Five universities – Freie Universität Berlin (UNICA member university), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Peking University, St. Petersburg State University and the University of British Columbia – joined forces and in 2015 established the University Alliance for Sustainability. The initiative aims to develop research and teaching projects in the area of sustainability through different types of activities happening at Freie Universität Berlin.
The University Alliance for Sustainability offers three types of activities:
The alliance is under the patronage of Prof. Dr. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, former Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Throughout the year, it is expected that the efforts in research and teaching, as well as the exchange of experiences in campus management, will make the University Alliance for Sustainability an incubator of ideas and an example for other universities to follow suit.
Freie Universität Berlin is an active member of UNICA GREEN initiative. Dr Andreas Wanke, Head of Energy and Environmental Unit at the Freie Universität Berlin, currently chairs the UNICA GREEN Core Group.