Welcome to Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects:

International Collaboration for Sustainable Innovation

Project Reference: 57860924

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects (VCBIP) are international project-based learning formats developed within the framework of the Dortmund International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026 at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The projects bring together international and interdisciplinary student teams from partner universities worldwide to collaboratively develop innovative sustainability-oriented solutions in a fully virtual project environment.

The focus of the projects lies on sustainability, circular economy, carbon capture technologies, innovation management, and digital transformation. Students work in agile online teams using professional digital collaboration and project management tools while being supervised by international lecturers and supported by industry experts.

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects combine:

Design Thinking
Agile Project Management (Scrum)
Lean Startup methodologies
Digital collaboration
International teamwork
Innovation and entrepreneurship

The projects start with an online preparation and team-forming phase, continue through several virtual project sprints, and include online project reviews and pitch presentations.

During the Dortmund International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026, the participating lecturers, researchers, and industry experts meet on-site in Dortmund for intensive midterm reviews, reflection workshops, networking, and project evaluation activities, while the student teams continue participating online from their home universities.

Project Information

What you should know about the project?

Project period:
01.06.2026 – 31.12.2026

Project type:
DAAD HAW.International – Short Measures Programme 2026 II

Grant holder:
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (FH Dortmund)

Project Coordinator:
Carsten Wolff

Contact:
Catrin Randersen; Ekaterina Hermann; Vinod Rajamani

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects are designed as fully virtual international innovation projects for students.

Students from different countries and academic disciplines collaborate online in mixed international teams to work on innovation challenges related to sustainability and carbon capture. The projects are practice-oriented and based on real-world case studies and innovation challenges provided together with international industry and practice partners.

The project structure combines:

online lectures and workshops,
international team formation,
Design Thinking workshops,
agile Scrum sprints,
prototype and MVP development,
online pitch presentations,
and expert project reviews.

Throughout the project, students are coached by international lecturers and supported by digital collaboration environments including Moodle, MS Teams, Atlassian Confluence, Jira, and additional professional digital collaboration tools.

The projects are integrated into the broader Dortmund International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026 and connected to international teaching, networking, and cooperation activities between partner universities.

What is our scope, goals, and outcomes?

The goal of the Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects is to create an international learning environment in which students collaboratively develop innovative and sustainable solutions in virtual interdisciplinary teams.

The projects aim to strengthen:

innovation and entrepreneurship competences,
international and intercultural collaboration skills,
digital teamwork abilities,
agile project management competences,
communication and pitching skills,
and practical experience in virtual project environments.

The thematic focus of the first project cycle is sustainability and carbon capture technologies.

Expected project outcomes include:

innovation concepts,
prototypes and minimum viable products (MVPs),
business models,
marketing concepts,
investor pitches,
and international project experience in agile digital collaboration settings.

The projects additionally support:

internationalization of teaching,
development of strategic university partnerships,
integration of digital and hybrid learning formats,
and collaboration between universities, industry, and society.

Who is working on the project?

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects are coordinated by Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Germany) within the framework of the Dortmund International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026. The projects involve lecturers, researchers, students, and industry experts from several international university partnerships and networks.

Strategic Academic Networks and University Partners

Circular EcUNet – Circular Economy University Network

The sustainability and carbon capture innovation projects are closely connected to the Circular EcUNet partnership:

Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Germany)
R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore (India)
National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysore (India)
Universidad de Medellín (Colombia)

EuroPIM – European Partnership for Project and Innovation Management

The projects also build upon the long-standing EuroPIM collaboration network:

Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Germany)
University of the Basque Country – EHU (Spain)
Kaunas University of Technology – KTU (Lithuania)
KU Leuven (Belgium)
Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU (Norway)

EuroPIM contributes expertise in:

project and innovation management,
digital transformation,
entrepreneurship,
and international project-based learning.

UA4PIM – Project and Innovation Management for Ukraine

The Ukrainian partner network contributes to the broader international collaboration and networking activities surrounding ISC 2026:

Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Germany)
West Ukrainian National University – WUNU (Ukraine)
National University Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic – NUZP (Ukraine)
Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture – KNUCA (Ukraine)

Additional International Partner Countries

Further academic collaboration and networking activities involve partners from:

Pakistan
Palestine
Jordan
Tunisia
Kazakhstan
France

Industry and Practice Partners

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects are developed together with international industry and practice partners contributing real-world case studies, sustainability challenges, mentoring, and expert feedback during the project reviews and pitch sessions.

