Review of the ULYSSEUS Košice Week

From 20 to 24 October 2025, the team from the University of Münster's Innovation Hub for Social and Environmental Sustainability took part in Ulysseus Košice Week in Slovakia. The event took place at the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) and combined three sub-events: the Research & Innovation (R&I) Conference, the presentation of the TUKE Innovation Hub, and the Ulysseus Annual Summit.

Establishing and expanding connections

As part of this program, the team led by Daniela Pastoors, Tobias Gumbert, Doris Fuchs and Tillmann Buttschardt, all of whom are also ZIN-members, actively participated in various discussion rounds and working groups. Among the topics were the further development of joint innovation hub activities and the promotion of research and education collaborations within the European university network. Together with colleagues from the other partner universities, important decisions were made for cooperation over the next two years.

Advancing sustainability research

As part of the Research & Innovation Conference, Daniela Pastors, Tobias Gumbert, Doris Fuchs, Tillmann Buttschardt and Cornelia Steinhäuser gave a presentation on ‘Co-Creating Sustainable Futures – Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research in Real-World Lab Contexts,’ which highlighted key aspects of inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research. Tobias Gumbert also chaired the panel discussion on ‘Sustainability of Digitalisation’, which focused on innovative approaches and prospects for sustainable digitalisation in the European context. ZIN member Antonia Graf was among those represented at the panel. She spoke on ‘Public Acceptance of Renewable Energies: The Case of Battery Technologies’, thereby contributing an important social science perspective in the context of highly technology-focused contributions.