“Innovation and Sustainability”—A Virtual German-American Student Exchange Project

Abstract

Sustainability is a driver of innovation yet the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the innovation process is not yet the norm. In many cases, innovators are not even aware of the goals. To expose technology students and future innovators to the importance of SDGs as drivers of sustainable innovation, students from an American and German university worked together in teams on a sustainability and innovation virtual exchange project. Students chose a social impact area (field of technology)—energy, education, transportation, etc., analysed the current state and then identified the innovation that was required for a sustainable future in three different regions of the world twenty years from now. Students mapped the SDGs to their chosen social impact area, and then used this map as a framework for analysis, ideation and innovation. Working collaboratively, students investigated the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal challenges to achieve a sustainable future in the three chosen regions. The virtual exchange project, lessons learned and results achieved will be presented so that other universities might consider engaging in similar initiatives.