Wubbo Ockels School of Energy and Climate

Welcome to the Wubbo Ockels community!

The Wubbo Ockels School is a way for the UG to boost its contribution to the energy transition. There are three other schools: one for governance, politics, and sustainable processes (Rudolph Agricola School), one for digitization, digital technology, and artificial intelligence (Jantina Tammes School), and one for public health (Aletta Jacobs School).

Teaching, research, impact, and public involvement thrive in an environment that encourages students, researchers, external parties, and interested parties to meet up and talk. So, expanding a community is part of the programme of activities of the School.

Making Connections with Society

Making connections, both internal and external, is the motor behind the Wubbo Ockels School. Internal cooperation means bringing experts from various faculties together in the School to encourage interdisciplinary research and teaching and create more impact. External cooperation with parties such as New Energy Coalition, de Universiteit van het Noorden en het Global Centre on Adaptation, helps to refine research questions, develop the northern strategic agenda, and pool resources when deploying external funding.

The Wubbo Ockels School will organize lectures, workshops, and debates in order to engage the general public. In addition, anyone who is interested in a particular theme can glean information from podcasts, exhibitions (preferably interactive installations), and social media.

Added value of the Wubbo Ockels School

What is the added value of the Wubbo Ockels School?

The development of new research alliances for innovative questions and the stimulation of new insights.
Greater opportunities to interest the general public in the energy transition theme, by promoting the work of the Schools and engaging in dialogue.
The development of interdisciplinary teaching for students who want to address energy problems. The School community and its external contacts can offer students opportunities to take part in projects alongside external partners, or do placements with relevant employers.

Focus on research into the energy transition

The Wubbo Ockels School facilitates and supports the development of interdisciplinary research into the broad spectrum of energy and climate. At this stage of the School’s development, specific attention is being paid to three themes:

The hydrogen economy

The Wubbo Ockels School is working on the Hydrogen Knowledge Centre together with the New Energy Coalition and Hanze UAS Groningen. This centre intends to become a regional iconic project with branches in places including Emmen, Leeuwarden, Assen, Delfzijl, and North-West Germany.

Energy Citizen Empowerment

The Energy Citizen Empowerment Centre (in formation) is an initiative of the UG in association with the New Energy Coalition. It aims to become the interdisciplinary knowledge centre regarding the central role of people and society within the energy transition.

Climate adaptation

The third theme focuses on climate adaptation. The Wubbo Ockels School is working on setting up synergies with the UN Global Center on Adaptation.

Teaching plans

With regard to teaching, the Wubbo Ockels School is expanding on existing interdisciplinary initiatives, such as the Energy Minor taught in the Faculty of Economics and Business, and the Energy Summer School.

There are new plans for:

a Minor on climate mitigation and adaptation (together with University College Groningen and Campus Fryslân)
informing students by analysing and communicating about all of the existing teaching activities relating to energy and climate
making an inventory of any additional student wishes for new course units (in consultation with the Green Office)
international collaboration within the Enlight programme.

Last modified:

14 June 2022 09.36 a.m.

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