Culture of sustainability at universities (KuNaH)

The KuNaH joint project was launched in October 2022 as part of the BMBF funding guideline "Transformation Paths for Sustainable Universities". It deals with the question of what a culture of sustainability (KdN) at universities can look like and how it can be promoted. A culture of sustainability is understood as the lived practice of sustainability in relation to formal and informal processes of shaping basic assumptions, goals, regulatory systems and systemic framework conditions. It is to be conceptualized, empirically examined and described as an integrative aspect of a sustainability transformation and stimulated by real-life experiments.

To this end, the project proceeds in two strands. On a conceptual-empirical level, characteristics, framework conditions, conflicts, dilemmas and leverage points of a KdN in universities are identified in order to form a basis for the development and implementation of sustainability measures. The second strand follows on from this, in which approaches and concepts of a KdN are tested and implemented in an experimental-transformative manner. To this end, real-life experiments will be designed and implemented with the involvement of various stakeholder groups - in particular students as change agents.

The project shows how universities can (and must) develop their own specific transformation paths in order to initiate and further develop a culture of sustainability. The basic principles of sustainable development - inter- and intragenerational justice and orientation towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - form the overarching framework as a common basis for a transformation to a KdN.

Tübingen sub-project:

The five partner universities in the network are each characterized by their specific structures and prerequisites with regard to the implementation of sustainable development, which form the basis for the development of possible transformation paths. In Tübingen, the initial focus is on explorative analyses to describe a KdN, which deal with the identification and use of leverage points, incentives, conflicts and synergy effects. In parallel, real-life experiments will be designed and carried out as part of transformative learning and research processes. Finally, in the synthesis phase, the experiences and results of the network are compiled and the coordination of the overall network is organized for the entire duration of the project.