ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE 2023-2024
Here and Now 4 CAMPUSES COMMITTED TO SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION P. 35 5 CLEARER GOVERNANCE OF THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION P. 51 3 COMMUNITY SERVICES THAT MEET THE CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION P. 27 1 RESEARCH EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION 2 EDUCATION TAILORED TO THE CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION 6 SUSTAINABILITY & TRANSITION DASHBOARD P. 12 P. 57 P. 4 This is the fourth edition of our annual sustainability report. It is now called the «Sustainability and Transition» report and is structured around 5 themes: research, teaching, community services, sustainable campuses and transition governance. Reporting on each of these themes follows the same pattern: findings - objectives - 2023-24 achievements - challenges and future projects. This annual report cannot claim to be exhaustive. Rather, it is intended as a broad overview referring the reader to the website dedicated to Sustainability and Transition at ULiège. This report outlines the many initiatives and convergent efforts undertaken by our faculties, our researchers, our teachers, our students, our administrations and, of course, by the bodies dedicated to sustainability. It illustrates the extent to which we have significant levers for action, here and now, to design a sustainable world that is to our liking. Anne-Sophie Nyssen Rectrice Sybille Mertens Advisor to the Rector on Social and Environmental Transition 2 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
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1 Research equipped to support the social and environmental transition 1.1. Findings and Strategic Objectives p.4 1.2. 2023-2024 Achievements p.5 1.3. Future Projects p.10 1.1. FINDINGS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Through its mission of research and knowledge production, the University plays an essential role in illuminating the necessary trajectories towards more sustainable ways of living and organising. The problems we face are complex and interconnected. In order to respond to these challenges, ULiège intends to continue to use its disciplinary expertise on issues related to sustainability, as well as encourage the deployment of interdisciplinary research and participatory science activities on these same subjects. In addition, in the interests of coherence, it intends to promote research practices that are part of a sustainable perspective, both in terms of respect for people and concern for the environment. 4 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Architecture: URMIBALI project - reuse of building materials The URMIBALI project is looking at the re-use of building materials from demolitions, which account for 39% of waste in Wallonia. This waste is seen as a resource that can be reused in new buildings or as a raw material. Based on six sites in Liège and digital documentation technologies, the project is developing a quick method for inventorying and quantifying these materials in old buildings. The project stands out for its interdisciplinary approach and its potential to be applied to other environments. It is essential for strengthening circular practices in the building sector in Wallonia and Europe. Sophie Trachte, Sophie.Trachte@uliege.be ; Pierre Hallot et Philippe Sosnowska Faculty of Law: Inequality of assets from a gender perspective This research, conducted jointly with V.U.B., explores inequalities between men and women in terms of family assets, particularly in the event of separation or death. Do men have an advantage in the distribution of family assets? Does the trend towards encouraging agreements benefit men? This study, based on a socio-economic and legal analysis, as well as an empirical study of professionals involved in the transfer of family assets, shows that the rules on the separation of property and legal cohabitation place women at a disadvantage, that gendered power relations influence marriage and separation contracts, and that women are more inclined than men to make concessions. Recommendations to legislators have been proposed, and conferences for professionals have been planned. Yves-Henri Leleu, YH.Leleu@uliege.be 1.2. 2023-2024 ACHIEVEMENTS FACULTIES AND RESEARCH UNITS HIGHLIGHTS Numerous research projects related to sustainability and/or transition emerged or continued in the various faculties of ULiège in the 2023-24 academic year. Many of them are concerned with reducing the carbon footprint of human activities, particularly those related to construction or livestock farming. Several projects also deal with socioeconomic transitions and equality or social and health justice. KEY FIGURES final-year works nominated for the HERA awards in 2023-24 94.4/100 ULiège’s score in environmental research according to the 2024 QS Sustainability Ranking ULiège’s score in SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) according to the THE Impact rankings 5 97.8/100 5 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
HEC Management School ULiège: Tax evasion as an unintended consequence of environmental regulation This article examines the extent to which companies covered by the world’s largest emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) reduce their taxes after a sharp rise in the price of emissions allowances. The article points out that polluting companies recover part of the cost of emission allowances from society by reducing their tax contributions. As a result, part of the effectiveness of the European Emissions Trading Scheme as a mechanism for changing behaviour is reduced. This effect is mitigated by stronger governance mechanisms at company and national level. Wouter Torsin, wtorsin@uliege.be et Vincent Compagnie, vcompagnie@uliege.be Faculty of Medicine: Health justice - Detecting falsified and poor-quality medicines Falsified and substandard medicines account for around 10% of the global market. Early detection at every stage of the supply chain is crucial to ensuring quality healthcare. Portable near-infrared spectrophotometers can be used to do this. This project, in collaboration with international partners, aims to provide professionals in the field with tools for rapidly obtaining reliable information on the presence and quantity of active ingredients in essential medicines. To achieve this objective, the project plans to create a reference database of spectra, as well as protocols for sampling, measuring spectra and analysing the data. One of the drugs tested in the pilot phase is an antibiotic recently classified by