16 April 2018:  Application deadline

The 2018 Utrecht Winter School on Earth System Governance is designed to function as an incubator for early career researchers (including junior researchers, PhDs and postdocs) working with the new earth system governance research agenda. The programme will cater both for those already familiar with the Earth System Governance Project and those new to the network. At the end of the Winter School, every participant should be able to situate her or his own research in key debates in earth system governance research and build towards the next generation of environmental governance scholarship.

The Winter School will focus on five themes that form the core focus of the new earth system governance research agenda which are Anticipation and Imagination, Adaptiveness and purposeful change, Architecture and Agency, Democracy and Power, Justice and Allocation.

The course fee is 300 euros. Participants will receive a certificate for completing the course. The Winter School is equivalent to 2 credits in the European academic Credit Transfer System. If required, participants should get these credits approved through their own university or graduate school.

27 May 2018: Application deadline

The leading global challenge of today centers around making appropriate decisions that will lead countries and communities towards a safe and sustainable future. Uncertainty about future risk trends plays a central role in whether policy makers and practitioners can make decisions that help society adapt to climate risks and capture the opportunities ahead. The Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) strives to overcome that gap with the Summer Academy on World Risk and Adaption Futures.

Participants from different parts of the world and different thematic backgrounds are invited to discuss the challenge and find solutions. The Academy will bring together a group of young professionals, including academic scholars (at PhD, post-doc and professional level), policy makers and practitioners. Different perspectives are especially important to foster a common understanding.

Focus in 2018:

The key focus in 2018 will be on urbanization, one of the core factors shaping future exposure and vulnerability to environmental and climatic hazards. The 2018 Summer Academy will concentrate on novel approaches to assess the relationships with urbanization and future trends in exposure and vulnerability. It will convene contributions from different conceptual and methodological directions, including, for example, backcasting, quantitative modelling and participatory scenario approaches.

The Summer Academy on World Risk and Adaption Futures 2018 will be hosted by The Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), one of 15 worldwide operating research and training centres and programmes of the United Nations University (UNU) and Munich Re Foundation (MRF), a non-profit foundation established by the Münchener Rückversicherungsgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft in Munich (“Munich Re”) on the occasion of its 125th anniversary in 2005.

15 May 2018:  Application deadline

Modern pluralistic societies face many challenges. The Summer School will explore the terrestrial earth surface system which is  driven by geological, biological and climatic forces. They form a complex system of closely coupled processes and feedbacks that are not yet sufficiently understood. Knowledge of these interactions is essential since the earth´s surface is the foundation for all human activity. Its dynamics have an impact on all facets of life, habitability and sustainability.

The fifth Potsdam Summer School  will address the following central questions:

• Why is the earth surface system dynamic?
• What are the triggers for dynamic processes?
• What are possible societal adaptation strategies for sustainable land management?

The aim is to bring together talented early-career scientists and young professionals operating in the private sector, governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations from many different parts of the world to discuss frontier (research) questions on future sustainable development. Participants are expected to form part of a new generation of researchers and practitioners with the necessary background and tools to evaluate and mitigate the effects of present-day and future environmental change. In this context, the Potsdam Summer School provides a unique opportunity for all participants to foster international cooperation and an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas.

25 May 2018: Application Deadline

The ECORD Sum­mer School on “Sub-sea­floor fluid trans­port and gas hy­drate dy­nam­ics” 2018 will take place from 3 to 14 Septem­ber 2018 at the MARUM – Cen­ter for Mar­ine En­vir­on­mental Sci­ences, Bre­men Uni­versity, Ger­many.

The ma­jor goal is to bring PhD stu­dents and young Postdocs in touch with IODP at an early stage of their ca­reer, in­form them about the ex­cit­ing re­search within IODP as (I)ODP and DSDP have been proven to be the most suc­cess­ful in­ter­na­tion­ally col­lab­or­at­ive re­search pro­grams in the his­tory of Earth sci­ences, and to pre­pare them for future participation in IODP expeditions. Such train­ing will be achieved by tak­ing the sum­mer school par­ti­cipants on a “virtual ship” where they get fa­mil­i­ar­ized with a wide spec­trum of state-of-the-art ana­lyt­ical tech­no­lo­gies and core de­scrip­tion and scan­ning meth­ods ac­cord­ing to the high stand­ards of IODP ex­ped­i­tions

23 June 2018:  Application deadline

Leuphana University of Lüneburg is pleased to invite you to the 6th Td Summer School in Lüneburg, Germany in September. As a follow up of the ITD Conference 2017 this year’s Td Summer School is focussing on transdisciplinary research at the science | society inteface within an intercultural orientation. It takes place at Leuphana University from September 2-11, 2018.

