BIP - Blended Intensive Programmes

This year, we focus on the underutilized urban bioresources that could be optimized through anaerobic digestion, a biotechnology that transforms organic wastes to renewable biofuels and sustainable biofertilizer.

The challenge is offered in collaboration with Jörgen Ejlertsson, Process and R&D excellence lead at St1 Biokraft, one of Northern Europe’s largest producers of bio-LNG, a sustainable and locally produced alternative to fossil fuels. The challenge is open to students from all backgrounds, blending engineering, natural sciences, and social studies to develop cutting-edge solutions.

During the face-to-face week you will get the opportunity to interact with St1 Biokraft 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 within the context of the course 746G75 Advancing Sustainable Futures: Integrating Biogas Production into Society for a Greener Transition.

The course examines how anaerobic digestion transforms organic waste into biogas and digestate – two valuable resources for energy and agriculture. You will gain insight into the technical, environmental, and societal challenges affecting the efficiency and adoption of biogas production. Emphasising interdisciplinary approaches, the course encourages students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate in solving real-world problems.

The course introduces the principles of anaerobic digestion and its applications for producing biogas and digestate. You will investigate the links between biotechnology, environmental policy, and biorefinery systems, as well as analyse how these technologies can be integrated into societal structures to promote sustainability.

At the heart of the course is a group-based project where students from diverse backgrounds collaborate to solve a real-world challenge presented by a societal stakeholder, such as a company, research initiative, or government agency. Through this challenge, you will develop skills in project management, communication, and critical thinking.

In this iteration of the course the external partner that provided the real-life problem is St1 Biokraft and the challenge is called Building cities of the future: harnessing new urban bioresources.

The challenge

Urban environments are teeming with bioresources, such as various types of biomass and organic waste, that often go underutilized. This challenge invites you to delve into the complex problems associated with the suboptimal use of these bioresources and explore how anaerobic digestion can transform them into valuable biogas and biofertilizer.

Despite the significant potential of anaerobic digestion, many urban bioresources are wasted or poorly managed, contributing to environmental degradation and energy inefficiency. Your challenge will be to examine the current landscape, identify barriers, and propose strategies to integrate biogas technology more effectively into urban settings. More specifically, you will identify an underutilized urban bioresource, define the reasons behind its lack of use, and propose concrete solutions.

Collaborate with industry experts from St1 Biokraft, engage in interdisciplinary research, and present your innovative solutions to stakeholders. This challenge-based learning experience promises to be both intellectually stimulating and practically impactful, driving sustainable development and helping cities transition to greener futures.

The challenge includes a face-to-face (F2F) week at Linköping University in Sweden. During the F2F week, you will get the opportunity to engage with some of the most advanced biogas systems in the world, you will interact directly with the challenge provider, visit state-of-the art biogas research facilities, and get a tour of a full-scale biogas plant at Tekniska Verken AB in Linköping.

Join us and be part of the solution!

Preliminary schedule

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 13 to 17 October 2025. Please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your home university to secure Erasmus funding for the F2F week as soon as possible.

See the preliminary schedule via the link below. Please note that changes may occur.

Building cities of the future: harnessing new urban bioresources

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.