the WHO as being of high priority and critical importance. The control of these antibiotics, used in humans and animals, is part of the «One Health» approach to global health. Éric Ziemons, eziemons@uliege.be ; Roland Marini, rmarini@uliege.be et Pierre-Yves Sacre, pysacre@uliege.be University of Toulouse, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Ministry of Health and the Pierre Fabre Foundation MORE INFORMATION Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech: Towards organic, fair-trade and carbon-neutral cocoa Agroforestry cocoa growing is a promising way of tackling climate change. Incorporating trees into plantations improves shade, soil fertility and carbon capture. These trees also provide wood and useful products for medicines and food, reducing the pressure on natural forests. The «People Planet and Cocoa» project, launched in 2019 by Belgian chocolate maker Galler with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation, has helped 1,218 producers from the Yéyasso cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire to plant 60,000 trees on over 2,000 hectares. In 2023, ULiège experts extended this initiative for a further three years with the project «Towards organic, fair-trade and carbon-neutral cocoa». They are measuring the benefits of agroforestry, in particular the amount of carbon captured. Jean-Louis Doucet, jldoucet@uliege.be TREES TO SAVE CHOCOLATE ADVOCACY FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT ©JL Doucet 6 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Sciences: Reducing the carbon footprint of construction - Towards more efficient buildings thanks to intelligent glazing Currently, around 75% of the energy used in commercial and residential buildings is used to control temperature and brightness. Various solutions are being developed to reduce this energy impact, including photovoltaic panels, energy-efficient lighting systems and electrochromic glazing. The latter adjust the transmission of light and/or heat according to need, the weather or the season, using an electrical potential. Since October 2023, the GREEnMat laboratory has been coordinating the M-ERA.Net PECLABEL project, which is developing environmentally-friendly inks for plasmonic nanostructures based on metal oxides to create spectrally selective devices in the visible and near infrared. In other words, these inks are designed to create devices capable of selecting and manipulating visible and near-infrared light. The expected spin-offs include the development of high-performance, durable and energy-independent labelling systems (so-called «intelligent» labelling devices for, for example, proving the authenticity of an object), and have significant potential for improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Pierre Colson, Pierre.Colson@uliege.be Faculté des Sciences appliquées : réduction de l’empreinte carbone de la construction - Vers une valorisation des cendres volantes de biomasse comme alternative partielle au ciment Biomass accounts for over 4% of energy consumption in the European Union, and this share is set to rise. However, storing biomass fly ash takes up a lot of space and can contaminate groundwater. At the same time, cement production generates around 5 to 7% of CO2 emissions. Replacing some of the clinker or cement with other materials is therefore both an opportunity and a necessity for environmental reasons. The BioFaCon3 project seeks to improve the disordered structure of biomass ash by treating it, for example, by microgrinding in order to enhance its ability to bind materials. Luc Courard, Luc.Courard@uliege.be Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Towards sustainable meat and dairy farming - Environmental diagnostics and strategies for reducing the carbon footprint The agricultural sector is responsible for around 10% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. However, it also contributes to the sequestration of CO2 in soils. The Life Carbon Farming, Climate Farm Demo and Climate Smart Advisors projects, supported by the European Union, aim to assess the carbon footprint of farms through environmental diagnostics. These audits are used to develop strategies for reducing GHG emissions and improving carbon storage in the soil. Farm advisors are trained to help farmers adopt more environmentally-friendly practices. Françoise Lessire, flessire@uliege.be © Pierre Colson © F. Lessire 7 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Social Sciences: Social and ecological transformation - from a McDonald’s to a self-managed cooperative, using local distribution-channels, in the northern district of Marseille Since 2015, in Marseille, a McDonald’s has been occupied and gradually transformed into a cooperative self-managed by its workers after the retailer left. This research project aims to explore how a working-class neighbourhood can reclaim sustainability by linking it to social struggle, while also promoting economic emancipation, democracy and a new relationship to work. The cooperative pursues social and ecological objectives through a variety of activities : 1. Producing free food baskets. 2. Maintaining a fast-food restaurant, but with local produce. 3. Offering cultural activities to strengthen social links. This initiative takes place in a peri-urban neighbourhood where the majority of residents have post-colonial immigrant backgrounds and live in precarious conditions. By integrating local producers and recreating social links through voluntary work and culture, this cooperative enables people from different backgrounds to help change the world from a northern district of Marseille. Bruno Frère, bfrere@uliege.be et Maryline El Khoury, marylineelkhoury@gmail.com © PragmApolis Faculty of Sciences: Waste2Bio: research into the reuse of brownfield sites Launched by the SPW Economy, Employment and Research as part of its S3 strategy (Intelligent Specialisation Strategy), the Waste2Bio Strategic Innovation Initiative aims to rehabilitate brownfield sites. Coordinated by the University of Liège, Waste2Bio brings together more than 100 Walloon players in brownfield redevelopment, the biobased economy and ecology. The aim is to make economic and environmental use of derelict land. In a context of climate change, declining biodiversity, the fight against land artificialisation and competition for land use, brownfield sites offer great potential for developing natural solutions. This includes phytomanagement, which uses plants and micro-organisms to provide ecosystem services, preserve the health of soil and water resources, human health and well-being and produce recoverable biomass. Waste2Bio is proposing an integrated approach to creating an operational platform by 2028 that will deploy innovative phytomanagement solutions, thereby restoring value to brownfield sites, either temporarily or permanently. Marc Hanikenne, marc.hanikenne@uliege.be et Cécile Nouet, cnouet@uliege.be. Faculty of Philosophy and Letters: a mythological approach towards the energy transition Among the responses to the ecological crisis, the idea of energy transition dominates: it involves seeking technical solutions to reduce energy consumption and replace fossil fuels with so-called sustainable resources. The «Mythernergie» project postulates that techniques are inseparable from the narrative frameworks that justify them and inscribe them in particular power relationships. The energy transition relies as much on techniques as on narratives, which open up or close off the field of possibilities, shape imaginations and activate emotions. It is proposed that these stories be considered myths, which need to be identified and described. François Provenzano, francois.provenzano@uliege.be et Julien Pieron, julien.pieron@uliege.be 8 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
The three other ULiège students nominated for the 2024 HERA awards are: HERA Award Sustainable Democracy nominee: Salomé Charles, for her Master’s dissertation in Law, Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology, ULiège, entitled: «Civil disobedience in the Belgian legal context». Supervisor: Christian Behrendt Nominee HERA Award Sustainable Health: Nolwenn Lechien for her Master’s dissertation in public health sciences, Faculty of Medicine, entitled: «‘Prescribing nature’ by healthcare professionals in medical centres: exploring perceptions, obstacles and levers of this innovative practice in the Liège region». Supervisor: Laëtitia Buret HERA Award Sustainable Food Systems nominee: Solenn Nguyen Vien, for her Master’s dissertation in agroecology, Faculty of Gembloux Agro-BioTech and ULB Inter-faculty School of Bio-Engineering, entitled: «Maintaining market gardening in a context of water scarcity: study of the impact of climate change on irrigation requirements on the Saclay plateau by 2060 and future perspectives». Supervisors: Erwan Personne et Nicolas Vereecken MORE INFORMATION HERA AWARDS - HIGHER EDUCATION & RESEARCH The HERA Awards are presented annually by the Foundation for Future Generations. They are designed to support young graduates who have produced master’s dissertations and doctoral theses on transforming the world. Five final-year works by ULiège students were nominated this year. At the 12th awards ceremony (organised at UMONS in April 2024), two young ULiège graduates won prizes in the following categories: Winner of the Special HERA Award Brussels for Future Generations: Coralie Muylaert for her thesis in Economics & Management, HEC Liège, entitled: «Clothing libraries versus fast fashion. Revealing the barriers to change in usual consumption practices in order to better overcome them and promote the deployment of the economy of functionality in the clothing sector». Supervisors: Kevin Maréchal et Sybille Mertens Winner of the Special HERA Award Brussels for Future Generations: Juliette Baps for her Master’s dissertation in Management Sciences, HEC Liège, entitled: «The Belgian food industry and the European directives on Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence». Supervisor: Virginie Xhauflair 9 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
CREATION OF A TRANSITIONS LABORATORY: TRANSDISCIPLINARY, FORWARD-LOOKING AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH In close collaboration with its faculties and research units, ULiège is working towards the creation, in 2025, of a place dedicated to transdisciplinary, forward-looking and participatory research on transition issues. The aim is to incubate new dynamics and provide collaborative initiatives (such as One Health) with a space and methodological equipment to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue, a progressive approach and the involvement of non-scientific experts in the production of knowledge. MORE INFORMATION ECORESPONSIBILITY IN RESEARCH PRACTICES: STRUCTURING AND SETTING UP INSTITUTIONAL SCIENTIFIC PLATFORMS In the 2024-2025 academic year, the University plans to launch a policy to better organise and develop its scientific platforms. The aim is to align with the ambitions of sustainability, inclusion and innovation. The policy will encourage collaboration between stakeholders, all the while promoting material and energetic sobriety as well as transparency. It will make the platforms more accessible to researchers, avoid the purchase of expensive new equipment, and reduce the occupancy of buildings and the energy consumption associated with their use. 1.3. FUTURE PROJECTS ULiège’s next challenge will be to provide researchers with the means to produce knowledge and propose innovations, with cross-disciplinary perspectives, and to develop research that is up to the challenge. In other words, research that takes up the issues linked to transition, that becomes interdisciplinary, that connects researchers to the territories, and that proposes scenarios for the future. 10 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
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2 Education tailored to the challenges of social and environmental transition 2.1. Findings and Strategic Objectives p.12 2.2. 2023-2024 Achievements p.13 2.3. Future Projects p.21 2.1. FINDINGS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES By raising students’ awareness of the major transformations taking place on our planet and in society, and by giving them the skills they need to face the challenges ahead, the University is playing a key role in the social and environmental transition. An inventory of our courses linked to and dedicated to sustainability, and an analysis of our programmes, reveals that there are many opportunities for students to familiarise themselves with the challenges of transition and develop the skills required. However, the 2023 Post Master survey of graduates showed that this offer is insufficient: given the scale and complexity of the challenges, graduates feel that their courses do not sufficiently meet their expectations. In response, ULiège aims to integrate sustainability and transition into all its study programmes and to raise awareness of these issues among both students and teaching staff. This will involve making better use of existing courses, offering additional dedicated courses and supporting the adaptation of teaching content and methods. 12 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
IDENTIFICATION OF COURSES LINKED TO OR DEDICATED TO SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability and transition issues are obviously already covered in many courses in all our faculties. To help students identify these courses, specific pictograms are now used in the programmes. This new inventory (updated annually) makes it easier for students to choose sustainability courses and helps to make the institution more attractive. It also encourages lecturers to develop their content and share their teaching practices. By the end of the 2023-24 academic year, 109 courses dedicated to sustainability had been identified. These courses explicitly address the interdependence between ecological and social systems. In addition, more than 220 other courses that deal significantly with sustainability issues have been identified. MORE INFORMATION © ULiège 2.2 2023-2024 ACHIEVEMENTS KEY FIGURES ULiège’s Education Impact score according to the 2024 QS Sustainability ranking. This metric evaluates the educational offer and the quality of certain subjects within the institution that can have a positive impact on society: education, politics, social policy, law, art and design. It also looks at research into relevant SDGs and the impact of alumni in the sector. 91.2/100 227 courses linked to sustainability 109 courses dedicated to sustainability 13 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
INTER-FACULTY MEETING ON TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION In December 2023, the University organised its first inter-faculty meeting on ‘Sustainability and Transition’. At the invitation of the Rector and the Vice-Rector for Teaching, more than 80 lecturers were able to share their institutional and faculty experiences and hear presentations by organisations specialising in outreach and awareness-raising (Green Office, Eclosio, Imagine, The Shifters). The meeting was enhanced by the presence of two international experts. Christian Arnsperger, Professor of Sustainability and Economic Anthropology at the University of Lausanne (Institute of Geography and Sustainability, Faculty of Geosciences and Environment), gave a presentation entitled “What transition for which sustainable lifestyles?” Luc Abbadie, professor emeritus of ecology and researcher at the Sorbonne University, vice-chairman of the Scientific Council of the French Office for Biodiversity, former director of the Institute for Environmental Transition at the Sorbonne and principal author of the 2022 Jouzel report (commissioned by the French government on the subject of teaching transition and sustainable development), gave a talk entitled «Raising awareness and providing training in the challenges of ecological transition and sustainable development in higher education». SUMMER UNIVERSITY ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION: 4TH EDITION OF CLIMACTES In July 2024, the non-profit organisation ACTES organised its fourth Summer University at ULiège to create social entrepreneurship projects based on the ecological and solidarity-based transition. Around thirty participants had the opportunity to take part in 17 courses, 8 workshops and several conferences over 9 days, led by renowned teachers and experts. Topics covered food, energy, finance, construction, regenerating life, mobility, social justice, the circular economy and financing sustainable projects. Participants benefited from the support of specialist coaches to help them turn their ideas into reality and create transitional projects, taking care to solve the difficult equation: economically viable projects with less environmental impact (negative) and more social impact (positive). MORE INFORMATION © ClimACTES © ClimACTES 14 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology: course on the environmental impact of land ownership The Political Science Department is offering a course on territorial development and the environment, covering the political issues and the legal framework in place, mainly in Wallonia. The environmental themes chosen are those frequently encountered in real estate projects to make them more operational. This course is aimed at a varied audience, with 120 students taking the course in 2023-24. These students included town planners, architectural engineers, political scientists, biologists and geographers. In December 2023, Emmanuel Colla, a legal expert at Spaque, gave a master class on soil policy. Sophie Hanson, sophie.hanson@uliege.be Faculty of Sciences: Inter-faculty project on the circular economy of materials with HEC Liège The Recycling or Upcycling Challenge (RUC) project is an inter-faculty collaboration between first-year Master’s students in Chemistry and third-year Bachelor’s students in Science/Engineering Management on the recycling of end-of-life materials and objects. As part of the ‘Marketing and Innovation’ course, students at HEC Liège have to turn waste into a marketable product (bicycle tyres, shoe soles, damaged tents, broken tiles), by researching the material, devising a sustainable product, meeting professionals, evaluating the market and defending the product before a jury. As part of the ‘Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry’ course, the chemistry students act as materials consultants, helping to understand the technical data and improve the relevance of proposals for realistic recycling (toys, food packaging, insulation materials). The project was given a higher profile during the final presentations on 18th June 2024, when students from the Advanced Materials for Innovation and Sustainability (AMIS) European Master’s took part in a sustainability workshop in Liège. Anne-Christine Cadiat, accadiat@uliege.be ; Christine Jérôme ; Bénédicte Vertruyen et Claire Gruslin MORE INFORMATION FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS © RUC 15 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