As a side event they will run a workshop on transdisciplinary research and sustainability from Sep 11-13. The aim is to develop an agenda for continuous collaborative research between different world regions to further develop epistemological and methodological foundations and practices of transdisciplinary research and sustainability.

20 April 2018:  Application deadline

The Summer School is open to young graduate and post-graduate scientists from both within and outside the ALTER-Net network partners, as well as young professionals in related fields. The aim of the Summer School is to create an environment for studying the challenges relating to biodiversity and natural resources in an inter- and trans-disciplinary way.

The summer school is limited to 32 participants, who are selected with the goal of achieving an optimal mix among regions, disciplines and gender. Participants from developing countries are welcome to participate. Please note that adequate English skills are required and all participants are expected to present a poster on their own research. Participants must cover a part of the cost for the school through a registration fee of €850. This includes all local costs including lectures, meals, refreshments, the field trip and accommodation in double rooms with shared bathrooms. A small number of support grants to waive part or the entire fee are available for students from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

1 June 2018:  Application deadline

The summer school will take a multidisciplinary and practical perspective, and discuss climate and sustainable development actions, their costs and benefits, as well as related policies and needed governance. It will engage participants in discussions on the prospects and attractiveness of climate technologies and policies, and their relations with sustainable development practices, from environmental, technical, economic, social and institutional points of view. Also the participants will be introduced to the new institutional and governance framework following the Paris Agreement, and review how climate policies to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement are being implemented in developed and developing countries.

The course is designed for professionals and graduate students interested in practical, in-country action on climate change and sustainable development and the SDGs. Requirements are a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field as well as familiarity with the topic.

The course fee is 435 euros. The Summer School is equivalent to 2 credits in the European academic Credit Transfer System. If required, participants should get these credits approved through their own university or graduate school.

20 May 2018:  Application deadline

The “Brilliant Minds for Social-Ecological Transformations” summer school 2018 organized by ISOE's will bridge the gap between disciplinary PhD-programs and transdisciplinary (TD) research practice by introducing new TD approaches such as Real World Laboratories and TD methods. Special attention will be given to knowledge integration as this is one of the major cognitive challenges in TD research.

Building a strong network and exchanging experiences between you, as young scientists, and leading international senior researchers will be the main focus in lectures, workshops and open spaces.

Participants will receive a profound overview and practical training by international scientists on state-of-the-art TD methods and get the chance to enhance their skills in designing, conducting and evaluating TD research projects. They will also be able to reflect their own experiences in inter- and transdisciplinary projects against the other participants’ and senior scientists’ backgrounds and gain practical experience via hands-on sessions. 

15 November 2017:  Application deadline

The SOLAS Summer School is a biennial, international event that brings together over 70 students and 15 world-leading international scientists, in a variety of fields, for a combination of lectures and practical workshops. It aims to teach the skills and knowledge of the many disciplines needed to understand the nature of ocean-atmosphere interactions and how to link ocean-atmosphere interactions with climate and people. It allows doctoral students and early-career researchers to see how their work fits into the broad canvas of SOLAS, and global change research more generally.

1 June 2018:  Application deadline

Institute for Peace & Dialogue, IPD is one of the leading organiser of several successful annual international academic trainings and research programs in Switzerland. IPD covers the field of peacebuilding, conflict transformation, mediation, security, intercultural dialogue, human rights & leadership. Through different events held throughout the year, IPD aims to bring together state, private and public sector representatives.

IPD is proud to announce the next International Summer Programs to be held in Switzerland. Applicants can either choose a 10 or 20 days Summer Academy or 3 Month CAS-Research Program together with the 10-20 Days Training participation depending on the application.

Participants have access to expert knowledge and hands on experience as all our facilitators are specialists with years of experience in their respective fields.

With several frozen or ongoing conflicts between or within states/person all efforts towards a peaceful co-existence needs to be harnessed. Moreover, provided the rapid changes in terms conflict dynamics, particularly those within the field of conflict studies needs to remain abreast with the latest developments. Conflicts differ depending on the context with each facing its own unique challenges. The global threats faced by all nations are long: terrorist acts, non-legal arming of conflict sides, re-determination of borders, establishing new countries in the world map, non-providing territorial integrity, trafficking of arms, drugs and human; disputes on the implementation of transnational energy projects, democratization and false elections, revolution and internal political conflicts, armed guerrilla movements, violation and discrimination by nationalists, world economic crisis, climate change and unsafely biodiversity etc.

