The Challenge Lab (C-Lab) is a neutral space to co-create solutions to big societal challenges. The current scenarios of resource shortages, land use and energy is creating many challenges for society. The Challenge Lab acknowledges, equips and empowers students to be the change agents for transformative impact in society. In the C-Lab, transdisciplinary teams are working together with industry cl
usters, the public sector and academia to meet the greatest challenges we have. The Challenge Lab team is working in a dynamic environment where they are in charge to connect projects, companies and public sector initiatives together with academia to find leverage points in the system - to then suggest and initiate solutions to take all sectors in society forward. We believe that students have an ability that goes beyond what any actor in society can do alone. We believe that students are the change agents that can bring about transformative solutions in society. After finishing the C-lab thesis - the successful student should be able to:
• Describe critical sustainability challenges and reflect upon necessary paradigm shifts
• Describe how sustainability challenges affect industrial and societal actors and how they are interlinked.
• Reflect on the challenges of policy implementation for sustainable development
• Apply sustainability criteria for research utilization and innovation processes.
• Reflect upon important “lock-ins” on societal, organizational and individual levels, relevant for sustainability challenges
• Apply systems perspective to meet sustainability challenges
• Apply relevant sustainability frameworks (e.g Backcasting etc.)
• Apply practical methods and tools for sustainable product development and design
• Apply basic theories and tools about transformative leadership in a challenge-driven entrepreneurship process
• Apply tools to enable and facilitate dialogue with multiple stakeholders
• Extract and manage new knowledge in a complex context. The Challenge Lab master thesis also has a preparational course called Leadership for Sustainability Transitions. To apply for the Challenge Lab Master Thesis, it is recommended to take the preparatory leadership course, since students who have taken the course, have priority in the application to the Challenge Lab master thesis. Apply through www.challengelab.org