School of Engineering: new course in energy engineering To meet the challenges of energy transition and sustainability, the School of Engineering has created a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering. This multidisciplinary course covers the technological aspects of energy production, conversion, transport, distribution and storage, as well as its rational use in buildings and transport. Questions are also put into perspective in relation to the energy market, regulatory constraints, geopolitical issues and the challenges of sustainability. Grégoire Léonard, G.Leonard@uliege.be HEC Management School ULiège: training leading to certification in calculating the Bilan Carbone® (carbon footprint) All students at HEC Liège are required to attend skills workshops during their course, an original teaching method that takes the form of 16 hours of face-to-face lessons in small groups, and which makes use of soft skills. Through this scheme, and as part of a partnership agreement between HEC Liège and ABC (Association pour la Transition Bas Carbone, Paris), a workshop was devoted to the Bilan Carbone® certification course. The ability to draw up a certified carbon footprint is a skill that is increasingly in demand from companies. Students learned how to calculate greenhouse gas emissions using the international standard ISO14064-1 and how to use a certified spreadsheet to produce a Bilan Carbone® in a professional environment. Throughout the academic year, 26 Master’s students and 14 students on the Environmental Management continuing education course took part in this workshop. Joseph Smitz, j.smitz@uliege.be Faculty of Medicine: Cycle of lectures on Sustainability and Transition Made up of academic, scientific and administrative staff and students, the Faculty of Medicine’s Sustainability Unit (CDFM) aims to raise students’ awareness of sustainability issues in healthcare. Since 2022-2023, the CDFM, as a steering committee open to faculty initiatives, has been organising, in collaboration with Eclosio, a series of conferences on transition, sustainability and health with experts from ULiège and elsewhere. In 2023-24, it organised two lectures. One by Dr Karolien van den Brekel (Positive Health International) on the theme of «Positive Health», focusing on the person, resilience and the meaning of life rather than on illness. Dr Sébastien Bohler’s talk focused on the neurocognitive and behavioural challenges of social and ecological transition. Felix Scholtes, Felix.Scholtes@uliege.be © Geoffrey Meuli 16 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech: ethics in bio-engineering at the heart of teaching At the opening ceremony of the academic year, Professor Patrick du Jardin gave an inaugural lecture entitled «What ethics for the bioengineer?» He proposed a new vision of the role and missions of the bioengineer, concluding with a number of recommendations inspired by the ethics committees which he has been a member of during his career. This reflection is at the heart of a new course in the bioengineering curriculum in 2023-24. In April-May 2024, Christelle Didier, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Lille and winner of the Chaire Francqui 2023-24 at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, gave several lectures on this theme. The seminar «Submit or resign. But what if there was another way?» on 11th April 2024 was aimed at Master 1 students preparing for their placements. Patrick du Jardin, patrick.dujardin@uliege.be Faculty of Architecture: course on the recoverability of building materials In the «Discovering and experimenting with space» course, students are presented with an existing building so that they may learn how it works, how to assemble it, and discover the rules of construction and composition. The building, produced as a 1:25 scale model, is then dismantled to build other structures. In this way, students are confronted with contemporary issues regarding the use of materials. Students discover that architecture can be dismantled and reused, and that this reuse, although restrictive, stimulates creativity. Recovering materials by dismantling them is a complex process, but 90% of the material in the models has been recovered to make other worlds. Patrick David, patrick.david@uliege.be ; Sebastien Ochej et Michel Prégardien © ULiège © 17 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
Faculty of Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy and Educational Sciences: online course on environmental health Environmental health has been defined as «aspects of human health and disease that are determined by the environment» (WHO, 1989). The focus of this definition is on the possible relationships between environmental variables and health, and on health monitoring. Environmental variables include biogeographical factors, environmental pollution and disturbances, as well as factors relating to the quality of food, the quality of the indoor environment (air, noise, electromagnetic fields, etc.) and the quality of the working environment (abnormal fatigue or specific stress factors). This subject is covered in the Psychology of Health course via the MOOC «Acting for your health», aimed at students in the second year of the Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and the first year of the Master’s degree in Public Health. It explores how people frequent a place and interact with it. Anne-Marie Etienne, AM.Etienne@uliege.be, Céline Stassart et Aurélie Wagener. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: collaborative project to strengthen teaching on animal health Veterinarians play an essential role in detecting the symptoms of zoonotic diseases in animals. The strengthened collaboration with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Lubumbashi (FMVUNILU) in the DRC, funded by AMORCE, ARES-CCD, aims to improve the training of students and veterinarians through practical training. The aim is to make the FMV-UNILU a reference point for clinical issues relating to ruminants and dogs in the region. By encouraging collaboration between the teaching staff of the ULiège Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the FMV-UNILU authorities, the project aims to improve the quality of training, encourage regular clinical practice and meet the needs of the local veterinary community. Dominique Peeters, dpeeters@uliege.be et Kris Gommeren, Kris.Gommeren@uliege.be © Dominique Peeters 18 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
