HIGH-N

HOCH ^N ( Sustainability at Universities : Develop - Network - Report ) is a joint project funded by the BMBF that promotes sustainable development in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) at German universities and technical colleges. As part of the project, which started in November 2016, application-oriented research is carried out in the fields of governance , sustainability reporting , teaching , research , transfer and operation (technical and non-technical administration). Six guidelines for action have been created that can be used by other universities for a "low-threshold entry" into sustainable university work. In 2018 the project was extended by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for another two years until the end of October 2020. With HOCH ^N , the largest German university network on sustainability has also emerged. The project received a grant of 2.5 million euros from public funds.

Participating universities

The universities and technical colleges Free University of Berlin , University of Bremen , Technical University of Dresden , University of Duisburg-Essen , University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde , University of Hamburg , Leuphana University of Lüneburg , Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich , Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen are involved in research , University of Vechta and the University of Zittau / Görlitz .

Emergence

HOCH ^N was initiated by the BMBF as a result of the “LeNa” project. The “Guideline for Sustainability Management in Non-University Research Organizations” was drawn up by the Fraunhofer , Helmholtz and Leibniz associations . When it was presented at the 3rd “Sustainability in Science” (SISI) symposium in Berlin in 2016, Research Minister Johanna Wanka announced the HOCH ^N follow-up project .

research

In the joint project, research is carried out in the areas of governance , sustainability reporting , teaching , research , transfer and operation (technical and non-technical administration). The findings, good practice examples and case studies have been incorporated into thematic guides on sustainable university development. They are intended to serve as an orientation aid in the development of a sustainable university landscape in Germany.

Project goals

In addition to research, the project focuses on building a network for a sustainable university landscape. The first target was the networking of partners from 100 German universities, but this was already achieved in October 2018. In February 2020 there are now around 250 people from 125 different German universities.

Results

The project results can be viewed online. In the area of sustainability reporting, For example, on May 15, 2018, the university-specific German Sustainability Code (HS-DNK) was presented to the public. In addition, in October 2018 the eleven affiliated universities published application-related individual guides as an interim result on the fields of governance , sustainability reporting , teaching , research , operations and transfer. A digital version of the guidelines as an online wiki is being planned and is expected to be presented in autumn 2020.

Since December 2018, individual fields of action, results, processes, project workflows and future visions have been presented and discussed in series in the HOCH ^N podcast: Sustainability.

An overview of the Germany-wide networking of all people and institutions that the project HIGH ^N want a say, participate and share the responsibility which provides HIGH ^N -Nachhaltigkeitslandkarte.

Events

The organization of regular practical research workshops on the above-mentioned fields of activity and open to interested parties is stated as an important part of the project. Another event was the so-called 1st NetworkDay in September 2017, in which 200 international sustainability actors took part. In 2019, various events took place across Germany, so-called HOCH ^N hubs. The regional HOCH ^N network hubs strengthen the exchange with regional networks and external multipliers from civil society, politics or business. The Co-Creation Hubs (HOCH ^N Perspective 2030) use creative methods to design innovative future scenarios, make alternative perspectives tangible and build inspiration. The target audience of the HOCH ^N hubs are university members and external multipliers who are committed to the topic of sustainability. The first HOCH ^N network hubs already existed in Pforzheim and Essen. Following the third internal collaboration meeting of the eleven funded HOCH ^N universities and the Advisory Board, there was also a HOCH ^N Co-Creation Hub in Hamburg in March 2019 . At the last planned Germany-wide network meeting at the end of March 2020, all actors will come together again in Hamburg.