Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP) are courses that include a short face-to-face activity, between 5-30 days and an online part. The travel expenses for the face-to-face period are covered by the Erasmus scholarship. For more information, please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your university.
Course type: Blended Intensive Programme (BIP)
Credits: 5ECTS
Application deadline: 30 January 2025
Study period: 22 February – 28 April 2025
Face-to-face week: 3-7 March 2025 (mandatory)
Location for Face-to-face week: Campus Valla, Linköping, Sweden
Travel grant: you can receive Erasmus funding for your travel expenses. Please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your home university for more information.
Do you think that the forest is indispensable in the fight against climate change and crucial for people's lives? Do you believe that it is vital to ensure the forest's survival and viability? Then, this is your chance to do something about it!
LiU and the forest industry group Södra are organising this Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) looking for new ways to increase the ecological and societal impact of the forest and contribute to a more sustainable society.
You will be part of a group of students from different countries, universities and academic backgrounds working together to find actionable solutions on how Södra can increase innovation in products and services that support biodiversity. Your main tools in this process will be the principles of degrowth economy, with emphasis on sustainability, localised economies, social justice and well-being.
During the face-to-face week you will get the opportunity to interact with Södra and ask questions to understand better their challenges. You will work on the first iteration of your solution with your group. You will attend lectures and workshops that will help you develop the skills you need to solve complex problems with innovative solutions.
This BIP is given under the course InGenious - Sustainable Cities and Communities – cross disciplinary project.
In this course, students address challenges related to sustainable cities and communities by collaborating in interdisciplinary teams to carry out a forward-looking project.
The project is a real-life problem provided by an external partner. This interdisciplinary work typically offers a flexible framework, giving the group considerable freedom while also requiring sensitivity and initiative. Creativity and problem-solving skills are trained through entrepreneurial methods aimed at developing local joint sustainability concepts. Ethical considerations, both in understanding challenges and identifying opportunities, will also be central to discussions. Communication, both verbal and written, within the group and with other stakeholders, is another key element. You can read more about the course and find the syllabus here.
In this iteration of the course the external partner that provided the real-life problem is Södra and the project is called the sustainable forest challenge.
New sustainability programs at the EU level, such as the Nature Restoration Law, One Health Program, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy, raise questions for natural resource-based companies on how to integrate restorative and regenerative practices while ensuring long-term viability. For Södra, a leading Swedish forestry cooperative, the forest is more than just a source of renewable raw material for the Södra industries—it provides climate benefits, ecosystem services, long-term economic potential, and represents a core of Swedish innovation. Moreover, forests are a shared spaces for both people and wildlife, offering both livelihood and recreation.
Södra is Sweden’s largest forest-owner association, founded in 1938 and today a strong cooperation of 52,000 individual forest owners. Members are diverse, ranging from farmers who actively manage their forests to city-dwellers who have outsourced the work. With local roots in southern Sweden and a presence in the global market through its industrial activities, Södra’s primary mission is to ensure the profitability of its members’ forest estates and to secure markets for their raw materials. This is achieved through a focus on high-value industrial segments and a balance between productive forestry and nature conservation, while always respecting members’ property rights. Innovation, sustainability, and the interests of the forest owners guide the cooperative’s work, with the ambition to create sustainable value from every tree.
As the importance of sustainability has grown, Södra has integrated this focus across almost all levels of the organization. At the same time, public opinion on how forests should be managed is shifting, and Södra must continuously adapt and develop its practices to remain competitive—both in the market and among its members.
In light of this educational challenge and aligned with recent developments in EU legislation, Södra needs to consider whether it is time to proactively redefine its strategies. Aligning with forthcoming and expected regulations and programs is not only a matter of compliance but a strategic opportunity. By acting early, Södra can strengthen its position as a leader in sustainable forestry and turn these challenges into new market opportunities. Innovation in products and services that support biodiversity and ecosystem health will allow Södra to meet the growing demand for sustainability. Moreover, by focusing on regenerative practices, Södra can further establish itself as a pioneer in combining ecological restoration with long-term economic resilience and Swedish innovation.
Your challenge is to investigate how Södra can increase their ecological and societal impacts based on their position and take lead in the transition to a sustainable society. What assets and values can be utilized and what new innovative grips need to be taken?
The course will be given in blended mode, with most of the activities online and a mandatory face-to-face (F2F) week at Valla campus, Linköping from 3 to 7 March 2025. Please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your home university to secure Erasmus funding for the face-to-face week as soon as possible.
See the preliminary schedule via the link below. Please note that changes may occur.
The sustainable forest challenge preliminary schedule 2025
If you want to increase your knowledge in sustainable innovation and expand your toolbox for finding creative solutions to the Sustainable Forest Challenge, we recommend that you take the online course InGenious - Responsible Innovation for a Sustainable World
Course type: Online
Credits: 3 ECTS
Application deadline: 14 January 2025
Study period: 6 February – 17 April 2025
LiU will offer suggestions and assistance to find accommodation to the admitted students. However, it is the students' responsibility to book and pay for the accommodation.
Here you can find a list of all the hotels and hostels in Linköping, if you would like to start planning your trip already now.