Shaping Sustainable and Resilient Cities: A European Summer School in Bochum

In August and September 2025, nine students from Ruhr University Bochum joined 16 peers from UNIC partner universities in Oulu (Finland), Liège (Belgium), and Łódź (Poland) to take part in the international summer course “Resilience and Sustainability.” Working in interdisciplinary teams, the students explored potential solutions to the pressing challenges facing European cities, including sustainability, demographic change, and urban resilience.

From Online Sessions to On-Site Collaboration in Bochum

After several joint online sessions, the course participants – both students and academic staff – spent five days together in Bochum. During their stay, they also engaged in discussions with representatives from the City of Bochum.

Learning Across Borders: European Perspectives on Urban Challenges

Throughout the course, students gained insights into local and national differences in how societal challenges are approached across Europe. This aspect stood out for student participant Emma Kuittinen, a geography student from the University of Oulu, Finland: “The course taught me how to collaborate, how group dynamics influence outcomes, and how people approach problem-solving in different ways,” she said.

Discovering Bochum: More Than Just a Study Trip

In addition to academic input and joint interdisciplinary project work, the students had the opportunity to explore the city of Bochum. The programme included city tours, a reception at the town hall, and a visit to the new Welcome Office Bochum – the city’s central contact point for international professionals and skilled workers.

For many of the international students, meeting in person in Bochum was a highlight of the experience. As Emma Kuittinen revealed: “I had never been to Germany before this trip. It was my first time both at a German university and in the country in general.”

Academic Synergy: Coordinating Across the UNIC Network 

This interdisciplinary summer course was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Michael Roos from the Faculty of Management and Economics at Ruhr University Bochum, in collaboration with the UNIC partner universities. A follow-up course is already planned for 2026.

Erasmus+ Support for Innovative Learning Formats

This summer course on sustainability and resilience of post-industrial cities was funded by the European Union as part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP). This funding scheme supports international university courses that combine online learning with a short group mobility phase. Travel costs for students and programme costs for the host faculty are covered.

The UNIC Summer Course marked the first-ever BIP activity held in Bochum. It surely won’t be the last time.