Blended Intensive Programme in International Perspectives on Sustainability and Climate Change

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “International Perspectives on Sustainability and Climate Change” aims to provide students with a comprehensive, transdisciplinary, and practice-oriented learning experience that prepares them to address global sustainability challenges and contribute meaningfully to climate action. The programme seeks to develop students’ critical thinking, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and cross-cultural collaboration skills by combining a one-week short-term physical mobility at ISEC/IPC–Coimbra, Portugal, with structured virtual cooperation among students, academics, and experts from multiple partner institutions. Through engagement with real-world case studies, policy simulations, field research, and interactions with sustainable enterprises and governance institutions, participants will gain the ability to analyse environmental and climate issues from diverse scientific, societal, and cultural perspectives. To enrich this dialogue and bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, enterprise and governance institutions will be invited to share their insights, alongside faculty members from four partner institutions: Polytechnic University of Coimbra – Coimbra Institute of Engineering (IPC-ISEC), International Balkan University (IBU), Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) and TTK University of Applied Sciences (TTK UAS). The BIP encourages students to reflect critically on their assumptions, integrate knowledge from different disciplines, and translate theoretical insights into practical, inclusive, and globally informed solutions. By fostering dynamic dialogue, collaborative learning, and international exchange, the programme equips participants to become adaptable and responsible global citizens capable of leading and implementing effective sustainability initiatives, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and actionable impact, and contributing positively to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “International Perspectives on Sustainability and Climate Change” aims to develop students’ interdisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving skills by integrating real-world case analysis, stakeholder interviews, field trips, co-creation methods, and a design thinking challenge. Participants will collaborate in diverse teams to analyse complex sustainability challenges, assess policies, technological solutions, economic impacts, and social acceptance, and compare governance strategies across different countries. Through interactions with industry professionals and guided tours of sustainable enterprises, students will gain first-hand insights into multi-stakeholder perspectives, innovative practices, and the practical implementation of sustainability strategies. The programme’s Design Thinking process encourages students to apply a structured co-creation process, empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing, to develop innovative, human-centred solutions, enhancing rapid-innovation skills, systemic thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By combining academic guidance with professional mentorship, the BIP equips students with the competencies to critically evaluate sustainability issues, bridge theoretical knowledge and practical applications, and become proactive, globally aware agents of change in the field of sustainability.