Confirmed industry and practice partners currently include:

Smart Mechatronics GmbH (Germany)
UNITY AG (Germany)
CP contech electronic GmbH (Germany)
Neuhaus Energie GmbH (Germany)
TEC4FUELS GmbH (Germany)
BP Europa SE (Germany)
Royal Scientific Society – RSS (Jordan)
Rachana EnerCare (India)
SOKwadraat (Belgium)
MainStrat Managing Innovation Strategies S.L.L. (Spain)

The practice partners support the projects by:

providing practical innovation and sustainability-related challenges,
contributing case studies from industry and society,
participating as experts in the project review juries,
and supporting the evaluation of student innovation concepts and prototypes.

The collaboration between universities, students, researchers, and industry experts is a central element of the Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects and strengthens the practical and international character of the programme.

Project Timeline & Access Links

01 June 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Kick-Off Session: Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects
Speaker: Carsten Wolff
Target Group: Students
Format: Online

Join Session

02 June 2026 | 15:00–17:00
ORCAthon & Jury Kick-Off Meeting
Speaker: Carsten Wolff
Target Group: Teachers & Jury Members only
Format: Online

Join Session

02 June 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Expert Session: Carbon Capture Technologies and Sustainable Innovation
Speakers: Vinod Rajamani & Ahmad Telefah
Target Group: Students & Teachers
Format: Online

Join Session

03 June 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Workshop: Agile Project Management with Scrum & Jira
Speaker: Galyna Tabunshchyk
Target Group: Students
Format: Online

Join Session

10 June 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Workshop: Sustainability and Innovation Perspectives
Speaker: Carolina Villazon Cruz
Target Group: Students
Format: Online

Join Session

06 July 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Workshop: Design Thinking for Cross-Border Innovation Projects
Speaker: Olena Verenych
Target Group: Students
Format: Online

Join Session

09 July 2026 | 17:00–19:00
Intermediate Project Pitches: Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects
Participants: Students, Teachers & Jury Members
Format: Online

Join Session

14 September 2026 | 13:30–16:00
ORCAthon Collaborative Development Session
Target Group: Teachers & ORCAthon Participants
Format: On Site
📍 Fachhochschule Dortmund, Sonnenstraße 96, Dortmund (Room information will follow)

15 September 2026 | 10:00–12:00
ORCAthon Collaborative Development Session
Target Group: Teachers & ORCAthon Participants
Format: On Site
📍 Fachhochschule Dortmund, Sonnenstraße 96, Dortmund (Room information will follow)

15 September 2026 | 13:00–16:00
Final Project Presentations: Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects
Participants: Students, Teachers & Jury Members
Format: Hybrid (Students: Online | Teachers & Jury Members: On Site)
📍 Fachhochschule Dortmund, Sonnenstraße 96, Dortmund (Room information will follow)

Join Session

Why participate?

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects offer participants the opportunity to gain hands-on international project experience in a highly innovative and collaborative environment.

Participants strengthen their:

intercultural and international teamwork skills,
digital collaboration competences,
innovation and entrepreneurship abilities,
agile project management experience,
communication and presentation skills,
and practical sustainability knowledge.

Students additionally gain experience in:

Design Thinking,
Lean Startup methodologies,
Scrum-based teamwork,
prototype and MVP development,
and professional pitching in front of international experts.

The projects create a unique opportunity to collaborate with students, lecturers, researchers, and industry experts from different countries and disciplines while working on real-world sustainability challenges.

Where is our working space?

The Virtual Cross-Border Innovation Projects are conducted primarily in a virtual international collaboration environment. Students participate online from their home universities and collaborate in international teams using professional digital collaboration and project management platforms.

Digital Infrastructure

The digital collaboration environment includes:

Moodle
MS Teams
Atlassian Confluence
Jira
Nextcloud
AI-supported digital mentoring tools based on LLM technologies

Physical Meeting Point

The central physical meeting point of the project is: Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Germany

Within the framework of the Dortmund International Summer Convention (ISC) 2026, lecturers, researchers, and industry experts meet on-site in Dortmund for: