GDH E-Conference: Advancing Sustainable Solutions through Challenge-Driven Education
On 10 February 2025, the GDH consortium will convene for this e-conference, hosted by Botho University.
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming Global Development HUB half day e-Conference 2025, hosted by the GDH partner, Botho University, Botswana, on 10 February, 2025.
This year’s theme, “Advancing Sustainable Solutions through Challenge-Driven Education-” brings together researchers, scholars, students, and professionals committed to exploring new paths to create a more just and sustainable future – via CDE education.
With an exciting line-up of expert-led sessions hosted by the core team and specialists from the GDH consortia, along with insightful panel discussions, the GDH e-Conference 2025 will dive into critical conversations on how international collaboration within Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) can drive lasting change. Attendees will also have the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals from across the globe and engage with impactful research and learn from GDH´s ongoing Nordic-African partnership.
Participants can look forward to a variety of presentations that showcase the examples of how education and research can collaborate with different actors in the society and how our students becoming change agents and impact our societies in a direction of creating more just and sustainable societies.
Background GDH – a partnership including HEI in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Sweden and Rwanda
The KTH Global Development Hub (GDH) partnership, launched in 2017, to promote Swedish-African partnership has grown into a dynamic collaboration focused on fostering sustainable global development through education, research, and innovation. Since its beginning, GDH has played an important role at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and at the African GDH partner universities in co-creating and advancing key initiatives towards the achievement of SDGs, including the development and implementation of Challenge-Driven Education (CDE) courses, collaborative research projects, innovation-driven activities, and train-the-trainer workshops. In addition, the partnership has established a mobility program that facilitates the exchange of staff and students, giving students the opportunity to broaden their perspectives in a very different environment compared to their respective home environments with the aim of further strengthening international cooperation and knowledge sharing. In 2025 we celebrate the 100th African scholar that studies at KTH.
Through the collective efforts of its members, the GDH has achieved significant milestones in promoting just and sustainable solutions to global challenges. This partnership plays a crucial role in bridging academia and real-world impact, ensuring that the research and educational activities are not only cutting-edge but also applicable to solving pressing global issues. By leveraging diverse perspectives and expertise from partner institutions within the network, the GDH fosters an inclusive, cross-disciplinary approach that benefits local communities, stakeholders, and development ecosystems worldwide.
Aim of the Conference
The primary aim of the conference is to foster continuous knowledge sharing, exchange of best practices, and collaborative development of Challenge-Driven Education (CDE) across the GDH consortium and beyond. CDE is a project-based approach where students are learning by developing interventions or solutions to societal challenges related to sustainable development. This conference will provide a dynamic platform for faculty, researchers, partners and stakeholders to reflect on key achievements, share lessons learned, and collectively plan the future of CDE development and implementation at HEI around the world.
At the core of this conference is the opportunity for participants to engage directly with the GDH university partners and learn from the unique GDH model of collaboration. Through this model, we have successfully developed a framework for integrating CDE, (or problem-based learning (PBL)), and other methodologies to tackle societal challenges, both locally and globally, with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Participants will gain insights into how GDH leverages challenge-driven education and research to create impactful solutions and develop change agents among students. By engaging with our innovative approach to problem-solving and innovation, attendees will better understand how CDE can be adapted to various contexts and how it contributes to meaningful, sustainable change through education.
The conference structure includes sessions for sharing field experiences, addressing implementation challenges, and identifying new opportunities for collaboration.
Join us and let this gathering help to shape the future of CDE development by ensuring that global development challenges are integrated into academic curricula and research, driving both innovation and impact also within your organization.