This intensive three-week course brings together students from DTU and the University of Nairobi to work on real-world climate challenges. Through innovation methods, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary teamwork, participants develop sustainable solutions in collaboration with external partners.
The course equips you with hands-on experience working with climate challenges such as climate adaptation and mitigation, resource management, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, food systems, and biodiversity.
You get to collaborate with students from different disciplines and cultures while developing innovation and entrepreneurship skills that are highly valued by employers.
After completing the course, you will be able to:
The course is based on theory and testing theory through the students own work with a challenge, where students use innovation and entrepreneurial methods to develop viable solutions to real climate and circular economy challenges. This framing fits particularly well with a climate innovation/entrepreneurship programme, because it integrates entrepreneurial mindset, interdisciplinary teamwork, real-world challenges, innovation methods, circular economy, climate impact and venture development into one coherent learning experience.
In this course, the students will work in interdisciplinary teams on real life challenges provided by external partners (challenge owners). Based on these grand challenges, the teams will identify and define the specific problem they will address during the course. To solve the challenges, the students will collaborate in interdisciplinary groups consisting of 4-5 students from different programmes.
During the course, the students are requested to get involve external stakeholders and validate their idea and concept. Together with their team, the students will present the final outcome in a poster presentation and a written report. In addition, each student will work on their personal development and write a reflection paper.
The course equips students with the knowledge, mindset and practical tools required to develop innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to climate and circular economy challenges.
At the beginning of the course, various definitions are introduced and selected methods are reviewed. The theory is tested in practice through exercises.
Students will then work in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural teams on real-life climate and circular economy challenges provided by external partners (challenge owners).
The challenges may relate to areas such as climate adaptation, mitigation, waste and resource management, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, food systems, water, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, plastics, biodiversity and sustainable consumption.
The students present the final outcome with a poster presentation and at the end of the course submitting a report. In addition, the students will work on their personal development and write a reflection paper about this.
The course follows a challenge-based innovation process:
Understand → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Iterate → Build the Business Model → Assess Sustainability → Communicate → Reflect
Students are expected to move beyond identifying environmental problems and develop practical, scalable and economically viable solutions that create environmental, social and economic value.
By the end of the 3-week course, the course is generally meant to:
a) introduce students to major contemporary climate and environmental challenges and their implications for society, economies and ecosystems.
b) Enable the students to define and distinguish innovation, intra- and entrepreneurship
c) Demonstrate and apply entrepreneurial mindset
d) Differentiate different process models and approaches to entrepreneurship
e) Apply different types of tools to a challenge
- the students reflect on the use of the tools / methods and process that the students have
f) Encourage students work in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural teams
g) Enable students to engage in real-life interdisciplinary challenges defined by external partners (challenge-owners).
At the end of the courses, the students will be expected to:
a) Demonstrate an understanding and application of an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset
b) explain major contemporary climate and environmental challenges and their implications for society, economies and ecosystems.
c) identify and determine the particular problem to address based on the grand challenges provided by external partner.
d) apply different types of innovation and entrepreneurship tools to a real-life challenge.
e) develop a cross country comparison of innovative approaches.
f) apply knowledge to come up with prototype solutions/concepts solving the challenge.
g) evaluate the solution with potential users and customers and differentiate for choices and actions based on the evaluation.
h) develop a realistic budget for the solution.
i) develop a business plan.
j) articulate the sustainability of the solution.
k) communicate a solution as a written presentation and an oral presentation.
l) reflect and catalogue on the use of innovation and entrepreneurship methods and the suitability of the methods as well as reflect on this process.
About the course
Duration: 3 weeks
Dates: 11 January to 29 January 2027
Location: University of Nairobi, Kenya
ECTS credits: 5
Teaching language: English
Course type:
Bachelor of Engineering (Beng)
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
Master of Science (MSc)
Application deadline: [date]
Weekly Theme: Understanding the Challenge and Defining the Problem
Students develop an understanding of climate change, circular economy and their relationship with innovation and entrepreneurship. They develop an entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to translate broad climate challenges into clearly defined problems that can be addressed through innovation.
Students explore:
External partners present real-world challenges such as:
• Plastic and solid waste
• Sustainable agriculture
• Food waste
• Renewable energy
• Water scarcity
• Sustainable transport
• Climate-smart cities
• Sustainable construction
• E-waste
• Sustainable manufacturing
• Climate adaptation for communities and businesses
Weekly Theme: Developing, Testing and Validating Climate Solutions
Students apply innovation and entrepreneurship methods to develop practical solutions to their identified climate or circular economy challenge.
Students are introduced to and apply selected approaches:
The emphasis is on selecting the right method for the problem, rather than mechanically following one model.
Students explore how products and services can be designed to:
Students generate possible solutions around:
Students evaluate ideas against:
| Dimension | Key Question |
|---|---|
| Environmental value | Does it reduce environmental/climate impact? |
| User value | Does it solve a real user problem? |
| Technical feasibility | Can it actually be developed? |
| Economic viability | Can it generate or sustain value? |
| Social value | Who benefits and who might be excluded? |
| Scalability | Can the solution grow or be replicated? |
| Circularity | Does it reduce resource use and waste? |
Students develop:
Students engage with:
They test:
Students begin to consider:
Weekly Theme: From Climate Solution to Sustainable Enterprise
The final week focuses on transforming the validated solution into a realistic, sustainable and potentially scalable climate or circular economy venture.
Students examine business models based on:
Students complete a Climate/Circular Business Model Canvas, addressing:
With additional attention to:
Each team develops a business plan covering:
A. Problem and Opportunity
B. Solution
C. Market
D. Business Model
E. Operations
F. Financial Plan
Students develop an Impact and Sustainability Case.
Environmental Impact
Social Impact
Economic Impact
The central question becomes:
Can the solution simultaneously create economic value and measurable environmental/social value?
Students develop a realistic budget covering:
They also identify possible financing approaches such as:
Students develop:
Particular attention is given to: "Can this solution move beyond the classroom?"
Teams prepare:
Poster
Showing:
Written Report
Oral Pitch
A suggested pitch structure is:
Problem → Evidence → Solution → Innovation → User Value → Business Model → Climate/Circular Impact → Financial Case → Scaling → Call to Action
Each student prepares an individual reflection paper addressing:
Evaluation of reports. The evaluation is based on an individual reflection report, a group report, a poster and poster presentation. The final grade is an overall assessment.
Passed/not passed, internal examiner
Last day of the course
Will be announced later