potsdam | Prof. Dr. Bernd Hirschl, BTU Cottbus & IÖW Berlin |
| Literature to be prepared for the session: | Wang, X.; Lo, K. (2021): Just transition: A conceptual review. Energy Research & Social Science 82, 102291 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102291 | Rommel, J,; Radtke, J.; von Jorck, G.; Mey, F.; Yildi, Ö. (2018): Community renewable energy at a crossroads: A think piece on degrowth, technology, and the democratization of the German energy system, Journal of Cleaner Production 197 (2), 1746-1753, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.114. | MLUK 2024: Klimaplan Brandenburg (Climate Plan for Brandenburg) English version can be downloaded here |
- Onsite sessions in Cottbus, Germany: 9-11 September, covering the following topics:
- Transformation Conflicts and Pathways in Energy Transition
- Evolving Energy Landscapes: Navigating Transitions and Regional Policies
- Participation and Transdisciplinarity for a Just Energy Transition
- Onsite sessions in Poznan, Poland: 12-13 September, covering the following topic:
- Social-Technical Dimension of Energy Transition in the Building Sector
FINAL PROGRAM ONSITE SESSIONS
| September 9-13, 2024 in Cottbus and Poznan Venue September 9-11: BTU Cottbus, LG 4A, Siemens-Halske-Ring 8, room 3.22 Venue September 12-12: Poznań University of Technology & Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Sociology | |||
| DAY 1 | |||
| WHEN | WHAT | ||
| 10:00am | Welcome Coffee | ||
| 10:30am | Introduction to the Summer School | Prof. Dr. Melanie Jaeger-Erben | ||
| 11:00am | Input and Discussion: Transformation conflict in the case of Hydrogen power in energy transition | Andreas Huber | ||
| 12:30pm | Lunch at BTU Mensa (vouchers provided) | ||
| 1:30pm | Hybrid Lecture: Unpacking the diversity of social innovation in energy | Dr. Sabine Hielscher | ||
| 3:30pm | Break | ||
| 4:00pm | Research Speed Networking | ||
| 6:30pm | Optional dinner at restaurant (self-payment) | ||
| DAY 2 | |
| WHEN | WHAT |
| 9:00am | Welcome Coffee |
| 9:30am | Input and Workshop I: Energy Transition Among Border Regions | Prof Dr. Ludger Gailing and Kamil Bembnista |
| 10:30am | Break |
| 11:00am | Input and Workshop I: Energy Transition Among Border Regions | Prof Dr. Ludger Gailing and Kamil Bembnista |
| 12:00pm | Lunch at BTU Mensa (vouchers provided) |
| 1:00pm-5pm | Excursion and Outdoor lecture: Multidimensional aspects associated with the decarbonization and transformation of carbon-intensive industries - Visiting open-pit Coal Mine | Prof. Dr. Roh Pin Lee |
| 6:30pm | Optional visit to Spremberger Turm with dinner (self-payment) |
| DAY 3: | |
| WHEN | WHAT |
| 9:00am | Welcome Coffee |
| 9:30am | Lecture: Designing Participatory Processes for Sustainable Energy Transition: Lessons from an Agrisolar Project | BigTrans Project |
| 10:30am | Break |
| 11:00am | Workshop: Participation in Energy Transition |
| 12:30pm | Lunch at BTU Mensa (vouchers provided) |
| 1:30pm-5pm | Group Project: Designing a Sustainable Energy Transition Roadmap for a Local Community |
DAY 4
| WHEN | WHAT |
| 8:30am | Transfer to Poznan (Bus provided) |
| 12:00pm | Lunch at Baraboo restaurant (self-payment) |
| 1:30pm | Welcoming, UAM and PUT presentation |
| 2:00pm | Lecture: Sustainable modular and prefabricated construction and energy transition | Prof. Dr Hab. Katarzyna Rzeszut and Dr inż. Monika Siewczyńska (PUT) |
| 3:00am | Workshop: Energy-related modernisation of buildings | Dr inż. Monika Siewczyńska |
| 4:00pm | Break |
| 4:30pm | Workshop: Universal design, use of old age simulators | Dr inż. Marlena Kucz |
| 5:30-6:30 pm | Visit of the laboratory base |
| 8:00pm | Optional dinner at restaurant (self-payment) |
DAY 5
| WHEN | WHAT |
| 9:00am | Welcome Coffee |
| 9:30-11:00am | Lecture: Social Dimensions of Energy Transformation | Prof. Dr hab. Aleksandra Lis-Plesińska, Dr Filip Schmidt, Mgr Franciszek Chwałczyk, Mgr Klaudia Rodziejczak |
| 11:00-11:15am | Break |
| 11:15-12:00pm | Lecture: Energy Crises and Everyday Routines | Dr. Maciej Frąckowiak, Dr Przemysław Pluciński, Prof. Dr hab. Ryszard Necel |
| 12:15-1:00pm | Lunch (self-payment) |
| 1:00-3:00pm | Research walk along the route of Poznań's thermo-modernization investments | Jakub Głaz |
| 3:00-4:30pm | Panel discussion: stakeholders on thermo-modernization of large urban estates (co-organized with the Association of Polish Architects, Poznań branch, an event held at the union's headquarters at Stary Rynek) |
| 4:30-5:00pm | Feedback and closing of the summer school |
Target participants
- PhD students
- Advanced master or bachelor students interested in Transformation/ Energy Transition Studies
- Researchers and teaching assistants
- Professionals working in the field of energy transition
Programme includes:
- Two days visit to Poznan with workshops at Adam Mickiewicz University and the Poznan University of Technology.
- A field trip to a coal mine in Lusatia
- An opportunity to join a writing retreat at Haus des Wandels e.V. in Steinhöfel with further excursion options
Cost
No participation fee will be charged. Participants are responsible for their own accommodation and transport costs. Scholarships will be available for those in need. Please contact rabiu(at)b-tu.de for further information.
Application
For application, please register via this LINK
Contact: Prof. Dr. Melanie Jaeger-Erben, melanie.jaeger-erben(at)b-tu.de