SustainMV 2026
The Sustainability Summer School
Focus topic: Coastal Futures – Building Sustainability on Regional Potential
With its long Baltic Sea coastline, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is home to one of the most important coastal areas in Germany. The region is an important economic and living space – characterised by tourism, fishing, port industry and, increasingly, renewable energies such as offshore wind power. At the same time, dunes, lagoons and protected areas are particularly valuable ecologically and shape the region’s natural and landscape areas.
Also in a global contexts are coastal areas of increasing importance: they are centres of high biodiversity, comprise some of the largest marine protected areas and provide food for more than three billion people. This opens up opportunities for sustainable development, for example through nature-friendly tourism, the protection of ecosystems and renewable energies. At the same time, they face challenges such as climate change, sea level rise, coastal erosion and growing conflicts over land use. According to estimates, up to 70% of the world’s population are expected to live in coastal regions in the next 50 to 100 years. Sustainable development therefore requires integrated strategies that combine nature conservation, economic use and climate adaptation.
SustainMV addresses these issues and uses the example of the Baltic Sea coast to bring together ecological, economic and social perspectives in order to analyse challenges and discuss interdisciplinary approaches that are not only relevant for a sustainable development of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but to coastal regions worldwide.
Currently, we are in the process of planning this year’s summer school. Stay tuned and follow us here or on Instagram not to miss any news!
Online Programme (18 – 20 August 2026)
Interested in a specific event? Check out the calendar for all the details!
The online programme consists of three days filled with fantastic lectures covering a wide range of sustainability related topics, especially Ecosystems, Renewable Energies, Tourism, Digital & Technological Innovations, Waste & Recycling and Social Sustainability. Academics from all universities of this region, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, will present their work and research.
The summer school SustainMV…
- is open to international Bachelor, Master and PhD students in any sustainability related subject area & others
- contains no fees, only a registration is necessary
On-site Programme (24 August – 4 September 2026)
Find detailed information, dates, and locations for all our events in the calendar!
During the 12-day on-site programme, participants will have the opportunity to connect with scientists and like-minded students and get to know the various university locations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania through exciting lectures and workshops as well as lab tours on the topic of sustainability in the region. The programme is complemented by excursions and social activities.
- summer school is open to international Bachelor, Master and PhD students in any sustainability related subject area & others
- tuition and accommodation are covered, only a registration fee of 150€ will be charged
- 4 ECTS will be awarded for participation in both programmes – online and on-site
- application starts on March 2nd on this Website
