The TUM SEED Center has launched the SEED Research Seminar, bringing together SEED doctoral researchers and supervisors from TUM and partner universities for intensive exchange at the intersection of sustainable energies, entrepreneurship, and policy.

The week opened on 19 January with welcome remarks by Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz, Director of the TUM SEED Center, followed by his Disciplinary Seminar on Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The session set the tone for the program: academically rigorous work with a strong focus on relevance, impact, and collaboration.

A key highlight of the start was the Energy & Climate Policy session with Prof. Dr. Miranda Schreurs. Participants were invited to engage with Geovania, a role-playing simulation of the international energy transition. By taking on different roles across four countries facing distinct realities and constraints, the group experienced firsthand how difficult, yet essential, it is to negotiate shared strategies toward a carbon-neutral economy. The exercise quickly turned into a real negotiation space: lively debate, competing priorities, and constructive collaboration—while also helping participants get to know each other through hands-on teamwork.

On 20 January, the seminar continues with the SEED Research Kick-off, including interdisciplinary social science sessions and workshops. In addition, a guest lecture addresses financing pathways for a just energy transition in the Global South.

What’s coming next:

• Doctoral program presentation, poster exposition, and dedicated time for tandem meetings,
• Disciplinary and interdisciplinary inputs on sustainable energy systems and the water–food–energy nexus, plus a networking event with the TUM Global Office
• Community moments, including a traditional Bavarian dinner and a hike to the Bavarian Alps,
• A trip to TUM Campus Garching featuring seminars and excursions on water management and biogas, as well as a workshop on successful publishing
• Parallel disciplinary seminars and activities organized by TUM supervisors, including a Research Seminar on Sustainable Entrepreneurship

We look forward to sharing insights and outcomes from the seminar as the cohort develops research connections and advances joint work within the SEED network.