28 February 2018: Application deadline!

On behalf of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) the Centre for International Capacity Development at University of Siegen is organizing the International DAAD Alumni Expert Seminar “Diversification of Water Sources and Production Systems towards Climate Smart Agriculture, Sudan”, 15th to 26th of July 2018.

This applied research seminar is the first out of a series of two, which will be implemented in different locations of the Nile Basin in central Sudan (Khartoum, White Nile, North Kordofan, Gezira, Gedaref) in 2018 and 2019. The consequence of two seminars will allow the analysis of two different types of vulnerable farming systems in Sudan, both located close to each other in the Nile Basin, namely traditional rainfed system and traditional irrigation system in its capacity to become climate smart.

While the overarching themes of the seminars are water and food security related to appropriate Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices in the context of the chosen case studies, the seminars will also tackle related and interlinked topics of effectiveness of institutional policies and organizations, socioeconomic questions, and the regional context of watershed management and transboundary water management in the Nile Basin.

Eligible for participation are German Alumni from East and Northeast African countries, working in the field of water management, irrigation, agriculture or similar disciplines, and acting as multipliers, e.g. people who are decision makers or people who are in a position to disseminate the acquired knowledge.

15 Oktober 2017: Bewerbungsfrist

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) startet die zweite Nachwuchsakademie zum Thema "Agrarökosystemforschung und Pflanzenproduktion". Mit der Nachwuchsakademie sollen besonders qualifizierte junge Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler aus zum Beispiel den Bodenwissenschaften, der Rhizosphärenforschung, dem Pflanzenbau, der Pflanzenernährung, -physiologie und -züchtung, der Agrartechnik, der Phytomedizin, der (Agrar-) Systemmodellierung und Statistik, der Agrarökologie, -soziologie und -ökonomie oder der Agrarlandschaftsforschung für die Ausarbeitung von grundlagenorientierten Forschungsanträgen mit einer in der Regel zweijährigen Laufzeit gewonnen werden.

Initiiert von Mitgliedern der DFG-Senatskommission für Agrarökosystemforschung bietet die Nachwuchsakademie diesem Personenkreis die Chance, durch erfahrene Expertinnen und Experten aus den oben genannten Fachgebieten als Mentoren auf die spezifischen Anforderungen einer ersten eigenen Drittmitteleinwerbung vorbereitet zu werden. In einem weiteren Schritt werden die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer an die eigenständige Durchführung von in der Regel zweijährigen Forschungsprojekten und an die erste Projektleitung herangeführt. Ziel der Nachwuchsakademie ist auch die Netzwerkbildung innerhalb der eigenen Community und mit etablierten Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern. Sie bietet die Möglichkeit zum Informationsaustausch über das eigene Fachgebiet hinaus, um disziplinäre Anträge in einen interdisziplinären Kontext zu setzen. Darüber hinaus besteht die Möglichkeit, über die Förder- und Karrieremöglichkeiten und die Arbeit der DFG informiert zu werden.

29 October 2017:  Application deadline

Under the leadership of the Sentinel North strategy of Université Laval (Quebec City, Canada), the International Arctic Field School (IAFS) provides international students with a unique opportunity to interact with high-profile scientists, northerners and managers as part of a transdisciplinary training program that addresses the complex and interrelated scientific and socio-economic issues linked to the changing Arctic cryosphere.

Taking place in Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut, Canada, the school will focus on an integrative, transdisciplinary and innovative training program supported by internationally renowned professors and local experts. Under the overarching theme of a changing arctic cryosphere, participants will get hands-on experience with a wide range of disciplines such as optics/photonics, arctic ecology, chemistry, geology and human health. Participants will also be provided tools allowing them to think outside the box and harness new aspects of the changing arctic cryosphere, both scientifically and culturally.

17 April 2017:  Application deadline

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) will sponsor the 11th Antarctic Biology Training Program for early career scientists at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in January 2018. The program is a collaboration between the University of San Francisco and the University of Southern California.

The course emphasis is on integrative biology, using a combination of laboratory and field-based projects focused on biological adaptations of polar organisms to environmental change. A diverse team of instructors offer participants the opportunity to study a wide range of Antarctic organisms, as well as study several different levels of biological analysis (spanning molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, ecology, and evolution).

