Dagmara Weckovska, University of Helsinki – June 2025
In the first week of June, I participated in the Una Europa Summer School on Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Helsinki in Finland where I had the pleasure to teach an interdisciplinary group of bright PhD students from Una Europa universities. My two sessions, titled “Innovation and Protein Transitions: From Business as Usual to Desirable Futures,” introduced students to a socio-technical perspective on innovation and the so-called ‘protein transitions,’ and provided an opportunity for experiential, hands-on learning of the Three Horizons method. The session sparked lively discussion and deep reflection across disciplines.
Beyond teaching, I shadowed other sessions, exchanged materials with colleagues, and discovered new methods that will enhance my own teaching. The Summer School helped me strengthen ties with colleagues in Helsinki and build new connections with peers from Leuven, Madrid, Leiden, and other universities. It was an inspiring, productive week that deepened my expertise in food system transitions and left me energized to bring new insights back to my students and research.
My stay was funded under the Teaching Staff Mobility line of the Erasmus+ Programme.
I was accompanied by three PhD students from Freie Universität Berlin, who received funding under the EU’s framework for Blended Intensive Programmes. To my surprise, both application processes were very straightforward. I also received valuable support from the Project Coordinator for Sustainability in the University Network UNA Europa at Freie Universität Berlin and from the staff in the International Office.
