The University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów is a leader of the international project ‘Visegrad Sustainable Living Labs Network 4 Youth of Universities’ (VSLLN4YOU) which aims to create a network of university living labs working towards the green transformation of universities.

The European Living Labs Network is an organisation of user-centred, open innovation ecosystems. They apply the energy and knowledge of students to real-world sustainability challenges.

Together with partners from Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Rzeszów University decided to harness the creativity and commitment of students and create a network of university living labs working towards green transformation. The VSLLN4YOU project will enable the co-creation and testing of innovative and sustainable solutions in cooperation with partners from the private, public and civil sectors.

Green universities are higher education institutions committed to sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals in all areas of activity (institutional framework, campus operations, teaching, research, community engagement, accountability and reporting, etc.) with a particular focus on environmental aspects.

On the one hand, universities shape the competences, attitudes and values of society and lead the research that is the flywheel of sustainable innovation, and on the other hand, they are large organisations that leave their carbon footprint and contribute to climate change.

Estimates of global emissions related to international student mobility alone range from 14.01 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent per year (roughly the level of Latvia’s national emissions) to 38.54 megatonnes (similar to Tunisia). The challenge, therefore, is a green transformation of universities that will simultaneously support the development of green talent and leaders, as well as the conduct of research and the implementation of eco-innovation.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński