Digital Sustainability Transformation of, by, and for the TUM
Project Description
The issues of sustainability and digitization are among the central challenges of our time. Both transformations need to be actively designed, considering sustainability and digitization together, in the sense of "digitainability". The concept "digitainability" as a fusion of the terms "digitization" and "sustainability" emphasizes possible positive reinforcement effects of digitization and sustainability, which have often been neglected (Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research/Innovation Campus Bonn 2020; Gupta et al. 2020; Lichtenthaler 2021). It describes the ability to combine the positive aspects of digitization and sustainable development, thereby advancing both digitization and sustainable development. At the same time, however, the central challenges and possible adverse effects of ecological, economic, and social issues must also be considered.
Universities like the TUM play a central role in designing digital and sustainable transformation processes as learning environments for education on sustainable/digital development, as incubators for innovations in the fields of sustainability and digitization, and as role models for local economic, social, ecological, and technological developments. Over the course of two semesters, we will explore the two megatrends of sustainability and digitization, and identify potential opportunities for action at TUM, Munich, and beyond.
The TUM ideas competition funds the project for “study-related reinforcement of the excellence strategy”.
If you have any questions or are interested in cooperating, we would be happy to contact you via email at digitainabilityTUM(at)hfp.tum.de.
Project Team
Lea Buchholz, Linda Rüthers, Markus B. Siewert & Stefan Wurster
Under the motto “Digital Sustainability Transformation of, by, and for the TUM”, the project is helping to bring sustainability to life as a leitmotif in the TUM's development agenda. For this purpose, an interdisciplinary module will take place in the summer term 2021 and the winter term 2021/2022, consisting of a virtual lecture and a hybrid seminar, and is open to master's students from all TUM faculties and schools. The lecture aims to collaborate with TUM internal and external experts to explore and discuss the latest scientific findings and trends related to sustainability and digitization in universities. The project-based or service-learning-oriented seminar is intended to allow students to actively participate in shaping the digitainability of the TUM.
There are three closely related objectives:
- to promote the discussion of topics of sustainable development in interaction with the digital transformation at TUM;
- to support the anchoring of sustainability topics at TUM;
- to strengthen the position of TUM as a driving force and central multiplier of topics with a view to sustainable digitization or sustainability through digitization.
The project is based at the TUM School of Governance and started in January 2021. The hybrid event comprises a lecture series and a project seminar, scheduled to take place in the summer semester 2021 and the winter semester 2021/22. A total of 12 ECTS (6 ECTS each in the summer and winter terms) can be acquired in the elective area of various faculties, at this link to the module description.
In the lecture series, outstanding experts from science and practice give input on various topics at the interface between sustainability and digitization in the sense of digitainability. Lectures and roundtables form the basis of the program, aiming to invite discussion and exchange. In addition, participatory formats such as workshops are offered to encourage creative thinking about innovative ideas and pursue new approaches. In addition, we would like to provide a platform for the numerous projects and initiatives at TUM that are involved in sustainability and digitization to present themselves.
In the seminar, students can implement their ideas for a more sustainable, digital TUM in the form of concrete projects. There is a wide range of topics to choose from. For example, individual elements in the TUM sustainability assessment can be addressed, and specific solutions can be developed at the various TUM locations. Alternatively, projects for digital sustainability transformation, based on the concept of service learning, are implemented in collaboration with partners from both the business and societal sectors. Our team actively supports students in planning and executing their projects, providing a seminar that offers ample space for initiative and creativity, as well as mutual exchange and peer-to-peer feedback. And who knows, one or the other sustainable project will emerge?
The project concludes with a virtual student conference, at which the project results are presented to the interested public, both within and outside the TUM.