Eligible candidates must be currently enrolled as a PhD student in good academic standing, or have earned a PhD within the past five years. The focus of the 2018 course is on the biology of marine organisms, but scientists from other disciplines are encouraged to apply. It is anticipated that travel dates to and from Antarctica will be in late December 2017 until late January 2018 (exact dates will be set in 2017).

30. April 2017: Bewerbungsfrist

Die Summer School ist Teil der Förderinitiative „Finanzsystem und Gesellschaft“ des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF). Sie soll 25 NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen zusammenbringen und einen intensiven Austausch über das Finanzsystem und sein Verhältnis zur Gesamtwirtschaft und zur Gesellschaft ermöglichen.

Das Programm umfasst neben Workshops zu den Themen „Was ist Geld? Was sind Finanzmärkte?“, „Finanzmarktregulierung“, „Legitimität, Moral und Kritik“, und „Einfluss der Wirtschaftswissenschaften auf die Finanzmärkte“ eine Exkursion zum Finanzplatz Frankfurt sowie einen Besuch der Europäischen Zentralbank. Außerdem haben die Teilnehmenden die Möglichkeit ihre eigenen Forschungsprojekte bzw. Dissertationen zu präsentieren und zur Diskussion zu stellen.

Die Summer School ist auf Doktoranden, PostDocs und Studierende auf Masterniveau ausgerichtet. Es gibt keine Teilnahmegebühr, Übernachtungs- und Reisekosten müssen jedoch selbst getragen werden.

09 June 2017:  Application deadline

The THESys Summer School 2017 focuses on ‘Exploring current trends, discussions and methodologies in research on human-environment relations’ and will bring together scholars and PhD students from different disciplines. The scholars will be asked to present their personal as well as general disciplinary understanding of what a ‘human-environmental relation’ is. This understanding has implications for how research on human-environment relations is done in different disciplines. The scholars are therefore encouraged to link their personal and disciplinary understanding of human-environment relations with how they go about exploring these.

By providing the students (and invited scholars) with epistemological and methodological insights into how different disciplines engage with human-environment relations the Summer School hopes to provide a better understanding of how different disciplines understand a ‘human-environment relation’, how they go about researching it, ways to identify and understand differences between disciplines, and ways to identify common and complementary research topics and methodologies cutting across disparate disciplines.

Applications are invited from highly-motivated doctoral researchers, working in fields such as geography, environmental science, anthropology, development studies, agricultural science, political science, institutional economics and applied philosophy, conducting research on human-environment relations.

30 April 2017:  Application deadline

Global Teleconnections in the Earth’s Climate System – Processes, Modelling and Advanced Analysis Methods

Organized by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the GOTHAM Summer School will train young scientists on a unique combination of interdisciplinary scientific topics and tools relevant for understanding teleconnections and their role in causing extreme weather events. The school comprises of lectures as well as tutorial sessions by some of the world’s leading experts in this field. Specific topics include:

• Global consequences of extreme El Niños
• Mid-latitude weather extremes and the role of tropical, extratropical and Arctic drivers,
• Stratosphere dynamics and stratosphere-troposphere interactions,
• Internal variability and external drivers of South and East Asian monsoon systems,
• Interactions between global teleconnection patterns,
• Data management skills and the use of citizen science platforms (climateprediction.net),
• Identification of teleconnections using complex systems or network methods.

The Summer School is intended to host 25 young researchers working in relevant topical areas, both from GOTHAM partners and external institutes. Registration is free-of-charge and accommodation expenses will be covered for all attendees.

1 June 2017:  Application deadline

The summer school “How to govern marine environment: Baltic Sea and sediment services as a case study“ will give an interdisciplinary overview on topics related to the functioning of marine environments and their possible response to human impacts and their governance.

Experienced scientists from Physical Oceanography, Sedimentology, Biogeochemistry, Marine Biology, Coastal Ecology, Marine Geology, and Economy will share their knowledge and teach students by providing state-of-the-art information and hands-on training during two intense weeks in the town of Lauenburg and on a daily cruise in Lübecker Bight on the RV Elisabeth Mann Borgese.

The summer school, is realized in cooperation of some of the leading national centres for coastal research in Germany: Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Research Warnemünde, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers) and the KüNO (Coastal Research in the North Sea and Baltic Sea) umbrella project. They have been organizing a common annual summer school since 2002 in Sylt, Helgoland, Büsum, Lauenburg and Warnemünde.

The school is designed for PhD students and postdocs with a background of Earth Science, Geology, Physical and Chemical Oceanography, Biology or Coastal Engineering. All costs are covered by the organizers. The language of the school is English.

