From 15 to 19 August 2016, 50 BBW ForWerts graduate students and guests with very different backgrounds and expertise gathered at Kloster Höchst in the Odenwald to participate in the 4^th workshop and 2^nd summer school organized by the graduate program

During the workshop, the graduate students who have joined the program in the past year, as well as guests from Columbia and China, presented their work in short talks and discussed the results and implications with their peers. The summer school was held over the following four days – our theme this year was “Bioeconomy – The International Perspective”. We heard from speakers from universities in Baden-Wurttemberg, Columbia and China, as well as from BIOPRO Baden Wurttemberg GmbH and KIC InnoEnergy. Through team presentations and group workshops, including an Open Space Studio on co-creation, a fruitful discussion among the participants and invited speakers was initiated during which societal challenges were also addressed.

In addition, the summer school gave ample opportunity for the graduate students to develop their scientific and professional network in a relaxed environment and to set up collaborations with their peers.