Universidad de Concepción, Chile

19 November – 25 November 2023

The virtual Institute of Eco-Industrial Development (IECO) invites you to its second summer school, hosted by the Universidad de Concepción in Chile.

IECO is a multilateral institute for the study, research and innovation in the fields of industrial ecology and circular economy in Germany and Chile. Its interdisciplinary topics range from bioeconomy and circular economy to geothermal energy and sustainable land use. Several of those topics will be covered during the summer school. Please find more information about IECO and Eco-Industrial Development on the IECO website.

The Summer School is aimed at advanced students (Master and PhD) who are enrolled at one of the IECO partner universities (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Universidad Austral de Chile, Universidad de Concepción, and Universidad de Chile) and are interested in implementing sustainable ideas in the development of industry, urban landscapes and rural areas.

The IECO Summer School is funded by the DAAD.

What is Eco-Industrial Development?

Improving sustainability of industrial activities is currently a major challenge. The approach of Eco-Industrial Development (EID) aims to increase sustainability in the entire industrial system by treating industrial parks as ecosystems, where companies are considered species that co-exist in ecosystems by exchanging substances and energy (industrial symbiosis). That way inter-company opportunities to reduce waste, re-use waste heat and lower the net energy consumption can be exploited. Based on this principle, industrial and urban systems can also be interlinked to achieve similar benefits. Please find more about EID and its connection to Circular Economy on the IECO Website.

About the Summer School

The Summer School addresses different elements of the entire research cycle, from basic research to innovation management and technology transfer to industry. Through lectures and workshops, theory and practice are combined and supplemented by field trips and excursions to industrial locations and start-ups in EID, so that students learn and experience the basic theory and application perspectives for each of the topics in one day.

Several EID topics will be addressed during the multidisciplinary event, such as sustainable use in biomass, sustainable land use, water-energy nexus use, and urban industrial development, taught by scienti­fic experts from Chile and Germany. In addition, representatives from industry, civil society and politics will be invited to provide a broader perspective on the topic.

The program of the Summer School will be complemented by cultural and social events, contributing to German-Chilean friendship.

The entire program will be held in English.

Further information regarding the content of the Summer School as well as the application process will be posted on this website in September. Stay tuned!