18 April 2017:  Application deadline

The fourth Potsdam Summer School will address the central question: “How can transdisciplinary knowledge production be integrated in inclusive governance processes towards the achievement of sustainable development as in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?”

The following topics will structure the discussions:

• The role the SDGs play in measurement, management and monitoring of progress towards sustainable economic, social and environmental development of sustainable cities and communities;
• The challenges of sustainable urban planning, pollution and resilience to climate change;
• The challenges of risk factors such as population growth, climate change, pollution, energy and water supply and how they can be governed in cities and communities.

The programme will comprise lectures, various discussion formats, and interactive project activities, including hands-on demonstrations, workshops, and group projects. The Summer School is open to early-career scientists and young professionals from the private sector, governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations from all countries.

In partnership with the City of Potsdam, the 2017 Potsdam Summer School will be jointly organised by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and the University of Potsdam.

22 January 2016:  Application deadline

The 16th International Swiss Climate Summer School focuses on ‘High-resolution climate: observations, models and projections’. The course covers a broad spectrum of climate and climate impact research and fosters cross-disciplinary links.  Each topic includes keynote plenary lectures and workshops with in-depth discussion in smaller groups. Topics covered will include:

• What observational methodologies provide high-resolution data?
• How suitable are current global and regional climate models for high-resolution application?
• What is the role of high resolution in representing extreme events such as heat waves, droughts, wind storms and floods?
• How can we exploit the highly parallel and heterogeneous hardware architectures of emerging generations of high-performance supercomputers?
• How can high-resolution information be used to inform decision processes in the context of a changing climate?

The Summer School is open to young researchers (PhD students and Postdocs) worldwide. Participation is highly competitive and will be limited to a maximum of 70.

30 June 2017:  Application deadline

The sixth Life Cycle Summer School is an opportunity for professionals and regional managers to become familiar with expanded LCA approaches to sustainable development at regional level.  The objective is to encourage a greater degree of life cycle thinking by influential social partners who wish to enhance the effectiveness of their sustainability programmes, and who have not so far employed these techniques extensively.  The Summer School is aimed at administrators in regional institutions, academics, and consultants as well as industry managers and associations and other partners that have an interest in promoting regional sustainability.

The Summer School aims to develop familiarity with, and insights into, life cycle management approaches that can contribute to regional sustainability.  It expands the managerial toolbox currently employed for the promotion of, for example, circular economy, maintaining a vibrant SME industrial sector, developing local resource-based economies, and in gaining a better understanding of waste and pollution challenges in regional communities. Life cycle approaches can also assist in enhancing landscape and natural resource management.

This year’s Summer School is linked with the International Conference on Life Cycle Management 2017, in Luxembourg which takes place from 3-6 September 2017. Applicants to the Summer School may wish to continue their exposure to LCM by participating also in this conference.

19 March 2017:  Application deadline

The International Summer School 2017 of the German Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL) in cooperation with the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences will discuss conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions that investigate social innovation in an urban context, focusing on the relations between actors and their impact on urban and regional development.

Contributions are invited from young academics whose approaches and early-stage analyses demonstrate an interest in:

• theoretical, conceptual, or methodological advances or comparative (cross-national/cross-regional) studies on social innovation in the fields of urban and regional development
• bottom-up and neighbourhood-based initiatives and movements
• the role, organisation, governance, and power relations of “co-produced” policies and practices
• adaptive capabilities in public administration to adjust to territorial decentralisation and citizen-based practices such as active citizenship, co-creation, and co-creative place and policy making
• deploying a gendered perspective within the co-creation of social innovation, e.g. actor-networks and power formations

The Summer School is designed for advanced doctoral students with a background in geography, urban and European studies, political sciences, sociology, spatial planning, public administration, social design, and related fields. A total of 12 doctoral students will be admitted to the summer school, six of which will be selected in a competitive application process. The ARL sponsors the accommodation and travel costs of all participants. A participation fee will not be charged.

21 April 2017: Application deadline

The ALTER-Net Summer Schools provide an innovative atmosphere for thinking about and resolving sustainability challenges, and promote interdisciplinary approaches. It is a unique opportunity for an intensive course on the science, policy and practice of European biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The 12th annual ALTER-Net Summer School will take place in Peyresq, France. The title of this year's summer school is "Biodiversity, ecosystem services: science and its impact on policy and society". The programme includes talks, working group sessions and a field trip to the surroundings of Peyresq.

