What began modestly two years ago is now an integral part of Bern's higher education landscape: Students4Sustainability looks back on two years of commitment, exchange and impact. The hub has grown – visibly, effectively and making new connections in and between higher education institutions.

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Student projects with impact

Last year, students from a wide range of disciplines once again took advantage of the hub's funding opportunities to implement their project ideas and actively shape sustainable development at their universities. Students4Sustainability offers more than just financial support – it is a platform for networking, collaboration and visibility. The following seven projects were selected for funding in 2025 by the Students4Sustainability evaluation committee:

The aim of the Student Minds Network is to promote mental health at universities in a sustainable manner. It has expanded its sphere of influence and supports the implementation of measures to ensure the mental health of students at the local level. Bern, with its four universities (University of Bern, BFH, PHBern and PH NMS) as a pilot location for the new project phase.

With the You ‘C’ Cards, the Ayumé – Music and Diversity association has developed an innovative teaching structuring tool: a set of 80 cards that is used in instrumental and vocal lessons to make the topics covered and tools used more comprehensible and at the same time

The School Compost as a Learning Laboratory for Sustainable Action project set up a school composting facility for recycling organic waste in cooperation with a teacher and her class in the Länggasse district of Bern. The project has thus created a learning laboratory at the neighbourhood level that promotes urban composting, encourages behavioural change and reduces waste and CO2 emissions.

Together with the À Bicyclette bicycle shop, the project team is developing a management platform for a children's bicycle rental service, where bicycles can be rented at low cost and in the right size to make cycling more accessible to families, especially those on a tight budget. By promoting longer use of the bikes, sustainable mobility and accompanying community activities such as a children's bike club, the project strengthens the environment, health and social participation.

The Reconnect project team is working on the development of a preventive education programme that teaches young people important life skills, promotes their mental health and at the same time relieves the burden on teachers. The three-month programme comprises six workshops for Year 7 pupils, in which young people learn key skills such as self-reflection, empathy and problem solving through practical and participatory methods.

The OrbMatter project is further developing a low-carbon material mixture made from hemp fibres and a mineral binder and researching its potential in art, design and education through prototyping and experimental workshop formats. With funding from Students4Sustainability, material formulations and workshops are being expanded and tested in pilot formats at the HKB, the PHBern and within the framework of the Circular Economy Forum.

ImproVision is a practical teaching tool that uses flexible exercises to teach learners of all levels improvisation as a creative, independent musical process, promoting important skills such as independence, teamwork and creativity. The prototype, currently being tested at 21 schools, is expected to be available in several languages and formats from 2027 onwards and will firmly establish improvisation in the classroom in the long term.

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Events that connect and inspire

Once again this year, our events served as central meeting places for exchange, inspiration and networking.

Our second networking event, Networks4Sustainability, took place in mid-March in the dome room of the university's main building. In one of the four entertaining formats, a colourful city map was created showing the meeting places of students interested in sustainability in Bern, while a variety of new contacts were made in the speed dating corner. At the same time, ideas were pitched and developed at the project marketplace, and participants were able to contribute their needs and ideas for a sustainable university location in Bern on the ideas wall.

After a short input on the topic of food waste by our organisational partner foodwaste.ch, the participants in the Foodsave Cooking Challenge in April at the BFH cooked a creative, self-designed leftover dinner from rescued food in teams. At the end, everyone enjoyed the delicious menus and chose the winners of the evening.

Our project team ‘Ich kann Konsens’ ("I can consent") organised a successful week of activities in Bern from 19 to 27 July 2025, featuring numerous workshops, open community spaces and a poetry slam, which attracted a total of around 200 participants.

At Networks4Sustainability at the end of October in the plenary hall at the vonRoll Areal, participants could choose from six interactive stations on topics such as sustainable nutrition, mobility and transport, mental health and climate-friendly everyday life, each of which was introduced by a short, playful input and then offered space for exchange, discussion and questions.

Students4Sustainability was also represented at two larger local events this autumn: at the opening ceremony of the Bern Sustainability Days and at the Sustainability Day of Bern's Higher Education Institutions, we informed visitors about the hub's projects and activities at a market stall.

Internationally, Students4Sustainability was represented in mid-November as co-organiser of the COPERNICUS Alliance Higher Education Summit, alongside oikos International and SOS International, which took place online this year on the topic of ‘Education in scary times’.  This allowed us to raise the profile of Students4Sustainability beyond national borders.

In 2025, we were again able to present the hub at various events at Bern's universities, such as orientation days, lectures and seminars. The management team of Students4Sustainability took part in the national Sustainable University Day in Rapperswil. Exchanges with other initiatives, institutions and decision-makers have opened up new perspectives and further strengthened the hub's role as a connecting element in the higher education sector.

Two networking events were held for the funded projects, and Students4Sustainability organised two Walk-in events for potential projects in April and October at the vonRoll Ideenlabor.

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An established hub

After two years, one thing is clear: Students4Sustainability has arrived. At the higher education institutions, in networks and in the minds of many committed students. The hub is being used, further developed and co-designed – exactly as it was intended.

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Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or check our website regularly for insights into current activities, events and projects. Sustainability thrives on participation – and we look forward to everything that lies ahead.

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What's next?

We look forward to continuing to promote commitment to sustainable development at the University of Bern in 2026, whether with familiar formats or new, innovative ones!

Save the date: Thursday evening, 5 March 2026! Our Networks4Sustainability networking event will then be entering its fourth round!

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