PROJECTS AS PART OF UNIC ULiège is a member of the UNIC alliance, which brings together 10 universities anchored in post-industrial urban ecosystems in transition to a service-based economy. These universities are directly linked to cities facing similar challenges, such as youth employment, the impact of new technologies, the transition to renewable energy sources and the evolution of health-related challenges. As part of UNIC, ULiège has set up or contributed to several teaching initiatives. ERASMUS MUNDUS JOINT MASTERS – REDESIGNING THE POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY The RePIC Master’s degree, a 2-year Erasmus Mundus programme (120 ECTS) with 8 partners from the UNIC alliance, has been launched. This Master’s programme trains students to think about the transition of postindustrial cities. Graduates will develop skills in research, digital design and spatial analysis, and will be able to act as mediators between experts and the general public, thanks to their diversified knowledge.. Jean-Marie Halleux, Jean-Marie.Halleux@uliege.be UNIC SUPERDIVERSITY SCHOOL The first “UNIC Superdiversity School” was held in Liège between the 26th and 28th April 2023. This seminar brought together local stakeholders to discuss the challenges of diversity in higher education, addressing three main topics: student life (disability, gender-based violence, commitment), human resources (gender inequality, discrimination), and research (commitment, democratisation of science, decolonisation of knowledge). Elsa Mescoli, E.Mescoli@uliege.be MORE INFORMATION UNIC SUMMER SCHOOL ON AGING WELL The first “UNIC Summer School: Aging well together in Liège” took place from 17th to 23rd September 2023. This free week brought together students, specialists and members of associations to discuss ageing in postindustrial cities. They explored solutions for improving the quality of life of the elderly, taking into account various fields such as nursing, gerontology, architecture and participatory design. Catherine Elsen, Catherine.Elsen@uliege.be 19 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
ONE HEALTH AT THE RÊVE GÉNÉRAL FESTIVAL From 2nd to 22nd April 2024, the Rêve Général festival got the hearts of the university community beating. The last day was entirely devoted to the «One Health» concept, with a virtual UNIC round table that attempted to answer the question “How can local actions inspire a European vision for the implementation of One Health». The «One Health» concept, which emerged at the beginning of the 21st century, is a transdisciplinary framework that considers health issues at the intersection of the human world, the animal world and ecosystems. We need to take account of the interconnections between living things if we are to combat the risk of pandemics and, more generally, look after the planet and all its inhabitants. Nicolas-Antoine Moussiaux, nantoine@uliege.be © S.Seyen 20 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
“SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION” ONLINE COURSE From the start of the 2024-25 academic year, a unique and innovative 2-credit (ECTS) «Sustainability and Transition» course will be compulsory on all Bachelor’s programmes at the University of Liège. This course is initially made up of an online part (which will gradually be made accessible to the entire university community). It consists of 54 video clips from ULiège experts and is structured into three interconnected modules. The first module provides a foundation of knowledge enabling us to take stock of the planet’s limits and the extent to which social needs are being met. The second module introduces a holistic approach to the causes of the various environmental and social issues, and applies this systemic approach to the question of food. Finally, the third module presents the concepts of sustainability and transition and introduces the solutions and levers for action. As a complement to this online course, each faculty will organise specific activities for its students. In addition, three evenings of reflection will be organised on the theme of combatting eco-anxiety, and workshops will be offered to members of staff. LINK TO THE ONLINE COURSE FOR STAFF MORE INFORMARTION 2.3. FUTURE PROJECTS In line with its strategic objectives, ULiège is announcing a number of initiatives relating to the teaching of sustainability and transition at ULiège. These include the launch of the online ‘Sustainability and Transition’ course for students and staff, the introduction of Service Learning, the creation of the SEOS Master’s degree within the UNIC network, as well as a university certificate in SME consultancy. In addition, a range of support services are available to teachers wishing to incorporate more sustainability into their courses. © MOOC ULiège, I. Huart 21 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN TRANSFORMING THEIR COURSES ULiège is committed to supporting teachers in the development of teaching content and approaches, in order to adapt all courses, including continuing education courses. To this end, it offers teachers a number of resources (Green Comp; the IFRES support module; Green Office support pathway for co-creating challenges (linked to the UNI for Change platform); Eclosio support for integrating societal issues into courses). MORE INFORMATION NEW ENZYME UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSITION CONSULTANCY FOR SMES Organised since September 2024 by the HEC Liège Executive School, with the support of the ESF, this 16-day programme (16 ECTS credits) aims to train sustainability consultants to understand and guide companies’ sustainable transition. It consists of 3 modules covering the essential elements for analysing and initiating this transition. Participants will be supported throughout the programme to complete a final project. The certificate will be offered again in February and August 2025. Nathalie Crutzen, ncrutzen@uliege.be et Virginie Xhauflair, V.Xhauflair@uliege.be ; HEC Liège MORE INFORMATION RAISING AWARENESS OF DIGITAL SOBRIETY FOR MEMBERS OF STAFF In November 2024, ISIT, in collaboration with ULiège, started offering an awareness-raising workshop on digital sobriety to members of staff to help them discover the challenges of digital technology for sustainability. The aim of the workshop is to provide an understanding of the main ecological and social challenges of digital technologies and to encourage reflection on the need to incorporate good practice into the workplace (purchasing, workstations, printing, telephony, etc.). LINK TO THE TRAINING 22 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
UNIC’S NEW SEOS MASTER’S: SUPERDIVERSITY IN EDUCATION AND SOCIETY From October 2024, the University will launch the SEOS (Superdiversity in Education, Organisations and Society) Master’s programme. This Master’s programme explores superdiversity and the intersectionality of social categories, such as ethnicity and gender, in a context of growing crisis and inequality. Students will analyse the impact of superdiversity on education, organisations and society, and develop skills to contribute to inclusive and sustainable European societies. Elsa Mescoli MORE INFORMATION SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION IN FACULTY AND PROGRAMME EVALUATION From 2025, ULiège’s quality assurance system will incorporate questions relating to sustainability and transition. At programme level, the aim is for these considerations to be taken into account when assessing the ResearchSociety link for courses and teaching activities. Each faculty will be invited to regularly review the way in which it defines its vision and the projects aimed at developing skills in sustainability and social and environmental transition. MORE INFORMATION SERVICE LEARNING: LEARNING THROUGH CIVIC EXPERIENCE The Service Learning project, which is part of the institutional strategy, introduces a practical learning method where students participate in services that meet social needs. This approach combines classroom teaching, practical experience and civic engagement to enrich academic, professional and civic learning. From the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, 8 courses in 5 faculties will be awarded the ‘Service Learning’ label. For example, students on the Master’s degree in Medical Engineering will be working on technical solutions for hospital patients, while those on the Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education Sciences will be helping children with learning difficulties in a remedial teaching setting. Ultimately, ULiège wants all its students to be able to take at least one Service Learning course. MORE INFORMATION 23 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
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3 Community services that meet the challenges of social and environmental transition 3.1. Findings and Strategic Objectives p.25 3.2. 2023-2024 Achievements p.26 3.1. FINDINGS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES As part of its mission to provide services to the community, the University is supporting the social and environmental transition by encouraging exchanges between scientific knowledge and the expertise that exists outside its walls. ULiège intends to make better use of the many ”gobetweens” (its Green Office, Liège and Luxembourg Creative, the university NGO Eclosio and the structures brought together within the Museum and Cultural Centre, such as the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme and Réjousciences) to encourage exchanges in the areas where it is present. It also wishes to encourage and recognise the individual and collective commitment of its members to transition projects, including in the context of university activities. 25 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
72 CREATION OF THE «ULIÈGE COMMITTED AND RESPONSIBLE STUDENT» STATUS This new status recognises students involved in politics, NGOs, associations or as elected representatives at ULiège. It recognises their personal commitment and the responsibilities they take on, and can be promoted to future employers. Committed students benefit from personalised support, with an academic tutor to help them achieve their objectives and a coordinator to deal with administrative and logistical aspects. Students can also obtain adjustments to their teaching activities, assessment and examination procedures and timetables, as well as personalised support in their working methods and time management. In 2023-24, this status was granted to 72 students. MORE INFORMATION CREATION OF A CALL FOR SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSITION PROJECTS Since 2023, ULiège’s Sustainable Development Unit has launched two calls per year, in May and October, to provide financial support for actions and initiatives which promote the Institution’s ambitions for social and environmental transformation. This financial aid enables ULiège to support members of its community (students and/or staff) in carrying out eco-responsible and/or socially-oriented projects, particularly those with an inclusive dimension, and which have an impact on our campuses. In 2023-24, 14 projects were supported in this way. FIND THE LIST OF WINNERS AND INFORMATION ON THESE CALLS HERE 3.2 2023-2024 ACHIEVEMENTS © ULiège KEY FIGURES 90/100 ULiège’s score in the QS Sustainability ranking 2024 for sharing knowledge and raising awareness in the local community 3 393 participants of the 60 activities organised by the Green Office in 2023-24 1 005 attendees of the 14 events organised by LUXEMBOURG CREATIVE 1 409 attendees of the 30 conferences on sustainable development organised by LIÈGE CREATIVE, involving 33 researchers from ULiège 14social and environmental transition projects led by members of the university community and funded by ULiège students with ‘committed’ status in 2023-24 26 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
RÊVE GÉNÉRAL FESTIVAL: ART, SCIENCE & DEMOCRACY The Rêve Général Festival: Art, Science & Democracy took place from 2nd to 28th April 2024 on the Sart Tilman campus. Nearly 200 activities (master classes, conferences, workshops, shows, screenings, exhibitions) were set up and were enjoyed by over 13,000 participants, including 7,200 members of the ULiège community. The Festival was organised by ULiège, Arsenic2 and the Centre d’Action Laïque de la Province de Liège, in collaboration with no fewer than 120 partners. The aim was clearly stated: to put on an ambitious programme of events that would fit in with and support different courses during the day and open up the University in the evenings and at weekends to a wide range of audiences, focusing on social issues, such as food, health, environment, climate, migration, gender issues and social inequalities. The Festival opened with a lecture by Aurélien Barrau, who was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Liège. The themes addressed in his lecture ranged from the role of universities in the necessary ecological transition to how to reinvent decision-making and democratic mechanisms to respond effectively to the consequences of climate change, the collapse of biodiversity and the socioeconomic consequences for human beings. By mobilising a diversity of viewpoints, experiences and sensibilities, the Rêve Général festival certainly helped to place the University at the heart of the city and of today’s challenges. It nurtured and strengthened the courses offered by the institution’s various faculties and acted as a multidisciplinary incubator for thinking differently about the world, highlighting the One Health approach in particular and imagining desirable transitions. Pierre Ozer, pozer@uliege.be © S.Seyen © B. Brixhe 27 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