The SummerSchool is open to young graduate and post-graduate scientists from both within and outside the network partners. The number of participants is limited to 32. Participants must cover a part of the cost for the school through a registration fee of €800. Travel costs must be covered by the participants or by their institution.

19 Juni 2017:  Bewerbungsfrist

Die Koordinationsstelle Wirtschaft und Umwelt der Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt in Nürtingen-Geislingen bietet in diesem Jahr zusammen mit der BUNDjugend Baden-Württemberg eine Sommerakademie zum Thema Naturschutz und nachhaltige Entwicklung an.

Grundsätzlich geht es um die Frage, wie Natur- und Kulturlandschaften erhalten und nachhaltig bewirtschaftet werden können. Hierzu werden gewissen Rahmenbedingungen und Interessenkonflikte sowie Lösungsansätze genauer betrachtet und nebenbei erfahren die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer mehr über Biosphärenreservate und Artenvielfalt, und setzen sich kritisch mit dem Konzept der nachhaltigen Entwicklung auseinander.

Das Programm ist sehr abwechslungsreich gestaltet und enthält beispielsweise Expertenvorträge, Exkursionen und praktische Übungen.

Die Sommerakademie richtet sich an junge Leute zwischen 16 und 27, die sich mit dem Thema Nachhaltigkeit auseinandersetzen möchten.

24 June 2017:  Application deadline

The course introduces students to the politics, ethics, and governance of sustainability. The key challenges of our time are global by nature. However, the current system of global governance based on sovereign states (often in competition with each other) is ill-equipped to meet challenges such as poverty, climate change, environmental degradation and availability of resources. As states cannot provide on their own for a sustainable future of their citizens, they are increasingly forced into a logic of sustainability for all people and responsibility for the global commons. This new logic is grounded on the scientific truth of planetary boundaries, but equally on ethical requirements (e.g. caring for the Earth).

The course examines major current global challenges divided into economic, political and environmental issues.

The course is designed for students with different academic backgrounds and a general interest in sustainability and sustainable development. There are no special prerequisites for the course.

12 March 2017:  Application deadline

The World Climate Research Programme WCRP and the National Institute for Space Research, Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies (INPE/CPTEC) announce the 2^nd Summer School on Climate Model Development hosted by the INPE/CPTEC from 17 to 28 July 2017.

The WCRP Summer School Series aims at developing an increasing understanding of how weather and climate models are built by covering many aspects of simulating the Earth system, comprising atmospheric, land surface, ocean, and biogeochemical processes. In its 2017 edition, the School will tackle one of the current challenging issues in these models, the development of scale-aware parameterizations for the sub-grid scale convective processes.

This year’s Summer School will provide to Ph.D., postdoc students, and young scientists theoretical background of the suite of scale-aware parameterizations used to represent convective processes in gray-zone climate models. Participants are encouraged to visit the 2^nd WCRP Summer School pre-course webpage to prepare to come to the school with an understanding of climate models and parametrizing moist processes.

Sustainability and Risks – How to deal with risk issues in sustainability research?

30 April 2017:  Application deadline

The 4^th international PhD Summer School ‘Research on Sustainable Development’ considers questions of conceptual and empirical linkages between sustainability and risk issues. It provides a platform to discuss this topic in a highly interdisciplinary and inspiring atmosphere. The participants will learn how to thoroughly deal with risk issues in their research and acquire a rationalized basis for substantiated scientific contributions. Distinguished guest speakers will give inputs and comment on the participants’ presentations.

The Summer School is aimed at advanced PhD students from any discipline, who research in the fields of sustainability and risks and who are passionate about furthering the vivid interdisciplinary discourse.

31 March 2017:  Application deadline

This Summer School aims at providing a broader view of the ocean system from a physical perspective, encompassing a large range of scales and their interactions. Participants will be introduced to the observations and models, theory and statistical methods used by environmental and ocean physicists and to their present understanding of the physical ocean system.

Other than receiving lectures, the students will participate through various activities such as poster sessions, exercises, discussions and a field excursion. There will be a set of “Super Problems” introduced at the beginning of the summer school; the students will work on these problems throughout the summer school and present their results/ solutions at the end.

Applications are welcome from young scientists such as advanced master students, graduate students and first year postdocs from all over Europe and beyond from all fields with an interest in physics who want to increase their knowledge about the ocean.

8 March 2017: Application deadline

The Bremen International School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) invites applications for its summer school on "Social Cohesion in a World of Increasing Diversity".

