On January 24, 2024, the Sustainability Innovation Campus was launched as the fifth of its kind in Baden-Württemberg. Under the motto “Transformations for City-Regions of the Future - Climate Protection, Resource Conservation & Well-being”, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Freiburg (UFR), together with practice partners, are scientifically supporting the transformation to a sustainable lifestyle.

At the end of last year, there was a call for innovative and transdisciplinary projects. Over the next one to two years, these projects should fill the Innovation Campus with life and lay the foundations for further development. The aim is to create a research and transformation space for sustainability innovations with national and international visibility. The Rhine Valley, as the axis between Karlsruhe and Freiburg, faces major challenges when it comes to tackling the regional impact of climate change on the environment, economy and society. For this reason, three fields of innovation have been selected to focus on: Climate Protection, Resource Conservation and Well-being.

Six projects were presented at the kick-off event in Freiburg. Three of these are initiation projects and the other three are exploratory projects. The South German Climate Office is involved in one of the exploratory projects. We will be working together with the Human Geography Department at the University of Freiburg headed by Prof. Harmut Fünfgeld, the Klima-Plus consultancy office with Stephanie Lorenz and the Southern Upper Rhine Regional Association with Anna Beyrle. Our aim is to investigate how a heat protection strategy adapted to local conditions can be implemented in small communities. Both the results from the regional climate modeling at IMKTRO and the local experience in implementation, acceptance and consultation in the region are crucial.