On 21 November 2025, Prof. Dr. Ines Oldenburg participated in the HLPF 2026 Roundtable on SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” in Berlin. The event took place in the lead-up to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2026, which will be held in New York in July 2026.

During the roundtable, key challenges and solution approaches related to sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities were discussed, including their interlinkages with other focus SDGs such as water, energy, infrastructure, and partnerships. The aim of the roundtable series is to enable early thematic and stakeholder-oriented exchange. The outcomes will feed into the preparation of the German contribution to HLPF 2026.

In mid-January, a group of Ukrainian youths from Blockhaus Ahlhorn (District of Oldenburg) participating in the youth camp “Shaping the Future” visited the University of Oldenburg and spent a varied day on campus. The programme was designed and facilitated by TRUST@UOL.           
Following a joint library tour, the visit focused on the topic of sustainability. Through interactive activities, the youths explored the sustainable use of marine and coastal spaces, including participation in the MSP Challenge. In the subsequent discussions, questions related to sustainability, shaping the future, and responsibility were discussed intensively and with great engagement.           
The visit provided space for exchange, new perspectives, and mutual learning, highlighting the importance of dialogue-oriented formats in communicating sustainability topics.

Under the title “Sustainable marine and coastal management under conditions of climate change,” a research and networking day was held for researchers from the University of Oldenburg and the University of Groningen. The aim of the event was to present current research approaches to sustainable marine and coastal management in the context of climate change and to strengthen academic exchange between the two universities.

Malena Ripken participated in the event, presented TRUST@UOL, and actively contributed to the discussions. The focus was on questions of interdisciplinary research, international collaboration, and solution-oriented approaches to addressing the challenges of climate change in marine and coastal environments.

Since the summer semester of 2025, the Climate Action Management at the University of Oldenburg has been establishing the Sustainability Sounding Board as a new participatory format for climate action and sustainability. The aim of this format is to bring together people interested in sustainability from all areas of the university and to foster exchange on current topics, ideas, and projects.

As part of an event, Malena Ripken presented TRUST@UOL and provided insights into its goals and activities in the field of sustainable research and teaching. The presentation offered a basis for the subsequent exchange and discussion on how sustainability at the University of Oldenburg can be further strengthened and jointly shaped.

On behalf of TRUST@UOL, Malena Ripken participated in a workshop at which the international project STABLE was presented and sustainability was discussed jointly. STABLE brings together several universities from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Germany.

The project focuses on the further development of postgraduate study structures, joint research and teaching formats, and the strengthening of competencies in the field of the Blue Economy. A particular emphasis is placed on SDG-relevant research stays for master’s students.

The workshop addressed key questions of sustainable research, knowledge transfer between science and practice, as well as international and interdisciplinary collaboration. Participation provided a valuable opportunity to contribute TRUST@UOL’s perspectives to the exchange, highlight synergies with the STABLE project, and gain impulses for future cooperation.

To support the university's efforts in the field of sustainability, representatives from all six faculties have established a new scientific centre: the Centre for Transformations and Sustainable Futures (TRUST@UOL). Its purpose is to promote interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches and exchange among the faculties.

The goal is to bundle activities and create synergies in order to continue the successful work of the Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research (COAST), which was founded in 2004. The new centre focuses in particular on a modern organisational structure. Ongoing research projects, teaching modules and collaborations will be further advanced and new projects initiated.

‘We are pooling approaches and resources for environmentally-oriented research and teaching and emphasising the university's focus on sustainability both nationally and internationally,’ said Centre Director and Professor of Business Informatics Jorge Marx Gómez at the official opening of the new centre. ‘TRUST@UOL offers a networking platform for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and with numerous stakeholders from society.’

Sustainability as a cross-cutting issue

In the areas of research, teaching and transfer, the approximately 70 founding members want to jointly advance various projects related to sustainability. The centre's thematic priorities include, for example, issues relating to the environmentally friendly use of ecosystems, resilience and health, education for sustainable development, and the sustainable transformation of capital markets and organisations.

The focus is also on schools: after all, around 38 per cent of the university's students are studying to become teachers (as of the 2024/25 winter semester). ‘It is important to us to sensitise prospective teachers to issues relating to the environment and sustainability and to teach them how they can bring this knowledge into the classroom,’ says Ines Oldenburg, deputy director of the centre and scientific director at the Institute of Education. Research projects are also being planned that deal with the mental health and resilience strategies of children and young people in the face of current global challenges such as climate change and digitalisation. International research projects are also planned, for example with Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha (South Africa). 

‘The University of Oldenburg already has many building blocks within the various research disciplines, and the COAST centre has done valuable work here in recent years,’ emphasises Marx Gómez. With TRUST@UOL, the university is taking the next steps to present and communicate concrete solutions from research for society in the spirit of sustainability. ‘New members are always welcome and can actively contribute to the centre,’ says Malena Ripken, managing director of TRUST@UOL.  

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