Sustainable Mobility Summer Academy 2024

In view of the urgent need to combat climate change and solve transportation challenges, the topic of sustainable mobility has become an important research area in multiple fields of engineering, urban planning, business, IT, and social sciences, among others. The “Sustainable Mobility Summer Academy” focuses on providing a holistic approach on sustainable mobility, involving technological innovations, economic strategies, political measures, and societal change. In the two-week intensive programme students will understand the complexities and interconnection of the challenges in sustainable mobility and work on real-life projects in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region. 

The TH Wildau Sustainable Mobility Summer Academy will consist of 10,5 programme days (including the first Saturday) with an average number of 35 hours per week (excluding preparation time) of lectures, workshops, site tours, excursions, and public seminars. An additional set of social and cultural activities will occur in the evenings.

Lectures, Seminars and Workshops

We have an exciting mix of seminars, lectures, and workshops being planned for you, by both TH Wildau professors but also professors from our international partners. On most days of the Summer Academy, you will attend 2 such 'blocks', each of which is 90 minutes in length. They will serve as an excellent introduction and diverse overview of the field of sustainable mobility.

Exploring questions such as Who Pays? Who benefits? Who Travels? Who Designs? the SMSA aims to address a variety of disciplines within mobility, such as: planning processes, infrastructure, social, legal and economic aspects. In addition, the importance of data and information, energy production and its legislation as well as policies to protect the climate and environment will be discussed.

This year our focus will include a practical case study centred on Wildau, exploring potential mobility hubs within the city. We aim to analyse various aspects of the city, approaching the topic with a keen awareness of the city's small-scale mobility dynamics.

'Planspiel' Team Project

Throughout the 2-week Summer Academy, you will work with your fellow participants in groups on a project in the form of a management or simulation game ('Planspiel'). One or more of our local 'practice' partners in the region will present to you a specific, concrete challenge they have in the domain of sustainable mobility, and you and your team will work on some potential solutions that will be presented to our local partner(s) in the morning of the final day of the Summer Academy.

Tours and Excursions

On most days after lunch, we will organise a tour or site visit. These may include company site tours, lab visits, city tours (e.g. mobility infrastructure), and other possibilities.

In the late afternoons, we will often also organise an excursion, which is generally more cultural in character, whether it be to sites in Berlin or other areas of interest in the surrounding region. This is generally optional.
 

Keynote Roundtable & Discussion

During the second week, we will also organise - instead of the usual lecture or seminar - a special Roundtable and Discussion, featuring at least 3 keynote speakers who will debate a topical issue and then engage with you in discussion about it.

In addition to the traditional lectures, seminars and/or workshops, participants of the Summer Academy will have the chance to explore the region, as well as local companies and sites of interest.

We are planning, for instance, a bike tour of the city of Potsdam with its many palaces and lakes. There will be company or partner site visits. And at least one afternoon excursion to Berlin itself, among other ideas.

We will also recommend to you a number of evening activities, including evening excursions to cultural events in Berlin and Brandenburg.

The housing situation in Berlin and Brandenburg is unfortunately rather acute, as is the case with many German cities at the moment. Nor can we offer on-campus housing.

But here is our advice for:

STUDENT PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE ACADEMY

For those participants who receive financial support from the Academy, we have made arrangements for you already. We have booked a series of beds in hostels in Berlin. While these are not the most glamorous places to stay, our DAAD funding will cover these costs fully, they are usually full of other students and young people, and most are located near convenient public transportion options, so that you can travel to the TH Wildau campus in a straightforward way.

STUDENT & FACULTY PARTICIPANTS (WITHOUT ACADEMY FINANCIAL SUPPORT)

If you do not receive financial support from the Academy, you are responsible for bearing the costs of accommodation yourself (or through other funding sources, e.g. from your home country).

Nonetheless, we will do our best to assist you. Our number #1 recommendation is to start looking for accommodation as soon as you know you have a confirmed place at the Academy.

We have put together some important information about how to find accommodation and some possibilities that have been used in the past on a separate webpage here: Berlin-Brandenburg Accommodation Advice

Student participants of the Summer Academy must generally be matriculated at the bachelor's, master's, or doctoral level.

The Summer Academy's official language will be English. We highly recommend a B2 level of English proficiency at a minimum.

We strongly encourage participants to attend the full Summer Academy in person. This will enhance the experience for everyone and will also facilitate group work.

There are separate guidelines and requirements for participants who are chosen to receive financial support from the TH Wildau Sustainable Mobility Academy. Please see below.

Note: There is no separate registration form. An email to us at smacademy(at)th-wildau.de is sufficient for registration.

1.       Conclusion of the Contractual Relationship

Registration takes place via email submission. By registering, you agree to our conditions of participation.
 

2.       Cancellations/Alterations

Cancellations can only be considered in written form via sending an email to smacademy@wildau.de. A significant alteration in your plan to participate, once you have been accepted, should also be sent via email to us, using the same email address.

3.     Information about the current situation regarding the Pandemic COVID-19

Please check regularly for international travel and quarantine regulations for your country of departure. Current information is available on the following websites:

BMI

European Commission

German Foreign Office

Federal Ministry of Health

Please also note that proof of vaccination with an EU-approved vaccine may be required for some countries. A list of approved vaccines can be found here.

