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Staff Training Week 2025 

The Contribution of Higher Education Institutions in Sustainability Transformation – Navigating the Tension between Path dependencies and Change

from March 24, 2025  to March 28, 2025

The Erasmus+ and the Sustainability teams of the University of Marburg invite you to our International Staff Training Week 2025!

Topics and objectives: What will be our focus?

Higher Education Institutions (HEI) play a pivotal role in advancing sustainability transformation by fostering innovation, research, and education that address complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. However, as institutions embedded in unique historical, political, and cultural contexts, HEIs face path dependencies that often create resistance to change, making it essential to navigate the tensions between the established action patterns and the demand for transformative action. Due to this context-specificity, there is no single or universally optimal pathway to balance hindering and fostering factors in sustainability efforts. Instead, a plurality of pathways emerges across HEIs, reflecting diverse approaches adapted to their specific institutional constraints and opportunities.  

The purpose of the 5-day Staff Training Week is to collaboratively explore these varied pathways, identifying the constraints and enabling factors unique to each HEI. Participants will engage in a comprehensive exchange on the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies used in sustainability transformation processes at universities. Through this exchange, they will also discover transferable support mechanisms and practical strategies that can be applied within their own institutional contexts. The staff week thus facilitates a meaningful dialogue on sustainability transformations, equipping participants with actionable insights to foster sustainable development in their institutions.

Who can participate?

The Staff Training Week is intended for colleagues from International Relations Offices, colleagues from Green and Sustainability Offices as well as colleagues in the fields of Structural Development and Research. We are happy to host max. 2 participants per university.

Programme

Workshops will run Monday – Friday with a complementary social and framework programme that includes topic-related city tours and field trips to the area.

The agenda can be downloaded here in January 2025.

Beyond knowledge and skills concerning the sustainability and transformation processes, the programme offers you the opportunity to network and share experiences with other participants from around the world and to inspire yourself with new ideas for your own work.
You will... 

  • balance theory and practice of sustainability and change management,
  • discuss success strategies,
  • meet various stakeholders participating in relevant processes,
  • identify challenges and opportunities for internationalization in the context of sustainable transformation processes,
  • discover ways to identify and establish local transformation networks, and
  • have a lot of fun meeting great people!

Application

Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory.
You can apply to the STW via the application form. Please submit your application  by January 15, 2025!

If you have any questions concerning the programme or registration, please feel free to contact us!

Kindly note that we are unable to accommodate participants from all universities. Following a thorough selection process, we will inform the candidates about the outcome and confirm whether they can be invited to participate.

Participants will receive further information regarding travel arrangements and accommodation etc. after the completion of the application and selection process in late January 2025.

Contact

International Office
International Mobility Division - Erasmus+