Experience sustainability research through the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow
Freiburg, 31/07/2025
From 22 to 25 July 2025, the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow stopped at the Platz der Alten Synagoge (Old Synagogue Square) in Freiburg, giving citizens the opportunity to engage in dialogue on sustainability research through interactive activities.
Eucor – The European Campus is a trinational alliance of five universities: Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, Strasbourg, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). From May to October, the participatory MobiLab travels through Germany, France and Switzerland with its sustainability awareness campaign.
Under the motto “Nachaltigkeit findet Stadt” (“Sustainability finds a home in cities”), Melanie Arndt, Vice Rector for Internationalisation and Sustainability at the University of Freiburg, opened the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow in Freiburg on 22 July at 5 p.m.: “The MobiLab shows how sustainability research can be effective in everyday life – in direct dialogue with society and within the lively, cross-university framework that Eucor also offers here in Freiburg,” said Arndt. “I am delighted that we can further strengthen the exchange between research and the public with a diverse programme.”
From Tuesday to Friday, the mobile Tiny House from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology served as a dialogue centre between science and society. Inside and outside the MobiLab, citizens took part in participatory formats organised in cooperation with the City of Freiburg and the Sustainability Innovation Campus (ICN).
“The MobiLab shows how sustainability research can be effective in everyday life, offering direct dialogue with the public within the lively, cross-university framework that Eucor also offers here in Freiburg.”
Prof. Dr. Melanie Arndt
Vice Rector for Internationalization and Sustainability, University of Freiburg
In addition to surveys on nutrition and heat stress, information posters and the Science Bench, an open discussion forum with researchers, invited visitors to exchange ideas. “I was delighted to see how well the interactive formats of our MobiLab were received by the public, and it was a great pleasure to engage with them in such a variety of ways,” emphasised Sofia Ganter, programme manager of the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow in Freiburg. The programme also included a panel discussion with representatives of the City of Freiburg and the Canton of Basel-Stadt on the topic of climate adaptation and a climate quiz.
How can urban trees and green spaces contribute to climate change adaptation?
This question was addressed by interactive activities as part of the ICN project ZUKAMAS – ‘Future-oriented climate change management for urban green spaces’. For example, visitors could count tree rings on three wooden discs to determine the age of the trees. They also learned what annual rings can reveal about tree growth. A prototype soil probe was also on display: using a sensor, it measures the air and soil temperature in a tree’s root zone in an energy-autonomous manner.
The Science Bench at the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow encourages researchers and citizens to engage in conversation. Photo: Pia Lamborgne
To the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow
The Eucor MobiLab Roadshow is part of Eucor – The European Campus. This is a tri-national alliance of five universities in the Upper Rhine region: Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, Strasbourg and KIT. The aim of the university alliance is to establish an international and cross-border research hub.
The Eucor MobiLab Roadshow 2025 is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts as part of the implementation of the Eucor Strategy Plan 2024-2030. The German-French-Swiss Upper Rhine Conference is also providing financial support for the roadshow. The Eucor team at KIT, the KIT Center Humans and Technology (MuT) and the Karlsruhe Transformation Centre for Sustainability and Cultural Change (KAT) are organising the project.
Further stops on the Eucor MobiLab Roadshow:
- Strasbourg (1. – 3. October, Port du Rhin)
- Mulhouse (9. – 11. October, La Fonderie)
- Karlsruhe (14. – 19. October, Friedrichsplatz)
Graphic: JessieJoo – Illustrationen & Design