Witten/Herdecke University is once again awarding the ESD Teaching Prize. We are looking for innovative teaching projects that specifically anchor education for sustainable development (ESD) in university teaching.

The aim of the award is to promote teaching formats that enable students to critically reflect on ecological, social and economic challenges and to help shape them responsibly.

Funding objective

Funding is available for planned teaching projects that make a recognizable contribution to the structural and content-related anchoring of ESD in teaching.

Who can apply?

The following can apply:

• All teaching staff at Witten/Herdecke University
• With courses planned for the summer or winter semester 2026

Application and deadline

A one-page synopsis must be submitted for the application, including the following points

• Description of the planned teaching project
• Description of the ESD reference
• Planned use of the funding

Application deadline: March 13, 2026

Submission:Didaktik@spam protectuni-wh.de

Endowment

• One teaching prize is awarded per faculty and in the Studium fundamentale
• Endowment: 800 euros per teaching award

What is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)?

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to enable students to understand, critically reflect on and actively shape the ecological, social and economic challenges of sustainable development.

In contrast to traditional university teaching, which is primarily geared towards subject-specific qualifications and gaining scientific knowledge, ESD places an explicit focus on sustainability, social responsibility and future viability.

ESD is characterized by

• the examination of complex, interdisciplinary problems
• reflecting on conflicting goals, uncertainties and value issues
• the combination of subject-specific learning with design and action perspectives

ESD therefore not only complements good university teaching, but also expands it to include perspectives that are becoming increasingly important in view of global transformation processes.

Further information

Detailed information on the ESD concept and the complete call for applications can be found in the PDF.

Further information on the didactic classification of ESD can be found on the intranet.

We look forward to diverse and sustainable teaching projects!