Dates: October 12–13, 2016 | Register here
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Prices: starting from EUR 50,-
Location: Freiburg, Germany
Sustainability Summit 2016
In October this year, the Sustainability Center Freiburg will host its second conference – the Sustainability Summit 2016. Use this unique opportunity to both join the discussion within as well as beyond your own specific field of scientific interest.
Why should you join the Sustainability Summit?
- Present your current research in front of a selected disciplinary as well as the interdisciplinary audience.
- Meet your colleagues in such research areas as materials, energy, resilience and transformation science.
- Discuss major challenges of our time, like energy transition, resource scarcity and growing vulnerability, with experts from a variety of different fields.
- Enjoy the beautiful and sunny city of Freiburg.
Preliminary Program
The Sustainability Summit 2016 will be composed of various elements:
- General keynote by a renowned sustainability expert
- Thematic keynotes within the conference topics
- Scientific parallel sessions with detailed in-depth discussions within the conference topics
- Interdisciplinary panel discussions to join the perspectives of experts from the different topics
- Poster pitch and presentation
- Reception and walking dinner
Conference Topics
The Sustainability Summit 2016 will be divided into three symposia:
- Sustainable MaterialsThe optimisation of materials, e.g. with regard to maximum lifetime, reusability or recycling, is an essential precondition for sustainable systems engineering helping to reduce the impact of the system on the environment.
- Energy SystemsThe transformation of the energy system is one of the central needs for a sustainable future. This symposium will focus on R&D of renewable energy technologies as well as their smart integration into the grid to build up a reliable energy supply.
- Resilience EngineeringResilience engineering researchers preparedness, prevention, protection, response and recovery of (socio) technical systems to life cycle stresses and natural, natch, malevolent and cyber threats for increasing reliability, safety, security, sustainability and adaptability.
Topics
The topics of the Sustainability Summit will be the following:
Sustainable Materials
An essential precondition for sustainable systems engineering is that the materials are optimised to reduce the impact of the system on the environment, for a maximum lifetime and reusability or for recycling.
Energy Systems
The transformation of the energy system is one of the central needs for a sustainable future. Our conference will focus on R&D of renewable energy technologies as well as their smart integration into the grid to build up a reliable energy supply.
Resilience Engineering
Resilience Engineering researchers preparedness, prevention, protection, response and recovery of (socio-)technical systems to life cycle stresses and natural, natech, malevolent and cyber threats for increasing reliability, safety, security, sustainability and adaptability.
Ecological and Societal Transformation
An issue cutting across all three other topics is that of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). RRI stands for a new set of guiding principles and approaches that intend to make research more responsive to societal actors and their values, needs and expectations.
The topics will be discussed in one keynote lecture in front of the whole audience as well as in parallel sessions. Within these sessions young academic talents and senior scientists will present their current research findings and join in the discussion with you.
Objective
The Sustainability Summit offers an excellent opportunity to make new contacts both with the researchers in Freiburg as well as with the conference participants. The audience will be composed of:
- Young scientists and academic talents
- Established and renowned experts from across a variety of sustainability-related disciplines
- Technical personnel from industry
- Policy-makers
- Public Administration
- Journalists
- Conference Language: English
- Best Student Award
The commitment and dedication of young people are decisive for making our – their – world more sustainable. The comittee wants to encourage young scientists – students and doctoral candidates – to participate at the Summit. Thus, there will be a Best Student Award within each of the three symposia and the cross-cutting RRI stream, rewarding the most creative and innovative presentations and posters.
Poster Pitch
All poster presenters will be given the opportunity to speak in front of the audience for exactly one minute and show them, why they need to come to their posters.
The Scientific Committee of the Sustainability Summit consists of renowned scientists and key experts in the research areas Sustainable Materials, Energy Systems, Resilience Engineering as well as Transformation Science. They support the conference series and its objectives.
As organiser, the Sustainability Center Freiburg is proud to have the support of such distinguished thought leaders
Sustainability Center Freiburg
The Sustainability Summit will be hosted by the Sustainability Center Freiburg. The centre is a cooperation between the five Fraunhofer-Institutes located in Freiburg, the University of Freiburg, sustainability-oriented companies and important societal actors.
Together they perform research activities, create sustainable innovations, install new teaching opportunities for students, organise workshops for experts, and host conferences such as the Sustainability Summit.
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