Written by Maurycy Słończewski-Mahlke, Gdańsk University of Technology
From 20 to 24 July, our member Gdańsk University of Technology welcomed students and young researchers from across Europe for two ENHANCE Summer Schools, each offering a unique perspective on sustainability and innovation. While the Plotting Sustainability Summer School explored sustainable urban development through the lenses of architecture, planning, art and critical theory, the APRIORA One Health Summer School focused on environmental protection, water quality and pharmaceutical pollution. Together, the programmes combined academic excellence with hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and international exchange.
Designed as Blended Intensive Programmes, both Summer Schools began with online preparatory sessions in early July before continuing with intensive on-site activities in Gdańsk.
Two Schools, One Mission
Both programmes are a direct expression of what the ENHANCE Alliance stands for: empowering people to use science and technology for the benefit of society, and turning today's biggest challenges, from urban transformation to water pollution, into opportunities for responsible, cross-border innovation. The two Summer Schools also speak directly to two of ENHANCE's three Priority Topics: Smart & Sustainable Cities and Communities (Plotting Sustainability) and Climate Action (APRIORA One Health). By bringing together students and researchers from across the Alliance's ten European Universities of Technology, Gdańsk University of Technology showed once again how ENHANCE's shared mission of driving responsible societal transformation translates into concrete, hands-on learning through the ENHANCE Innovative Learning Campus — grounded in real cities, real data and real environmental challenges.
Exploring Sustainability from Different Perspectives
The Plotting Sustainability Summer School challenged participants to rethink sustainability by bringing together strategic planning, architecture, science, storytelling and critical theory. Students worked on the Young City (Młode Miasto), the post-industrial district developing on the grounds of the historic Gdańsk Shipyard, one of the largest urban transformation projects currently underway in this part of Europe.
At the same time, the APRIORA One Health Summer School addressed environmental challenges related to pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments. Participants explored topics including water quality, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), environmental monitoring, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA), and sustainable wastewater management. They also gained practical experience with the APRIORA QGIS plugin, a GIS-based risk assessment system developed to support environmental protection agencies and wastewater treatment plants in monitoring pharmaceutical pollutants and improving water management.
The 2026 cohort of the ENHANCE "Plotting Sustainability" summer school, hosted by Gdańsk University of Technology.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Both Summer Schools placed a strong emphasis on connecting theory with practice.
Participants of Plotting Sustainability worked at the GridArt Hub in 100cznia, an innovation space located within the Young City district itself. Through interactive workshops, field research and discussions with city officials, planners, urban activists and sustainability experts, they explored how urban spaces can be co-designed to support long-term social and environmental transformation. Outdoor activities, including bike tours, guided walks through the Gdańsk Shipyard and Solidarity sites, and a kayaking excursion along the Motława River, allowed participants to experience the district from multiple perspectives.
Meanwhile, APRIORA participants combined lectures with practical laboratory sessions, conducting physicochemical analyses and applying geospatial data analysis to real environmental challenges. The programme concluded with a technical visit to a local wastewater treatment plant, giving participants valuable insight into how scientific knowledge is translated into engineering practice.
Collaboration, Creativity and International Exchange
Working in interdisciplinary and international teams, participants in both programmes developed practical solutions to complex sustainability challenges. Plotting Sustainability participants presented their concepts for the future development of the Young City, inspired by the fifteen-minute city concept, during a final public presentation attended by tutors, experts and local partners.
Beyond the academic programme, both Summer Schools fostered a welcoming and collaborative atmosphere. Campus activities, shared lunches, networking opportunities and sightseeing in Gdańsk encouraged participants to exchange ideas, build international connections and experience student life together. Upon completing their programmes, participants received ENHANCE certificates in recognition of their achievements.
Participants of the APRIORA Summer School visiting Gdańsk research facilities.
Looking Ahead
The success of these events is just the beginning. There will be two more ENHANCE Summer Schools taking place in Gdańsk this year in September. Looking further ahead, next year will see an even larger scale of international collaboration, with five summer schools planned to run simultaneously at Gdańsk University of Technology, a clear sign of the Alliance's growing momentum in turning European cooperation into everyday practice for its students and researchers.
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making both Summer Schools a success: our dedicated lecturers, university staff, and all those working behind the scenes. Your commitment and enthusiasm made this event truly memorable!
Both Summer Schools are co-financed within the framework of the Strengthening the Potential of Gdańsk University of Technology in the ENHANCE Alliance project (no. BPI/WUE/2024/1/00020), financed by the European Union under the Support for European Universities Alliances programme (call no. FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23 – 2024 intake).
Impressions from the two ENHANCE Summer Schools, held at Gdańsk University of Technology in June and July 2026.
Read more about the first-ever ENHANCE Summer School at ETH Zurich, part of the same Innovative Learning Campus initiative.
