ENGAGE.EU Winter School 2026 in Mannheim
Topic: Studium Oecologicum – Current Issues in Sustainability
Dates: 12-23 January 2026
- online kick-off 12 January,
- participation in one chosen online workshops (180-240 mins) during 13-16 January,
- on-campus session 19-23 January 2025 at the University of Mannheim
Location: Online and at the University of Mannheim (Germany)
Language of instruction: English
Transcripts: after successful completion of the programme incl. exam, 3 ECTS and a certificate will be awarded
Application phase: 1 – 15 October 2025, (23:59 CET)
About ENGAGE.EU Winter Schools
ENGAGE.EU Winter Schools are intensive programmes taught by professors and lecturers from ENGAGE.EU universities. In line with the general ENGAGE.EU goals, these programmes aim to provide a forum for interdisciplinary academic exchange and learning on current societal challenges. Winter Schools aim to equip students with hard and soft skills needed to tackle these challenges and act as responsible future leaders. Additionally, a social programme will be offered to foster networking opportunities and intercultural competencies.
Academic programme
The ENGAGE.EU Winter School Studium Oecologicum – Current Issues in Sustainability is an intensive, two-week Winter programme with a mix of virtual and in-presence elements for bachelor’s students from all fields of studies, hosted by the University of Mannheim in January 2026.
The overall aim of the Winter School – Current Issues in Sustainability is to provide you with state of the art knowledge and skills on the topic of sustainability across Europe. Interdisciplinary academic exchange and intercultural experiences are central elements of the programme. In line with the general ENGAGE.EU goals, you will be equipped with hard and soft skills needed to tackle societal challenges and act as responsible future leaders.
The Winter School on Current Issues in Sustainability takes place from 12 to 23 January 2026. From 12 to 16 January, all teaching elements will be held online. The physical part will take place from 19 January to 23 January at the University of Mannheim. Attendance and active participation in both course components are pre-requisites for the successful completion of the Winter School.
Dates and additional details
Week 1 (12-16 January): Online
- The compulsory online kick-off will take place on Monday, 12 January from 13.30h-16.30h CET
- This is followed by a number of online workshops from 13 to 16 January – you need to attend one of these online workshops (ranking of all workshops in order of preference required):
| Date & Time | Workshop Title | Lecturer |
| Tuesday, 13 January 2026, 3 to 6 pm CET | Corporate agents for sustainability | Stéphan Pezé, Professor at the School of Management, Université Toulouse Capitole, France |
| Wednesday, 14 January 2026, 11.30 am to 2.30 pm CET | Sustainable Entrepreneurship | Dr. Man Yang, Associate Professor of Management and Organisation, Hanken School of Economics, Finland |
| Thursday, 15 January 2026, 5 to 8 pm CET | Language Diversity in Sustainable Business Practices | Oumnia Abidi, PhD candidate in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Université Toulouse Capitole, France |
| Friday, 16 January 2026, 9.30 am to 1 pm CET | Mission: SustainEU – The ESG Strategy Simulation | Dr. Todor Stankov Todorov, PhD, Lecturer in Project Management, University of National and World Economy, Bulgaria. |
Week 2 (19-23 January): On campus
- The on-campus week starts with welcome drinks on Sunday, 18 January at 19.00 CET
- During the following five days on-campus (19–23 January), you will participate in one of two Academic Sustainability Courses (ranking in order of preference required):
- In addition to the academic component, you will have the opportunity to practically engage with the topic of the Winter School by attending excursions as well as impulse lectures by guest speakers. The course programme and practical experiences will be complemented by social events, including opportunities to network with fellow students and explore Mannheim.
