Innovations for a Sustainable Future: Dutch Experiences

- What are the challenges for a sustainable future?
- How can innovation address these challenges?
- How to understand innovation processes in energy and water management?
- How to manage such innovation processes?
- What can we learn from experiences in the Netherlands?

These are the main questions that will be addressed in this Summer School at the Department of Innovation and Environmental Science at Utrecht University. We focus at Dutch practices of innovation and governance to work on a sustainable future. Examples are (alternative) energy and water management technologies in order to protect the Lowlands against a rising sea level and other consequences of climate change.

During lectures we will discuss the challenges for a sustainable future. New technologies are important for a sustainable future, but sustainability problems and solutions are disputed, and implementation is not straightforward. Therefore, emphasis will be on the diffusion and implementation processes of innovations, which will provide handholds for policy. During tutorials the theoretical concepts will be applied to real-life problems. Excursions and field trips to energy and water management projects will be organised in order to experience the innovations and challenges in practice.

As a preparation for this summer school, you should think of some sustainability issues related to energy or water management in your country, and of the practical projects / innovations in that field. Bring along some material on these issues which you can use to give a short presentation.

The lectures and tutorials will be given by the staff of the Department. The recreational programme will be organised by student societies and the Erasmus Students Network.

This summer school is held under the auspices of the Graduate School of Geosciences.

» Download the day-to-day programme (PDF)