The Summer School

The programme will focus on sustainable strategies and solutions for bio-based plastics to support the EU-Plastics Strategy and promote a new plastics economy. 

Dynamic lectures given by passionate guest speakers from the science, policy and the industry fields will be alternated with site visits at innovative companies and plants. Hands-on sessions assisted with mentoring and tutoring have been designed in helping participants gain insightful knowledge through practical application. Specifically, participants will work in different groups to discuss and address real-life business challenges, giving them the opportunity to apply the concepts learned during the lectures in a practical setting, and projects will be evaluated by a Scientific Committee.

Learning objectives

The Summer School aims to improve the professional skills and command of experts already working and of those who want to be trained to work within the circular economy and bioeconomy. Notably, training activities aim to broaden knowledge on sustainability and circularity with specific applications to fossil-based, bio-based, and biodegradable plastics value chains.

Specifically, people joining the Summer School will be able to:

• Identify the circular strategy that best maximize the value of bio-based plastics
• Realize a business model for specific industrial challenges
• Define a preliminary business plan supporting business ideas and innovative projects, including products, processes and services

The Summer School will be taught entirely in English.

The Summer School is organized by the Department of Management and Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering of the University of Bologna with the support of Hamburg University of Applied Science, Kaunas University of Technology, Turku University of Applied Sciences, TICASS and ABM Composite and the collaboration of many organizations form the public and private sectors.