Green Deal Collider: Sustainable Futures is s an interdisciplinary elective course based on challenge-based learning and developing the integration of general and specialized competencies. It is also an important output of the EuroTeQ Collider at TalTech. The course is designed to empower organizations, academics, and students to advance research-driven entrepreneurship, with the goal of creating technically feasible and economically viable products, services, and business models that contribute to Europe’s sustainable transformation. Challenges and mentors come from FinEst Centre for Smart Cities pilotprojects.  

The main lecturers are: 

From TalTech: 

• Ergo Pikas, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Ergo designs and teaches project-based and challenge-based courses such as Construction Management Simulation, where students tackle real-world scenarios with industry mentors. His teaching emphasizes flexibility and mentorship, encouraging students to take ownership of their learning and embrace failure as part of problem-solving.   

• Kätlin Kangur, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Lecturer and Programme Director of the Design and Technology Futures master's programme. Her primary focus is design for sustainability transitions and methods and approaches that help to facilitate the change for a better future.  

From TU/e: 

• Gert Guri (Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Coordinator of Education on Entrepreneurial Learning). Gert has developed unique expertise in integrating real-life challenges with educational objectives in entrepreneurship courses over a decade at EIT Digital. Through the Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) approach, he fosters an entrepreneurial mindset in curricular and extracurricular settings in TU/e. 

This course welcomes local and international students from TalTech, EuroTeQ partner universities, and institutions worldwide. It is designed primarily for graduate-level students across diverse departments and disciplines, with a preference for those in science, technology, engineering, or business-related fields. While doctoral and master's students are prioritized, students from all academic backgrounds, years, and experience levels are encouraged to apply. It is also a good opportunity for the student to continue with the project as part of the thesis and/or to diversify their own activity. 

The intensive 3-week course includes a 5-day on-site session at TalTech Mektory in late January, followed by virtual and self-regulated teamwork, mentorship, and result finalization in February. (See the Twopager for details)  

If you want to know how to integrate science, entrepreneurship, real-life challenges and co-creation in university and how to do this in such a way that the different parties can actually benefit from it – apply for the course! For details, please see the Twopager and vision document of the course.  

The course is designed to empower organizations, academics, and students to advance research-driven entrepreneurship, with the goal of creating technically feasible and economically viable products, services, and business models that contribute to Europe’s sustainable transformation. Challenges and mentors come from FinEst Centre for Smart Cities pilotprojects.  

TalTech student! Register your interest for participation via this link by 3rd of January the latest! NB The official registration to the course is via Study Information System in September. 

Contact for academic/course related questions: Ergo Pikas, ergo.pikas@taltech.ee, organizational: Ethel Praks, ethel.praks@taltech.ee, foreign students admission related questions: Pillemari Lilleorg, pillemari.lilleorg@taltech.ee.