PSIE · Postgraduate School of Industrial Ecology

Final Activity Report Summary - PSIE (Postgraduate School of Industrial Ecology)

The objective of the Postgraduate School of Industrial Ecology (PSIE) was to provide high-quality research training in methods and issues of Industrial Ecology to a cohort of young researchers, including PhD students and postdocs. The focus of PSIE was on young researchers affiliated with technical universities, and the intention was to bring this important field to new member countries and associated countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The project was executed successfully with minor adjustments to the initial plan. PSIE consisted of 7 PhD courses a 7.5 ECTS credits taught between the January 2007 and August 2008. The courses were attended by 62 eligible participants (20 from CEE countries), taking 3.8 courses on average. PSIE succeeded in providing high-quality research training by prominent scientists. In their written and oral feedback, the participants emphasised the benefit of meeting other young researchers with similar interests, the high quality and actuality of the course material presented, and the benefit obtained from feedback on the participants' course papers and oral presentations. The first PSIE course introduced the concepts and ideas of industrial ecology and provided an opportunity to practice these concepts in relationship to case studies near Bratislava and Prague. Courses 2 provided an in-depth training in life-cycle assessment, a method to assess the environmental impact of products and systems and reviewed applications to bioenergy. Course 3 reviewed several methods of value chain modelling and gave the students the chance to explore these techniques using case studies. Course 4 introduced concepts and methods of design for sustainability. The experience of the main course instructor in implementing eco-design as senior vice president at Philips provided real-world experience and added relevance. In course 5, material flow analysis was introduced and practiced using the textbook and software co-developed by the main instructor. Material management and recycling methods and experiences were addressed in the second part of the course. Course 6 reviewed approaches and techniques of cleaner production, including process assessments and integration. Case studies in the chemical process industry served to illustrate the scope and applicability of these methods. Course 7 introduced promises and obstacles of sustainable consumption, focusing on behavioural research of consumer choice in response to information, habituation and social cues, and the assessment of household environmental impacts. Jan Weinzettel, a researcher at the Charles University Environment Center in Prague, participated in all PSIE courses. He offered his reflections on the program in a recent issue of the ISIE Newsletter. All the courses were designed to evolve student knowledge about state-of-art ideas and techniques in industrial ecology, building up a great group of people with similar interests. Covering basic concepts through sophisticated methods, such as life cycle assessment, towards soft science in value chain management and sustainable consumption, PSIE was comparable to the general development in industrial ecology - from end-of-pipe technologies toward prevention. The closing session moved our scope more to the world of our daily life, to learn more about our decision making processes and our direct and indirect pressure on the environment. One of the most important benefits of PSIE was that it created a group of PhD students and young researchers, who, as I hope and believe, will keep in touch. This will enable easier cooperation between research institutes all around Europe.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union