Each semester, SD-Lab partners with municipalities, NGOs, companies, and other organizations that provide authentic sustainability challenges for student projects. These cases represent complex, real-world problems that require interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative, experimental approaches.

Students work in interdisciplinary groups composed of participants from programmes such as Sustainable Design, Techno-Anthropology, Information Studies, Sustainable Cities, and Communication. Each group brings together a unique combination of disciplinary methods, theories, and analytical tools. Throughout the semester, they learn not only to apply these methods individually, but to integrate them across disciplinary boundaries in order to develop more holistic and innovative solutions.

The collaboration unfolds as a semester-long project in which students:

• Engage closely with the organization to understand the context, stakeholders, and scope of the problem.
• Collect and analyze data through a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, supplemented by participatory and co-creative approaches such as workshops, stakeholder interviews, observation, design activities, or facilitated dialogue sessions.
• Apply their disciplinary methods and theoretical frameworks, while learning to combine and adapt them in interdisciplinary ways. This may include merging analytical approaches, synthesising concepts across fields, or jointly developing new methodological pathways that bridge their academic backgrounds.
  Integrate sustainability frameworks—e.g., the UN
• Sustainable Development Goals, Circular Economy principles, and Education for Sustainable Development competences—to frame the problem and guide their analysis.
• Deliver their findings and recommendations directly back to the partner organisation, typically through a final report, presentation, and/or workshop. These outputs are designed to be practically relevant, actionable, and anchored in the organisation’s own context.

For students, working with real-world cases provides a unique opportunity to connect academic learning with professional practice, develop interdisciplinary competences, and gain experience in stakeholder engagement. For organizations, collaboration with SD-Lab offers fresh perspectives, creative solutions, and insights into sustainability challenges from a diverse team of future professionals.

SD-Lab collaborates with a wide range of organizations, including:

• Public sector actors (e.g., Copenhagen Municipality)
• Private companies working on sustainable innovation (e.g., Copenhagen Airport, Tivoli)
• NGOs and international partners (e.g., Caritas, UPCHAIN project)
• Reuse and circular economy initiatives (e.g., South Harbour Reuse Centre)

These partnerships ensure that student projects are anchored in societal contexts and contribute to ongoing sustainability transitions.

If needed, projects can be conducted under confidentiality agreements based on AAU’s standard contract. This ensures that sensitive data and organizational interests are protected while maintaining the integrity of the learning process.