EURECA-PRO Doctoral Colloquium 2025: Young Researchers Shape the Future of Sustainability

2 – 6 June 2025 • TU Bergakademie Freiberg

6 Jun, 2025
News

Key facts

From 2 to 6 June, TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TU BAF) became a living laboratory for sustainable innovation as it welcomed 14 doctoral candidates from across the EURECA-PRO alliance—Montanuniversität Leoben (MUL), Hasselt University (UH), Silesian University of Technology (SUT), University of Petroșani (UP), and Technical University of Crete (TUC). Over five intensive days, the EURECA-PRO Young Researchers Colloquium 2025 equipped early-career scientists with new skills, fresh perspectives, and an expanded European network—all under the banner of UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

The colloquium opened with an intercultural communication workshop that helped participants bridge linguistic and cultural differences—an essential foundation for collaborative research across borders. A compact German language course added another layer of practical competence, preparing the cohort to navigate daily life in Freiberg and future stays in German-speaking labs.

Introductory sessions about the EURECA-PRO alliance set the stage: faculty members outlined ongoing joint degrees, shared research architectures, and the alliance’s roadmap for embedding sustainability into every program and project. For many doctoral candidates, it was a first glimpse into how their individual theses fit a wider European agenda.

Highlight

This year’s highlight was the 34^th Krüger Colloquium titled “Being Human in the Age of AI: Farewell to Uniqueness?” – an engaging reflection on humanity’s evolving identity in a digital world. In addition, students took part in the Colloquium of Young Researchers, where they presented their own projects and discussed future-facing ideas across disciplines.

The program also featured:

A company visit to a water treatment plant using renewable energy, A sustainable geocaching session,
A laboratory tour through key facilities at TU BAF,
And a dynamic Alumni Talk on career paths after the PhD.

At the conclusion of the Colloquium, the following awards were presented:

Best Research: Shabnam Ahadzadeh (UH) and Hamza Mumtaz (SUT)
Best Presentation: Johannes Krämer (MUL) and Marios Salinas (TUC)
Students’ Choice Award: Mujahid Ali (SUT)

This intensive two-week program deepened participants’ academic and cultural understanding while strengthening the EURECA-PRO network and its commitment to sustainable, innovative, and inclusive research in Europe.