THE GREEN OFFICE’S CLIMATE FORTNIGHT The Climate Fortnight, organised from 27th November to 8th December 2023 to coincide with COP 28, brought together the entire university community under the slogan «Understanding in order to act». The event aimed to raise awareness of climate issues by combining scientific rigour with concrete action. Prepared in collaboration with teachers, scientific experts, committed students and numerous partners , this fortnight offered 36 events spread over the four ULiège campuses. Participants were able to discover the scientific data in the IPCC reports at lectures, understand the links between agriculture, food and climate, and explore the consequences of climate change in the countries of the South at a debate on the ‘Great Green Wall’. The event also offered practical workshops to encourage individual and collective action, and master classes to welcome external experts for lectures. Highlights included a calculation of an individual’s carbon footprint, workshops on responsible consumption (second-hand clothes sales, buying food locally), and a debate to demystify false beliefs about the climate, with the participation of climatology and journalism students. The fortnight also highlighted the psychological reasons for inaction in the face of the ecological crisis, with a conference by the collective «Pour Un Réveil Écologique» (For an Ecological Awakening). Finally, film screenings, such as Camille Étienne’s «Pourquoi on se bat” (Why we are fighting), followed by discussions with activists, explored civic engagement and activism, encouraging the community to become agents of change. It was a huge success, and is set to become a recurring event! MORE INFORMATION THE UNI FOR CHANGE GREEN OFFICE PLATFORM In 2024, the ULiège Green Office developed and launched the «UNI for Change» collaborative platform. This platform, supported by the Walloon Region and the King Baudouin Foundation, offers a variety of concrete and engaging actions, enabling everyone, students and staff alike, to get involved according to their affinities. It creates a genuine community of action, strengthening the sense of belonging and bringing together those involved in the social and environmental transition within the University. What’s more, lecturers are invited to incorporate actions linked to the transition into their courses, thereby contributing to committed and practical learning. The official inauguration took place on 19th April 2024 in the presence of Princess Esmeralda of Belgium, Prof Jean-Pascal van Ypersele (IPCC) and Runa Khan (founder of the NGO Friendship), who gave an inspiring talk on resilience in Bangladesh. The impact was immediate, with over 500 downloads of the application in just two days. The first objective was to multiply ULiège’s involvement by increasing participation in activities. In the longer term, the platform will be made available to other higher education establishments, as part of a collaborative approach to the social and environmental transition. This initiative has already won awards in Belgian and international competitions. The influence of this emblematic project is supported by numerous partnerships (internal and external scientific experts, S’Lab, Venture Lab, Eclosio, LabSet, IFRES, Jane Goodall Institute, ARES Sustainable Development Commission, Rotary, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie). MORE INFORMATION 28 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
THE LATEST FROM THE NGO ECLOSIO Located at the intersection of the university community and civil society, Eclosio, the University of Liège’s NGO, aims to promote the agro-ecological transition, foster the socio-economic integration of vulnerable populations and encourage civic commitment in the face of societal and climate challenges. For 2023-24, we are highlighting three actions that are making a significant contribution to the social and environmental transition. Campus in Action Project: an inter-university exchange to raise awareness of the links between racism and ecology Over a weekend in November 2023, the project brought together 30 students from UMONS and Uni4Coop, a consortium of French-speaking Belgian university NGOs (including the ULiège NGO Eclosio), to gain a better understanding of the common issues linked to racism and ecology, and more specifically to decolonial ecology. The discussions helped to identify ways of getting involved and mobilising in the face of these systemic issues. Participatory methodologies and educational tools, such as the survey of the book ‘L’écologie pirate’ by Fatima Ouassak and the docu-debate ‘Décolonisons l’écologie’ with Daha Diallo (president of the ADEV association and coordinator of OVO in Senegal) helped to mobilise and involve students through collective reflection, as well as workshops led by Francine Beya and Brenda Obimba. MORE INFORMATION Continuing education: «Understanding and managing the human dimensions of sustainable development change projects» From September to December 2023, Eclosio and the University of Liège organised the second edition of this continuing education course, funded by ARES. It brought together 12 participants from several different countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Niger and Senegal. The training aims to support the development of the skills of professionals who manage, steer and support sustainable development projects, by drawing on the human and social sciences. The training is part of an approach based on sharing knowledge and working together to find solutions. This year, the topics covered included the involvement of women in restoring ecosystems, managing natural resources and promoting sustainable and resilient food systems; agro-ecological production; social cohesion and resilience of communities and grassroots organisations; the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities; networking for nutrition, health and food safety (One Health); the fight against cysticercosis in Madagascar and the introduction of credit systems within agricultural sectors. MORE INFORMATION Fagaru Project The «Network for Nutrition and Health in Senegal» (FAGARU) project, to be implemented between 2021 and 2025 as part of the One Health approach, aims to improve the food situation, particularly for women and children, by connecting health, nutrition and agriculture stakeholders so that they can share their knowledge, skills and experience. The project involves two Belgian universities: ULiège (Nicolas-Antoine Moussiaux, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) and ULB (Philippe Doonen - School of Public Health), two research institutes in Senegal (IRESSEF and ISRA), five students and one doctoral student. In 2023, it led to a number of practical applications, including the creation of farmers’ training fields for high-nutritionalvalue crops grown using agroecology, and a system of village granaries to store the produce from these fields. MORE INFORMATION © A. De Brouwer, Debro’s production © Eclosio 29 | ACTIVITY REPORT SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSITION AT ULIÈGE | 2023 – 2024
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