Embedding sustainability in people’s minds with the help of logistics researchers from Steyr

How can the need for climate protection be firmly anchored within society? Education is considered a key driver for the transformation toward an environmentally conscious and low‑carbon society. However, this requires teachers and stakeholders to have the right skills, methods, and tools. The Erasmus+ project ANGIE (‘Academic Network for a Green and Innovative Europe’), with the FH Upper Austria research center ‘Logistikum’ at the Steyr Campus on board, is making major strides in building these connections.

The project, launched in 2023 and running until February 2026, focuses on the particularly resource‑intensive and climate‑sensitive WATERIC sectors — water, agriculture, transport, energy, housing, industry, and construction. The vision: to empower educators to integrate sustainability topics into their teaching in a practical and hands‑on way. They are supported by innovative teaching methods, digital tools, and international collaboration.

Project partners include universities and public institutions in Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, and Austria.

Using gamification to drive sustainability

In addition to international webinars and seminars, each partner country also organizes its own national events. One example is the ANGIE National Workshop in Austria, which took place in Linz in November 2025 under the direction of MMag. Sophie Wiesinger. Under the title ‘Training Skills & Gamification for a Transition to Green: New Ideas for More Variety in Teaching’, the workshop offered an interactive exploration of innovative teaching methods for the green transition.

Using gamified elements and hands-on examples, the workshop demonstrated how educators can integrate sustainability topics into their teaching in creative and impactful ways. The workshop covered topics such as the well‑established Transport School Labs—where more than 800 students learn about sustainable transport every year—Lego simulator exercises, the development of future transport ideas, and activity‑based role‑playing scenarios. In addition, participants gained insights into free teaching materials available on popular FH platforms such as REWWay and ReTrans.

Goal: Integrating More Sustainability into the Study Programs of the Project Partners

A key objective of ANGIE is to develop a concept for a Graduate Study Program (GSP) focused on green technologies and sustainable practices. After the project’s completion, the University of Craiova in Romania will integrate essential elements of this concept into its existing program Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy. Other project partners — including FH Upper Austria — plan to incorporate the insights gained directly into courses within their current study programs. In doing so, they aim to strengthen sustainability‑related competencies among students in the WATERIC fields and help shape the education of future professionals.

Additional projects of the Sustainable Transport team at the Logistikum of FH Upper Austria

In addition to ANGIE, the team led by FH‑Prof. Lisa‑Maria Putz‑Egger at the Steyr Campus of FH Upper Austria is involved in several forward‑looking projects:

• REWWay:
  An educational platform offering free teaching materials on logistics, mobility, and sustainability for all age groups. (www.rewway.at)
• ReTrans:
  A digital learning platform with interactive resources on transport, intermodality, and sustainable freight logistics. (www.retrans.at)
• MULTIRELOAD:
  A European research project promoting multimodal, sustainable freight transport. Its goal is to develop innovative concepts for shifting transport to more environmentally friendly modes and to increase the efficiency of intermodal logistics chains.
• SMARTIE:
  An Erasmus+ project developing AI‑based and digitalization‑focused teaching methods to future‑proof logistics education.

Project-website: www.angie-project.eu 

Teaching materials: www.rewway.at  

(AI-assisted translation)