Symposium on Sustainability Research and Teaching in a Time of Polycrisis

The polycrisis requires a paradigm shift in sustainability scholarship and pedagogy. Conventional approaches—linear, discipline-bound, and technocratic—are insufficient for addressing interconnected systemic risks. Meanwhile, students increasingly demand curricula that equip them with skills to navigate uncertainty, ethical dilemmas, and justice-centered solutions. Higher education institutions must adapt by:    

• i. Integrating systems thinking and resilience frameworks into sustainability programmes.
• ii. Strengthening collaboration between natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
• iii. Engaging with Indigenous knowledge and marginalized voices in sustainability discourse.
• iv. Aligning research with policy and grassroots action to accelerate just transitions.

This Symposium provides a platform to share best practices, critique existing models, and co-create pathways for transformative sustainability education and research. The Symposium is a call to action for academia to rise to the challenges of polycrisis. By rethinking sustainability research and teaching, we can equip current and future generations with the tools to navigate—and ultimately reshape—a world in flux. 

The Symposium pursues five main objectives:
* To advance transdisciplinary research by promoting methodologies that address the complexity of polycrisis, integrating ecological, social, and economic dimensions.
*  To reimagine Sustainability Education by exploring pedagogical innovations that prepare students for systemic challenges, emphasising critical thinking, adaptability, and ethical leadership.
* To bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice by identifying strategies to ensure academic work informs decision-making and on-the-ground solutions.
* To foster justice and equity by  examining how sustainability research and teaching can address power imbalances and amplify marginalized perspectives.
*  To encourage more global and local collaboration, strengthening networks between universities, NGOs, policymakers, and Indigenous communities to co-produce knowledge.
 

Some of the key themes to be discussed during the Symposium are:
a)  Systems thinking in sustainability education: how can curricula better reflect interconnected crises?    
b)  Climate justice and equity in research: whose knowledge counts in sustainability science?
c) Decolonising sustainability, integrating Indigenous and local knowledge systems.
d) Resilience and adaptation strategies: learning from communities on the frontlines of crisis.
e) The role of universities in sustainability transitions: are institutions doing enough?
f) Digital tools for sustainability teaching: leveraging AI, big data, and virtual collaboration.
g) Policy-relevant research: how can academia influence climate and sustainability governance?
h) Ethical dilemmas in sustainability science: balancing urgency with long-term justice.
i) Youth engagement and activism in academia    
j) Mental health and well-being in a polycrisis world: addressing burnout and eco-anxiety.
k) Future-proofing austainability degrees: what skills will graduates need in 2030 and beyond?

Other themes may also be considered, please contact the organising committee if you have any additional ideas.    

In order to enable the publication of best practices and possible recommendations, the book "Sustainability Research and Teaching in a Time of Polycrisis" will be produced. It will be part of the World Sustainability Series published by Springer Nature. This is, with over 50 books published to date, the world’s leading peer-reviewed book series on matters related to sustainable development: www.springer.com/series/13384. 

Over 3.500 scientists and former doctoral students have published their work in the series. The peer-reviewed nature of the series means that publications produced as part of it have been officially accepted for promotion and tenure purposes over the years, and as validated outputs as part of PhD Programmes.

The chapter submission is not mandatory, only suggested.

Delegates come from a cross-sectoral range of areas. They are:

* Sustainability researchers and scientists studying climate, biodiversity, and socio-ecological systems.    
* Educators and curriculum Designers, Professors and instructors developing sustainability programmes.    
* University administrators and leaders shaping institutional sustainability commitments.
* Policy analysts and government representatives, especially those bridging research and policymaking.
* Indigenous scholars and knowledge keepers, experts in traditional ecological knowledge.
* NGO and community Leaders    
* Students and youth activists, emerging voices demanding systemic change.    
* Corporate Sustainability Officers and professionals navigating business and ethics.
* Data scientists and Tech Innovators     
* Journalists and Science Communicators     
* Ethicists and Philosophers examining the moral dimensions of sustainability.

As well as other people interested in the field.
 

The Symposium is organised and hosted by Södertörn University in Sweden, in partnership with the Research and Transfer Centre Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany), the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR), and the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP) ), and the Baltic University Programme.

There are two possibilities for attending the symposium:

1. By only attending the symposium (without a paper presentation): please register on the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/uNfcytPjBR  
 
2. By delivering an oral presentation: Researchers may submit any complete, original, and unpublished research papers, either conceptual or empirical. To participate, participants need to submit an abstract of 200 to 300 words, along with the authors' names and full contact details, before 15th May 2026. Abstracts should be submitted by using the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/qmQ2ukPJPJ     

For those who submitted an abstract, the authors will receive an email with the registration and payment details. In case you already want to proceed with it, please register here: https://forms.office.com/e/uNfcytPjBR 

• Abstract Submission: 15th May 2026
• Registration Deadline: 30th June 2026
• Full Paper Submission: 30th August 2026
   

To offset some of the costs of the organisation of the event, a registration fee of € 275 (plus taxes) will be charged to delegates (€ 100, plus taxes, for students). The fee includes the coffee breaks and lunches on the two days, and a PDF of the book to those who contributed to it.

* Accepted presenters affiliated with a BUP participating university may apply for a grant to cover the participation fee. The number of grants is limited and applies to one person per accepted abstract.
 

• Prof. Walter Leal, HAW Hamburg, Germany
• Prof. Joakim Ekman, Södertörn University, Sweden
   

•  Dr. Laís Trevisan, HAW Hamburg, Germany
•  Ramona Rat, Södertörn Uni 

For any information, contact the organising team at: FTZ-NK-Events (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de