From September 10–14, 2025, the Energy and Sustainability Transition Conference took place at the TUM Academy Center in Raitenhaslach. Initiated by Prof. Miranda Schreurs (TUM), Prof. Amela Ajanovic, and Prof. Reinhard Haas (TU Vienna), the conference brought together international researchers and early-career scholars to discuss key questions of the energy and sustainability transition.
Topics ranged from mobility transitions and environmental governance to nuclear energy and energy and climate justice. A highlight was the discussion on Energy Transition Education, where innovative teaching and training formats were presented to better prepare students and researchers for the complex challenges of the energy transition.
Discussions at the conference covered a wide range of themes, including urban mobility, the electrification of energy systems, electricity market design and governance, gaps in green policy implementation, and contested technologies such as nuclear power and carbon capture and storage. Sustainability education and capacity building were also in focus, with presentations exploring more interactive approaches to integrating sustainability and climate topics into teaching, alongside the importance of embedding leadership training in public policy programs. Another recurring theme was social justice in the energy transition, highlighted through talks on energy poverty, tenants as prosumers, and decentralized renewable solutions—underscoring that a just transition is essential for securing broad political support for the energy transition. The conference brought together perspectives from around the world, featuring researchers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and China, and included discussions on sustainability and climate-related issues in the backdrop of the current geopolitical environment.
The conference clearly demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary and international cooperation in successfully addressing the complex challenges of the energy and sustainability transition.
Aside from the discussions, deliberations, conference participants also went on a castle tour of the Burghausen Castle, in Burghausen, Upper Bavaria, which is known as “the longest castle complex in the world” with a height of 1051 meters.