On September 26, 2023, the first of a series of workshops was held on the development of the course “Smart Cities and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies”.

The event is co-funded by the EU and supported by Erasmus+ KA2 project “Unlocking the Transformative potential of Ukrainian Universities towards climate-neutral and Sustainable Cities” (UniCities).

The consortium representatives as well as the teaching staff of the partner universities responsible for piloting the interdisciplinary course for master’s level students took part in the workshop.  During the event, it was possible not only to present the specifics of the activities of each partner university but also to outline the features of their contribution to the development and implementation of the new academic discipline.

Participants had the opportunity to gain insight into the KTH study programs, namely Energy for Smart Cities and Sustainable Technologies, which will help them create an innovative study course in the future. The developers of the discipline noted that it will become an important tool “to improve the quality of life, efficiency of urban activities and services, and competitiveness while meeting the needs of present and future generations in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects”.

Special attention was paid to idea generation and outlining potential opportunities for students who choose the developed course. Four teams of 4 participants were created for close and productive brainstorming on the issues of the discipline’s connection with social partners, local research, as well as the specifics of methodological and administrative support. Among the ideas proposed for potential academic activities within the course were research activities, summer schools, debate clubs, hackathons, and other practice-oriented projects.

Development of the course is in progress. The following workshops are planned to help elaborate on ideas and prepare for further work on the project.