The summer school is a joint venture of BIGSSS and Bertelsmann Stiftung. It focuses on the interplay between social cohesion, on the one hand, and cultural, ethnic, and religious plurality, on the other, in times of societal transformations and increasing migration flows around the globe. Participants will have the opportunity to assess and discuss the impact of socio-structural, institutional, political as well as individual factors on social cohesion at different levels of societal organization. Next to the question as to what promotes social cohesion, the summer school pays equal attention to the importance of cohesion for the well-being of social entities and individuals both in the OECD World and the Global South in light of key indicators.

5 February 2017:  Application deadline

The Summer School will introduce participants to important Integrated Land Use Systems (ILUS) (e.g. agroforestry systems), and the socio-economic context in which they developed. One goal is to familiarize participants with the wide range of ILUS by presenting case studies from different parts of the world and to provide them with up to date expert knowledge. The second major goal is to train competencies in the critical analysis of ecological, social and economic foundations and effects of ILUS.

The Summer School consists of case studies, group work, presentations and excursions. Furthermore, the programme will provide a cultural and social programme to introduce participants to Freiburg, the Black forest, and the region.

The Summer School is designed for international graduate students and for young scientists working in the field of forest, agricultural, and environmental sciences, geography, rural development, landscape ecology and other related fields of natural resource management. The programme is open for applications from all countries.

31 January 2017:  Application deadline

The Governance and Sustainability Lab at Trier University is inviting applications for its 2017 Summer University on the topic “Decolonizing Urbanism - Transformative Perspectives”, which will take place from 6 to 12 June 2017 in the City of Trier.

Participants will explore the theme of 'decolonizing urbanism' through a mixture of public lectures, seminar sessions, advanced skills trainings, excursions, and cultural activities.

Applications are invited from advanced doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers as well as from early career professionals working in geography, urban studies, urban planning, political science, international relations, development studies, gender studies, native studies, cultural studies, sociology, ecology and related fields.

31 March 2017:  Application deadline

The two-week long Intensive Summer Course aims to increase awareness regarding the complexity and importance of vulnerability and resilience in the field of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Aimed at a diverse audience of advanced master students, PhD candidates and field practitioners, the course explores topics ranging from the role of human mobility to early warning systems and effective disaster coordination. In so doing, the Intensive Summer Course combines a series of seminars with practice oriented simulation exercises that are held by UN experts and practitioners.

The Course is designed for academics and practitioners working in related fields who have already obtained (or are in the process of obtaining) a master’s degree. Commonly held master’s degrees are in geography, economics, social science, engineering, anthropology, environmental and/or natural science or related disciplines, along with basic experience in vulnerability, risk and/or disaster management.

15 February 2017: Application deadline

The speakers of early career scientists in the German Committee in Future Earth, Anja Brock and Ruth Delzeit, invite interests to a meeting on “SDGs and the Future Earth Research Agenda - perspectives of Early Career Scientists” which will take place from 20 -21 April 2017 in Kiel.

At their meeting at the Future Earth Summit in Berlin 2016, the need to further discuss the implications of the Agenda 2030 for inter- and transdisciplinary global change research beyond the omnipresent references to the SDGs was identified. In order to do so, they successfully applied for funds at the DFG.

Two major points of discussion will be :

• Possibilities and limitations of SDG-based research for being policy-relevant
• Identifying possible ways to systematically deal with SDG-inherent conflicts of interest 

Speakers are:

• Dr. Bettina Schmalzbauer (German Committee in Future Earth)
• Prof. Asunción Lera St. Clair (DNV GL, Member of the Future Earth Engagement Committee)
• Dr. Christiane Joerk (DFG)
• Dr. Florian Zabel (LMU München)

If you are interested, please send your applications including a short letter of motivation until 15 February to Ruth Delzeit (ruth.delzeit@ifw-kiel.de). Since there is some funding to refund travel costs, please indicate your potential travel fund requirements in your email.

13 November 2016:  Application deadline

This international Spring School, organized for the first time by Innovations in Climate Governance (INOGOV), is aimed at Early Career Researchers (i.e. PhD students, Research Masters students, and researchers that have obtained their PhD <7 years ago), with an interest in developing expertise around climate change policy and governance.