- Overview of the on-campus week and its programme:
| Sunday 18.01. | Monday 19.01. | Tuesday 20.01. | Wednesday 21.01. | Thursday 22.01. | Friday 23.01 | |
| morning (9-12h) | 9.30h Official Start, Keynote, Orga for the week | Academic Sustainability Courses | 9.30h Excursion to Klima Arena by Bus | Academic Sustainability Coursesa | 10-12h Choice of Local Excursions (SDG Walk or SDG Appartment) | |
| lunchtime | Pizza Lunch | Self-organised Lunch | Lunch @ Klima Arena | Self-organised Lunch | Self-organised Lunch | |
| afternoon (13-16h) | 13h Academic Sustainability Courses until 17h | 13h Academic Sustainability Courses until 17h | Optional Career Event or free time | 13h Academic Sustainability Course until 17h | 14.30h Impulse Lecture & Award Ceremony until 16h | |
| evening | 18h Welcome Drinks | 18-21h Social Event |
After completion of the two-week programme (12-23 January), you will be awarded with a certificate of participation. There will be an exam at the end of the Academic Sustainability Course which will form your grade for the Transcript of Records worth 3 ECTS. There won’t be additional work after the completion of the Winter School.
Practical information
Accommodation:
Please note that accommodation is not included. The University of Mannheim assists by providing accommodation suggestions, but you are not bound to these options.
Scholarship Support:
Successful applicants may be eligible to receive financial support (ERASMUS or other) from their home universities. Please contact your university’s ENGAGE.EU coordinator to learn more about this.
Fees:
There won’t be any tuition fees for participating in the Winter School.
Application
Your profile
This ENGAGE.EU Winter School is targeted toward students of any citizenship who are enrolled in an undergraduate study programme at one of the ENGAGE.EU alliance universities (University of Mannheim, LUISS University, NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Tilburg University, University of National and World Economy, Université Toulouse Capitole, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Hanken School of Economics, Ramon Llull University). Since the Winter School is an interdisciplinary programme, students from diverse backgrounds (such as business, economics, law, social sciences, humanities) are strongly encouraged to apply as long as they meet the following requirements:
- You must be enrolled in an undergraduate study programme at one of the EU partner universities.
- You must have completed at least 60 ECTS credits by the time of application to the Winter School, i.e., by 15 October 2025.
- You should have a strong interest in the topic of the Winter School, i.e. the societal impact of sustainability challenges through lectures and interactive discussion and case studies.
Application procedure
In order to apply for the ENGAGE.EU Winter School, you need to fill in the online application form below, and upload all necessary supporting documents, including:
- Motivation statement: a digital file (video, text, slides, …) explaining your background (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad experience, other relevant skills and experiences), as well as your interest and motivation for the topic of the Winter School. You are free to decide on the specific format of the statement, bearing in mind that creativity and innovativeness are welcome. Please note that this document needs to be in English, and, depending on the format, needs to have a limited scope:
- for text files: 1 page
- for videos or similar: 2 minutes
- for other visuals or similar: 10 slides (or comparable files).
- Academic transcript of records (in the official language of the applicant’s home university or in English).
Applications will be possible from 1 – 15 October 2025 (23:59 CET).
All applicants who submit their complete application on time will be informed about the status of their applications via email by early November.
Selection procedure
Each ENGAGE.EU university forms a selection committee made up of academic and administrative staff to evaluate the submitted applications of students from their university. Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their motivation statement, academic record and academic progress. A limited number of students per partner university will be accepted to the Winter School.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: sw-school@uni-mannheim.de
Note:
If applicable, participants shall be responsible for obtaining their own visas /student residence permit and completing the required immigration formalities, as well as for obtaining the travel documents and other related documents needed to pursue studies at the host university or another participating university.
During the events, participants shall be subject to the rules, regulations, policies, procedures, codes and norms which are in force at the host university.
Violation of host country law by the participant may subject the student to withdrawal of the immigration status and scholarship.
For any physical mobility related to the event, participants will be required to carry adequate health insurance and need to ensure that their insurance will cover the potential costs of health care during that period.
Contact
Kathrin Blitzke
ENGAGE.EU Local Work Package Coordinator ENGAGE.EU Programmes (WP3)
Working from home every Monday, Wednesday and Friday; available only via E-Mail on these days.
Selina Allegro, M.Sc.
Project Management ENGAGE.EU Short Programmes
University of Mannheim
Teaching and Learning Center
L 9, 6 – Room 007
68161 Mannheim