SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

This course looks at where important materials in products we use every day come from and how these materials can be used more efficiently, longer, and in closed loops. This is the aim of the Circular Economy, but it doesn’t happen on its own. It is the result of choices and strategies by suppliers, designers, businesses, policymakers and all of us as consumers. In addition to providing many cases of managing materials for sustainability, the course also teaches skills and tools for analyzing circular business models and promotes development of your own ideas to become more involved in the transition to a Circular Economy. You will learn from expert researchers and practitioners from around Europe as they explain core elements and challenges in the transition to a circular economy over the course of 5 modules: Module 1: Materials. This module explores where materials come from, and builds a rationale for why society needs more circularity. Module 2: Circular Business Models. In this module circular business models are explored in-depth and a range of ways for business to create economic and social value are discussed. Module 3: Circular Design, Innovation and Assessment. This module presents topics like functional materials and eco-design as well as methods to assess environmental impacts. Module 4: Policies and Networks. This module explores the role of governments and networks and how policies and sharing best practices can enable the circular economy. Module 5: Circular Societies. This module examines new norms, forms of engagement, social systems, and institutions, needed by the circular economy and how we, as individuals, can help society become more circular.

In this course, participants are introduced to key notions and concepts evolving in sustainability science that are relevant to all, independent to one's work or field of interest. After having completed the course, participants will have a better understanding of the vocabulary used today and should demonstrate the ability to reflect critically to integrate different perspectives of environmental, social, and economic sustainability to their specific area of interest or research. Throughout the course, links are made to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as our current global road map towards sustainability, and how new approaches and solutions are emerging to describe, understand and address key sustainability challenges. Put simply, the overall aim is to give participants the knowledge and confidence needed to present and discuss ideas with others by applying methods, concepts and the vocabulary exemplified in the course with a more holistic view on the sustainability agenda across topics and disciplines. The course is designed as 5 modules: The first module presents essential concepts within sustainability science, and methods used to describe, frame, and communicate aspects of sustainability. We look at key questions such as what we mean with strong or weak sustainability, resilience, tipping points and the notion of planetary boundaries. We also look at some techniques used of envisioning alternative futures and transitions pathways. The second module is all about systems thinking and how systemic approaches are applied today to achieve long-term sustainability goals. Your will see what we mean with systems thinking and how systems thinking, and design is applied in practice to find new solutions. The third module touches upon drivers for a sustainable future, namely links to economy and business with an introduction to notions of a circular economy, and also policy and regulatory frameworks. We introduce the basics of transformative policy frames and how they are designed and applied through several real-case examples. The fourth module discusses the links between innovation and sustainability, highlighting approaches for technological, social, institutional, and financial innovations. Some examples (or cases) aim to show how different actors across society balance in practice the need for innovative approaches for social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The fifth and last module provides general insights on how we work with models to create various scenarios that help us identify solutions and pathways for a more sustainable world. Three main dimensions are addressed namely climate and climate change, nature and biodiversity, and the importance of data and geodata science to support spatial planning and sustainable land use.

How can we work with nature to design and build our cities? This course explores urban nature and nature-based solutions in cities in Europe and around the world. We connect together the key themes of cities, nature, sustainability and innovation. We discuss how to assess what nature-based solutions can achieve in cities. We examine how innovation is taking place in cities in relation to nature. And we analyse the potential of nature-based solutions to help respond to climate change and sustainability challenges. This course was launched in January 2020, and it was updated in September 2021 with new podcasts, films and publications. The course is produced by Lund University in cooperation with partners from Naturvation – a collaborative project on finding synergies between cities, nature, sustainability and innovation. The course features researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs from a range organisations.   

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a networking paradigm which enables different devices (from thermostats to autonomous vehicles) to collect valuable information and exchange it with other devices using different communications protocols over the Internet. This technology allows to analyse and correlate heterogeneous sources of information, extract valuable insights, and enable better decision processes. Although the IoT has the potential to revolutionise a variety of industries, such as healthcare, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing, IoT devices also introduce new cybersecurity risks and challenges. In this course, the students will obtain an in-depth understanding of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the associated cybersecurity challenges. The course covers the fundamentals of IoT and its applications, the communication protocols used in IoT systems, the cybersecurity threats to IoT, and the countermeasures that can be deployed. The course is split in four main modules, described as follows: Understand and illustrate the basic concepts of the IoT paradigm and its applications Discern benefits and drawback of the most common IoT communication protocols Identify the cybersecurity threats associated with IoT systems Know and select the appropriate cybersecurity countermeasures Course Plan Module 1: Introduction to IoT Definition and characteristics of IoT IoT architecture and components Applications of IoT Module 2: Communication Protocols for IoT Overview of communication protocols used in IoT MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP protocols Advantages and disadvantages of each protocol Module 3: Security Threats to IoT Overview of cybersecurity threats associated with IoT Understanding the risks associated with IoT Malware, DDoS, and phishing attacks Specific vulnerabilities in IoT devices and networks Module 4: Securing IoT Devices and Networks Overview of security measures for IoT systems Network segmentation, access control, and encryption Best practices for securing IoT devices and networks Organisation and Examination Credits and time table: 3 ECTS distributed over 10 weeks Scehduled online seminars: December 4th 2023, January 12th 2024 and February 9th 2024 Examination, one of the following: Analysis and presentation of relevant manuscripts in the literature Bring your own problem (BYOP) and solution. For example, analyse the cybersecurity of the IoT network of your company and propose improvements The number of participants in the course is limited, so please hurry with your application!

Your abilities in development work gain more and more importance in professional life. This course gives you the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in product, production and business development as well as the relationship between these. You are introduced to systematic working methods for product, production and business development with a focus on innovation and creativity in practical contexts. The overall aim of the course is an in-depth understanding of the application of various processes for development work of various kinds. The goal is that the students increase their ability to understand and apply development processes and increase their insight into how the processes relate to organizations’ innovation and business strategies to obtain circular flows, resilience and sustainability in the manufacturing industry. The teaching consists of self-study of course literature, films and other material via an internet-based course platform, scheduled webinars and written reflections. No physical gatherings. Scehduled online seminars: December 4th 2023, January 8th 2024, January 22nd 2024 and February 5th 2024 The number of participants in the course is limited, so please hurry with your application!

This course provides a glimpse into the world of batteries. We all use batteries every day, but do you really know how a battery works, what’s inside it, what it’s useful for, and how scientists are trying to improve them for the future? In this introductory course, we will tell you everything from battery basics, through the development of the lithium-ion battery, their applications and requirements, what kinds of materials are used to build batteries, to what happens to a battery when it’s finished its life and how batteries are being developed for the future. As a participant in this course, you ideally have some form of technical background, probably studied sciences at college or even in higher education, or have experience in a technical profession. It is hoped that after the course you will be much more aware of the battery world, the requirements, applications and components of a battery, as well as having a wider perspective of how this important technology will develop over the coming decade. It is expected that this course should take about 10-15 hours in total to complete.   The course will be available from 30th of December 2022.