The spring school will cover topics including:

• characteristics of polycentric climate governance
• concepts of governance innovation, transition and transformation
• conceptual frameworks surrounding the notion of governance interventions (e.g. policy entrepreneurs, experiments)
• conceptual frameworks to explain the diffusion of governance inventions (e.g. drivers, barriers)
• conceptual frameworks to evaluate governance innovations
• data and research methods for studying polycentricity and innovations in climate governance
• political power and knowledge
• systemic factors e.g. equity, legitimacy, accountability

There is no fee for the spring school and reasonable funding will be available to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

1 December 2016: Application deadline for PhD candidates outside the UiT
10 January 2017: Application deadline for PhD candidates at UiT

Future Earth Norway, Nord University and UiT The Arctic University of Norway invite PhD students working in fields relevant to healthy oceans and the sustainable utilization of resources to a week-long interdisciplinary PhD course in marine sustainability. During the course, five critical questions in solutions-oriented marine sustainability research will be addressed:

1. How can ocean sustainability be brought about and what role does research play?
2. What are the key links/interactions between the social and natural sciences that might affect ocean sustainability?
3. How could society develop to manage and utilize the ocean and its resources sustainably under climate change?
4. What are the key knowledge gaps about the marine and the social systems related to marine sustainability?
5. What methodologies are urgently needed to address and fill the knowledge gaps?

The course will start in Bodø with lectures, a field trip and side event. Then the participants will board the Hurtigruten for stakeholder dialogues with some stops along the way in the Lofoten Islands. The course finishes in Tromsø with further lectures, group work and another side event.

Applications are invited from highly-motivated PhD students working in any field relevant to healthy oceans and the sustainable utilization of their resources, both from the natural and social sciences (including law, humanities, business and economics). The course will accommodate 20-25 international participants, ensuring scientific quality, geographical diversity and gender balance. There is a course fee of 4,000NOK (ca. 450€).

15 November 2016: Application deadline

The Jeju National University (JNU) is launching a collaborative framework with the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) on training and education for ocean and climate science, and organizes its first training school to share and promote contemporary issues in the area of monsoon study, particularly incorporating the interest of users (of information to understand and predict monsoon phenomena) of the Asia-Pacific region.

This school will focus on understanding tropical process and scale interactions therein (sub-daily, intraseasonal to interannual), for the Asia-Pacific region. It also aims to share knowledge and discuss scientific challenges for monsoon prediction particularly in intra-seasonal to seasonal scales. Participants will be requested to participate in open dialogues on the “user needs”, as well as the impacts of monsoon variability in changing climate to coastal zones.

The training school is targeted for young scientists and early-career forecasters in the relevant fields. The programme is composed in English only; a good command of the English language is required.

Ecosystem Services and the Economy: Linkages, Assessment and Policy for the Green Economy

1 December 2016:  Application deadline

The School will address key elements of the new economy transformation, exploring the cutting edge methods and policy applications in ecological economics, with a particular focus on ecosystem services and macroeconomy. With a clear sustainable development focus, it will draw on the expertise of a range of disciplines: economics, ecology, physics, environmental sciences, finance, politics, international relations, sociology, psychology, complex systems theory, etc. to address the current challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, water shortages, social cohesion and achieving sustainability.

The course will be composed of theoretical and applied modules and will address the key elements of the new ecosystem services and macroeconomy interaction: methodological approaches to analyzing ecosystem services: the cascade model, valuation approaches, multiple criteria methods, the REDD negotiations, finance for the green economy, economic instruments, regulation, environmental taxes, environmentally extended input-output analysis and applications to ecological conflicts, climate change and ecosystem services, cities and ecosystem services and multiple dimensions of ecosystem values as well as case studies from around the world.

The course is taught by the leading ecological economists, ecosystem services, environmental policy and sustainable development experts in Europe. It is designed for multiple points of entry and could be helpful for PhD students, government experts, representatives of international organizations and business.

31 October 2016:  Application deadline

The Proposal Development Training Workshop (PDTW), organized annually by the Asian-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), will be held on 14-16 December, 2016 in Bhutan. The training workshop is designed to enhance the capacity of young scientists and practitioners in the South Asia region to develop competitive research proposals for funding.  Another main focus of the workshop is to provide a platform to strengthen ties among South Asian researchers as well as identify collaborators for regional research activities.

The workshop will focus on the following priority research topics that will also be expected to develop collaboration between Paleoclimate science and modern climate studies in South Asia.

1. Paleoclimatology
2. Observed Climate Change and Variability 
3. Regional Climate Modelling
4. Climate Applications

Young/early-career scientists and practitioners 40 years of age or under, who come from the South Asia region and are working in the areas related to the main topics of the workshop can apply for the PDTW. Funding support can only be granted to applicants coming from, living in and working in APN member countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Places are limited to a maximum of 25.