You may also find current measures and regulations on the websites of TH Wildau and the City of Wildau.

4.       Visa Requirements

Registered participants from countries requiring a visa will receive an invitation from TH Wildau to be presented at the embassy. The condition for receiving such a letter of invitation is that you have already registered and been accepted to participate.

Participants should apply for the visa at the relevant embassy in good time. In this regard we recommend applying for a visa as early as possible.
 

5.       Accommodation

Please see the details above.
 

6.       Copyrights and Rights of Use

Within the framework of the programs, video & sound recordings or photographs will be taken of the participants at the events (opening event, excursions, teaching situation, final event, special events if necessary). These recordings may be distributed and/or published by TH Wildau on the website www.th-wildau.de, in social networks such as Facebook or Instagram, in online portals for Study Abroad offers, or in print media for publication and/or advertising purposes. If the participants do not wish to be photographed, it is their responsibility to inform the photographer commissioned by TH Wildau or the Summer Academy team accordingly.
    
Insofar as the participants submit photos to the Summer Academy (also in the context of a photo contest organized by the Summer Academy, if applicable), the following applies:

By submitting photos to the Summer Academy, the participants assure that they themselves have created them without the help of third parties protected by copyright or ancillary copyright. The participants assure that they have unrestricted use of their photos in relation to the copyright usage rights.

If one or several individuals are recognizable in the photos, the persons concerned have to agree that the respective photo is made publicly accessible.
 

7.       Insurance and Data Protection

It is mandatory to obtain health insurance for the duration of the stay in the Federal Republic Germany. Furthermore, we recommend taking out liability insurance. It is the participants’ own responsibility to obtain the necessary insurance coverage.

The participants are liable for all damages caused by them.

The participants agree that the Summer Academy electronically records and processes their data for the purposes of registration and correspondence, but may not pass them on to third parties, except in the case of visa matters or contractually bound third-party providers.

The participant is responsible for communicating any change in personal data, in particular postal and e-mail addresses, immediately.

The participant is responsible for obtaining all legal documents necessary for his or her stay in Germany.
 

8.       Rules of Conduct

In the interest of everyone involved, all participants are expected to behave properly during the programs. Regular attendance of seminars, workshops, tours, and excursions is expected. In case of repeated unexcused absences participation will not be certified or ECTS credits may not be awarded.

The Youth Protection Act is imperative. Alcohol consumption is prohibited for minors. In the event of reckless or uncontrolled behavior, the participant may be expelled from the program.
  
The course participant is required to obey all TH Wildau and all accommodation house rules for the duration of his or her stay. Serious violations can lead to exclusion from the program. Costs will not be refunded. 
           
The organizer and its representatives and assistants (vicarious agents) assume no liability for personal injury, property damage and/or financial loss of any kind.
 

9.       Minor Participants

The participation of minors (less than 18 years of age) is generally not possible. The minimum age for participation in the programs is 18 years.

There is no separate registration form. An email to us at smacademy(at)th-wildau.de is sufficient for registration.

FACULTY / PRAXIS PARTNERS

If you are a faculty member or Praxis partner, a simple email indicating your interest is sufficient, and we will respond to your email directly. Please tell us the basic details of your participation, if possible:

• The format of your participation, e.g. whether you plan to provide a lecture or workshop (or something else)
• The title of your lecture/workshop, with a short summary (a few sentences or a single paragraph is sufficient)
• How long you plan to participate - the full 2 week Academy? Just for the day of your lecture/workshop? A few days? Please indicate the specific dates, if you know them.
• Your preferred time slot (please refer to the Draft Schedule). We will do our best to accommodate you, but cannot guarantee your first choice

STUDENTS

If you are a student participant, please have a faculty member at your institution 'nominate' you to participate. This is usually a simple, straightforward step - please review the nomination guidelines [download as pdf here] for full details.

Within the confines of our limited capacity, we welcome a small number of student participants from non-partner universities. The procedure for nominating students from these universities is no different from the normal student nomination procedure, as described on this website. In select cases, financial support may also be available.

We can extend the deadline, on a case-by-case basis (please contact us via email, if so), but the sooner we have the nomination materials, the sooner we can finalise a list of participants, which means the sooner everyone can settle their plans for September.

If you already know that no students or faculty are able to participate in the Academy this year from your institution, please let us know that as well, as it allows us to reach out to other institutions who have indicated interest.

The short answer is 'yes', so long as we are informed at least 24 hours beforehand, so that we can confirm room capacity.

What is a 'flexible participant'?

A flexible participant is any student or staff member who has chosen, or is unable, to participate in the entire two-week Summer Academy and would simply like to attend one, or a handful of specific events, as their schedule allows. This is permitted, so long as we know beforehand (at least 24 hours), that you wish to attend. We can imagine, for instance, that various TH Wildau students might want to meet some new international students and participate in some of the social and cultural events, while not fully participating in the entire 2 week academy. Or perhaps TH Wildau students would like to join specific company site tours. This is not only permitted but encouraged. Please simply inform of us in good time beforehand. We will have an online tool that allows you to register your attendance at individual events.

Note that flexible participants will probably not be eligible for ECTS credits and will not receive a certification of completion from us. At this time, they are also not eligible for financial support.

International student participants are also welcome to join as flexible participants, though we expect this to be a rare occurrence.