From Research to Practice: Integrating ESG Competencies in a Projectified World
As part of the Green Business Transformation Summer School 2025, held at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz, the ESG4PMChange project was presented as a living example of how structured research can shape the future of sustainability-driven project management. The summer school, jointly organized by FH Joanneum and the Faculty of Technical Sciences of the University of Novi Sad within the CEEPUS Network “Greening Project Management”, brought together students and faculty from across Central and Southeast Europe for five days of applied learning, international exchange, and forward-thinking dialogue.
Within the lecture titled “Navigating ‘Sustainability By’ vs. ‘Sustainability Of’ in a Projectified World”, the ESG4PMChange initiative was used to illustrate how ESG competence frameworks can be systematically embedded into both project governance structures and educational processes. The lecture showcased the project’s unique methodology, combining applied research, training tools, and cross-sector collaboration to build the next generation of ESG-aware project professionals.
📌 By connecting sustainability goals with concrete project design principles, the ESG4PMChange framework offers a bridge between ambition and implementation—helping institutions, organizations, and individuals align their practices with the demands of the green transition.
Collaboration, Creativity, and Competence Building Across Borders
The summer school brought together a vibrant and multidisciplinary community of:
- Master’s and advanced undergraduate students from Austria, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, and beyond
- University faculty and researchers from partner institutions in the CEEPUS Green PM Network
- International lecturers and experts in sustainability, business transformation, and digital innovation
Students worked in cross-border teams, applying what they learned in thematic lectures and workshops to tackle real-world sustainability challenges. The week was filled with coaching sessions, hands-on group projects, and mentoring on project impact assessment and transformation design. Throughout these activities, the ESG4PMChange project served as a reference point—not only in content, but in methodology, emphasizing the role of competency frameworks and applied learning models in capacity building.
The inclusion of the project into course content allowed students to critically reflect on the meaning of sustainability in project settings, moving beyond theory to explore how ESG can be operationalized at every level of project work—from strategic alignment to team dynamics and deliverables.
Students expressed strong enthusiasm for further engaging with ESG-related frameworks and tools, underscoring the relevance of ESG4PMChange in both academic and professional pathways.
Expanding Impact Through Shared Learning and Engagement
The presence of ESG4PMChange in the summer school was not limited to a single lecture. Project materials and concepts were integrated throughout the week, enabling informal discussions, networking exchanges, and deeper faculty-student dialogue about future collaboration. The experience showcased how research projects like ESG4PMChange can extend beyond their institutional context and actively contribute to educational ecosystems.
Feedback from both students and teaching staff emphasized:
- The practical value of the ESG4PMChange competence framework
- Its potential to complement formal curricula in project management and sustainability
- The synergy between academic mobility initiatives like CEEPUS and Erasmus+-funded applied research
- A clear demand for continued use of the project’s outputs in teaching, training, and cross-institutional cooperation
As the project moves forward, experiences from the summer school will serve as a model for how interactive, interdisciplinary, and international learning environments can support the development of practical ESG competencies—and help shape a more sustainable, project-driven future.
