The ENERGISE Centre has reached an important milestone in its first year: the first cohort of ENERGISE-supported master's students has arrived in Munich to participate in the International Summer School 2026, Empowering Tomorrow: Sustainable Energies and Entrepreneurship.

Seven students from the University of the Witwatersrand, Tshwane University of Technology, and the University of Venda are taking part in this year's Summer School. Together with participants from universities around the world, they will spend two weeks exploring how entrepreneurship, innovation, and renewable energy can contribute to a Just Energy Transition.

The International Summer School is co-organized by the TUM School of Management and the TUM SEED Center. Through academic lectures, interactive workshops, international teamwork, and practical learning experiences, participants develop interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable entrepreneurship, energy systems, business models, impact measurement, storytelling, and pitching. Working in international teams, they will develop and present their own sustainable business ideas at the conclusion of the program.

For the ENERGISE Centre, the Summer School represents one of the first opportunities for students from across the network to learn together in person. The ENERGISE partnership brings together the Technical University of Munich, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, and the University of Venda to strengthen interdisciplinary education, research, and collaboration in engineering, policy, and sustainable entrepreneurship in support of South Africa's Just Energy Transition.

The participants arrived in Munich on Sunday and were welcomed by the TUM ENERGISE and TUM SEED teams. On Monday, the Summer School was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Christoph Kaserer, Dean of the TUM School of Management, and Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz, Director of the TUM SEED Center. The first sessions focused on sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable business models, followed by a guided city tour of Munich.