Skip to main content

Universities launch the Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education (BayZeN)

On 30 March, the presidents of six Bavarian universities for applied sciences signed a cooperation agreement to set up the Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education (BayZeN) at the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. The University of Passau is one of them.

The newly founded Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education (BayZeN) bills itself as a "think tank" that seeks to improve the general conditions for sustainability and climate protection – through and with the support of Bavarian universities. It is geared towards long-term, institutionalised cooperation between the universities. BayZeN offers members of all Bavarian universities a platform to network institutions as a whole, to enter into an exchange and to cooperate for the implementation of sustainability and climate protection in the realms of research, teaching, operation, transfer, student initiatives and governance.

Science Minister Markus Blume stresses: "Bavaria is breaking new ground for sustainability. BayZeN is a first in Germany. It's where top-level know-how meets that much needed passion. Expertise, commitment, effectiveness: As a think tank for sustainability and climate protection, BayZeN provides answers to the big questions of our time from a wide range of different perspectives – together with and for our Bavarian universities."

Professor Harald Kosch

Professor Harald Kosch

conducts research on distributed and multimedia systems

How can intelligent systems source information from across various media?

How can intelligent systems source information from across various media?

Professor Harald Kosch has held the Chair of Distributed Information Systems at the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics since 2006. He is the German director of DFH/UFA Doctoral College, which brings together INSA de Lyon and the University of Passau. The main purpose of this exchange is to facilitate cooperation projects in intelligent digital systems.

Networking and exchange for more sustainability

BayZeN’s mission is to promote the academic debate about the major sustainability challenges society is facing and about the responsibility that universities in Bavaria have. Furthermore, it assists universities in implementing and structurally embedding sustainability and climate protection by offering personalised advice. It offers not only different networking and exchange formats but also organises working groups in all of the realms. The following six sponsors will each be providing initial funding for BayZeN over a period of three years: Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT), the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU), the Technical University of Applied Sciences of Amberg-Weiden (OTH), Nuremberg Institute of Technology, Technische Universität München and the University of Passau. BayZeN's head office is situated at HSWT.

Collaboration on the BayZeN platform across the different types of universities will substantially strengthen efforts everywhere in Bavaria to implement sustainability and climate protection in all the fields of action of the universities.

Professor Harald Kosch, Vice President of the University of Passau

"Collaboration on the BayZeN platform across the different types of universities will substantially strengthen efforts everywhere in Bavaria to implement sustainability and climate protection in all the fields of action of the universities. What is more, it will be a powerful impetus to the development of sustainability and climate protection at universities," says Professor Harald Kosch, Vice President of the University of Passau. "The University of Passau has been pursuing a sustainability strategy in facility management, teaching and research for years. Since as early as 1998, it has been awarded distinctions by the Free State of Bavaria on several occasions for making the most of energy-efficient and low-resource construction. In setting up the sustainability hub at the University of Passau, an effective structure has been created to bolster sustainable operation of the campus, promote student activities and drive inter-faculty research at the university." From the time of its launch roughly a year ago, Professor Werner Gamerith has been coordinating and managing this cross-faculty and cross-cutting forum at the University of Passau in his capacity as sustainability officer.

BayZeN sees itself as the institutionalisation of the Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education which was launched as a "bottom-up initiative" on 4 December 2012. The presidents of all the state and state-recognised universities in Bavaria have signed a commitment to cooperate and ensure the implementation of sustainability and climate protection based on a whole-institution approach. The network collaborates closely with the student union in Bavaria (LAK Bavaria).

Caption: Signing of the cooperation agreement to establish the Bavarian Network for Sustainability in Higher Education (BayZeN) at the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts (StMWK): (f.l.t.r.) Professor Harald Kosch (University of Passau), Dr Eric Veulliet (HSWT), Minister of Science Markus Blume, Professor Clemens Bulitta (OTHAW), Professor Niels Oberbeck (Ohm), Professor Gabriele Gien (KU), Professor Thomas F. Hofmann (TUM); photograph: Axel König/StMWK

More articles

Dr Gianluca Grimalda, who became known as the researcher who refuses to fly, continues his studies on social cohesion and climate change as a PICAIS-fellow at the University of Passau.

Stepan Gagin und Prof. Dr. Hermann de Meer im Gespräch.

The EU Horizon project RENergetic is researching how renewable energy hubs can optimise energy self-sufficiency. As part of the project, a team from the University of Passau is developing smart solutions integrating IT and legal perspectives.

A native of Berlin, Dr Manuela Fritz came to Passau to study Southeast Asia: She has now been awarded the Kulturpreis Bayern for her doctoral thesis about the effects of climate change on chronic illnesses.

Playing the video will send your IP address to an external server.

Show video