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The Potsdam Summer School 2025 is calling for applications!
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each of which are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – while tackling climate change and working to preserve our environment.
With its overarching theme – BEYOND 2030 – TRAJECTORIES & PRIORITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE – the 11th Potsdam Summer School will continue the transdisciplinary and interactive series of events that has been held annually in Potsdam, Germany since 2014. We shall examine all three intertwined dimensions for Sustainability: Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability.
Climate change, resource depletion, habitat destruction, and pollution lead to poverty, intensify geopolitical conflicts, and are forcing migration. All three dimensions require collective action from individuals, communities, businesses, governments, and science.
The aim of the Potsdam Summer School is to bring together talented early-career scientists and young professionals operating in the private sector, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organisations from many different parts of the world to discuss frontier (research) questions on future sustainable development.
All participants of the Potsdam Summer School will be engaged in discussions and will be provided with tools to develop effective strategies to solve the challenges they face in their daily work.
Effective communication of scientific findings and results is an integral part of all research. Working groups will be formed across the topics of the summer school to deal with formats of science communication. The working groups will provide participants with the opportunity to improve their skills in science communication.
We also intend to enable participants to engage with various sectors of the public in their home countries. Our goal is to improve science awareness and help to develop informed opinions and enhance the transferable skills of researchers and practitioners. Experts, stakeholders, and guest lecturers from high level national and international institutes and organisations will contribute knowledge and insights to the Summer School programme which will comprise lectures, various discussion formats, and interactive group work activities.
The Potsdam Summer School will deal with three exemplary topics:
- Digitalisation and Sustainability
Since the adoption of the SDGs in 2015, digitalisation has continued to accelerate. Artificial Intelligence has begun to penetrate all areas of life. What does that mean for the goal of sustainability? Does the digitalisation foster or hinder a sustainable development? - One Health
It is an approach calling for the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health conditions for people, animals and our environment. A growing world population and efforts to protect the climate are leading to an increased demand for high-quality food of both animal and plant origin. What is the role of agriculture in this comprehensive approach? - Human Dependency on Healthy and Productive Oceans
These are vital sources of food, regulate the global climate, they host a wealth of biodiversity and offer cultural inspiration or opportunities for leisure. But oceans – and especially the coastal areas – are exposed to immense threats as human uses and pressures such as climate change continue to exceed sustainable limits.
Thus, the Potsdam Summer School provides a unique opportunity for all participants to foster international cooperation and an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas.
In partnership with the City of Potsdam, the 2025 Potsdam Summer School will be jointly organised by the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy ; the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS), and the University of Potsdam.
The call for applications has started now. The deadline for submitting applications will be on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 23:59 UTC.
The organisers intend to conduct the one-week programme in a format whereby all participants and speakers will be present in Potsdam. The entire programme will be conducted in English.
WELCOME TO POTSDAM!
