Ulm sets new standards: Students learn sustainability while studying engineering!

Ulm sets new standards: Students learn sustainability while studying engineering!

The Carl Zeiss Foundation is supporting an important project at the University of Ulm with 456,000 euros. This project entitled “Sustainable Technologies” aims to centrally integrate sustainability topics into engineering courses. The starting signal for this forward-looking project was given in June 2025 and aims to develop interdisciplinary modules that also take into account the United Nations' sustainability goals. Professor Walter Karlen from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering is the project leader, supported by Professor Claudia Lenk from the Institute of Functional Nanosystems.

One of the main intentions of the project is to provide students with a holistic understanding of the entire product cycle, including the production, use and recycling of products. The teaching content should not only cover ecological and economic aspects, but also focus on health and social dimensions. The university is consistently implementing its initiative to inspire young people to act sustainably.

Integration into engineering studies

The first implementation of the new modules is in the “Biomedical Engineering” degree program. For example, the master's lecture “Appropriate Medical Device Design” is offered, which promotes empathy for the users of medical devices. Important questions such as wearing comfort, operational complexity and longevity are addressed. A particular focus is on the use of biocompatible materials to promote reusable medical devices.

The Carl Zeiss Foundation also supports the creation of a pool of case studies in order to convey the topics of sustainability in a practical manner. In the future, other engineering courses, such as electrical engineering and chemical engineering, will benefit from these new teaching approaches.

Long-term sustainability strategies

In addition to the new modules, Ulm University has formulated its own sustainability strategy. This will be implemented gradually and includes existing programs, such as the master's degree in sustainable business management and a university group for sustainability. The research activities at the “Green Energy Campus Ulm” aim to explore innovative ways of sustainable energy conversion and storage.

The comprehensive strategy for integrating sustainability into engineering courses is supported by Ulm University's membership in the German Society for Sustainability at Universities. This affiliation strengthens the university's efforts to prepare students for the challenges of the future and to provide them with the necessary skills to develop environmentally conscious products and processes.