Greening Relevance in Operations in Western-Balkans Tertiary-Education Habitats (GROWTH)
Planet on which we live has seen better days, and one of the main culprits for its present unfortunate state are human globalisation and civilisation. Relentless use of natural resources in an unsustainable manner has led to pollution, global warming, overpopulation, waste disposal, and loss of biodiversity, to name but a few. The European Union (EU) has set a very ambitious task of making our continent climate neutral by 2050.
In order to do that, the EU Commission presented the document titled the European Green Deal. Such an ambitious task can only be carried out if all our societies join forces and knowledge to achieve it. Among other solutions presented in the aforementioned strategy, one of the most conspicuous is education of today´s generations for the world of tomorrow, or “learning for environmental sustainability” (GreenComp:6).
The Erasmus+ CBHE project GROWTH – Greening Relevance in Operations in Western-Balkans Tertiary-Education Habitats is an international cooperation initiative focused on strengthening sustainability, climate neutrality, and green transformation within higher education institutions in the Western Balkans. The project supports universities in adopting environmentally responsible practices, improving institutional capacities, and integrating sustainability principles into teaching, campus management, and international collaboration.
Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT) contributed extensive expertise in sustainable agriculture, renewable energy systems, environmental engineering, and international educational cooperation. HSWT has played a leading role particularly in Work Package 2 (WP2), dedicated to the development of green university strategies, practical sustainability training, and capacity building activities.
Main Results of the GROWTH Project
One of the most important outcomes of the project has been the creation of frameworks and strategies for “green universities” in partner institutions across Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Through a series of workshops coordinated by HSWT, participating universities analyzed their current environmental practices, identified institutional needs, and developed strategic roadmaps toward climate-neutral campuses and universities.
Another major result is the development of an e-manual on climate-neutral universities, designed as a practical toolkit for university staff, students, and stakeholders. The manual provides recommendations and guidelines for sustainable campus management, recycling culture, renewable energy implementation, and environmental awareness activities. The material is intended to remain publicly accessible and transferable beyond the duration of the project.
The project also delivered extensive training-of-trainers (ToT) programmes and study visits. HSWT hosted a major study visit in November 2023, where participants from partner universities visited the Triesdorf and Weihenstephan campuses to observe real-life examples of sustainability implementation. Participants explored renewable energy infrastructure, recycling systems, agricultural sustainability practices, green offices, biogas facilities, photovoltaic systems, animal production units, orchards, and environmentally oriented educational facilities.
The practical orientation of these activities significantly strengthened the institutional capacities of participating universities and enabled knowledge transfer from established European green campuses to higher education institutions in the Western Balkans. The project additionally encouraged networking, Erasmus+ project preparation, and future joint research initiatives among consortium members.
Areas of Application
The GROWTH project has applications in several interconnected areas of application:
The project supports universities in implementing environmentally friendly infrastructure and operational models. These include waste separation systems, recycling culture development, renewable energy integration, energy efficiency measures, and sustainable mobility concepts. HSWT’s campuses served as demonstration sites for these practices.
GROWTH contributes to the modernization of higher education by integrating sustainability and climate-neutrality concepts into academic programmes and staff training. The project promotes interdisciplinary education combining agriculture, environmental engineering, renewable energy, and sustainable resource management.
An important application area is the strengthening of international academic networks. HSWT used the project to expand collaboration with Western Balkan institutions and promote knowledge exchange through workshops, mobility activities, and collaborative project planning. The initiative also created opportunities for future Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and research cooperation activities.
The project demonstrates how universities can act as innovation hubs for green technologies and sustainable regional development. HSWT presented practical examples related to renewable energy systems, sustainable agriculture, precision farming, recycling systems, and environmentally oriented training infrastructure.
HSWT’s Contribution and Strategic Role
HSWT’s involvement in GROWTH reflects its broader institutional strategy focused on sustainability, applied sciences, and internationalization. The university contributed not only technical expertise but also organizational experience in coordinating international educational projects and sustainability-oriented university development.
HSWT representatives, including Prof. Dr. Johannes Holzner and Dragan Brković, actively coordinated workshops, study visits, training sessions, and project planning activities. Their work emphasized practical learning approaches and direct exposure to operational green campus models.
The university’s Triesdorf campus in particular functioned as a “living laboratory” for sustainability education, demonstrating integrated approaches combining renewable energy production, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, animal husbandry, and environmental engineering.
Future Outlook
The future outlook of the GROWTH project is strongly connected to the long-term transformation of universities into climate-conscious and sustainability-driven institutions. The tools, training materials, and institutional strategies developed during the project provide a foundation for continued implementation after the formal project period ends.
HSWT is expected to remain an important partner in future international sustainability and green education initiatives. The project already stimulated discussions on new collaborative Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe proposals focused on climate neutrality, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and green innovation.
In the broader context, GROWTH contributes to aligning Western Balkan higher education institutions with European Green Deal priorities and sustainable development goals. The project demonstrates how international university cooperation can accelerate environmental transformation through applied education, practical training, and cross-border knowledge transfer
