For a fortnight, students from three countries exchanged ideas on artificial intelligence and sustainability at the SRH Campus Heidelberg.
The international SustAInability Summer School 2025 took place at SRH University Campus Heidelberg from 28 July to 8 August 2025. Students from Germany, Cambodia and Kyrgyzstan took the opportunity to explore the intersection of sustainability and artificial intelligence (AI) together.
The programme offered a diverse mix of technical and intercultural elements: Tutorials on AI and Machine Learning, workshops on Embedded Systems and Internet of Things (IoT), hands-on project work and joint cultural exchange activities. The aim was to combine technical expertise with global sustainability issues and thus develop innovative solutions for current challenges.
Why sustainability and AI belong together
Sustainability is one of the key global challenges in the face of climate change, rising emissions and the increasing scarcity of natural resources. Extreme weather events, the destruction of ecosystems and unsustainable agricultural practices clearly show that without a rethink, the future of our planet is at risk. In order to counteract these developments, strategies are needed that harmonise ecological, social and economic aspects.
Data analysis plays a crucial role here: systematic monitoring of environmental conditions allows changes to be recognised, risks to be identified at an early stage and targeted countermeasures to be developed. Artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities here. AI systems can process enormous amounts of data, predict environmental changes and thus support evidence-based decisions in areas such as energy supply, resource utilisation or environmental protection. Examples range from AI-supported weather forecasting and the detection of deforestation using satellite images to applications in precision agriculture.
The "SustAInability" project
The Summer School was part of the project "SustAInability - Sustainability and AI: A Cross-Cultural Partnership for Improving Education and Environmental Management". The aim of the project is to promote the use of AI in sustainability education through international cooperation and to enable students to develop AI-supported solutions to environmental challenges in their home countries. The cooperation is supported by three universities: SRH University (Germany), Paragon International University (Cambodia) and the University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan). The project is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung as part of the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM programme.
The Summer School in Heidelberg impressively demonstrated the importance of linking technology, education and sustainability - and the role that international university partnerships can play in this.
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