Industrial and Urban Symbiosis, 4.0 credits

Industriell och urban symbios, 4.0 hp

6FIEI33

Course level

Third-cycle Education

Description

Industrial and Urban Symbiosis (IUS) is about inter-organizational relationships between different actors and sectors that improve resource productivity and support environmental innovation. This course aims to improve knowledge of IUS with particular focus on development factors and dynamics, facilitation and effects of IUS, as well as research methods suitable for studying IUS processes.

Timing:

The course is scheduled between 3 February to 4 June 2026.

The course instances are scheduled to take place on Linköping University’s Valla campus on the following times:

  • 3 February 2026, 08.15- 15.00
  • 24 February 2026, 09.15 – 17.00
  • 26 March 2026, 09.15-17.00
  • 16 April 2026, 10.15 – 16.00
  • 4 June 2026, 09.15 – 17.00

Contact and registration:

For registration and further information please contact murat.mirata@liu.se

Contact

Entry requirements

Enrollment in a PhD education program and having an interest in IUS. PhD students at IEI have priority for the course.

Specific information

This is only a translation. The Swedish approved curriculum applies.

Industrial and urban symbiosis (IUS) involves partnerships that improve resource productivity and foster eco-innovations. The purpose of this PhD course is to improve knowledge on IUS with specific focus on importance and impacts, development factors and dynamics, facilitation and impacts of IUS, as well as appropriate research methods for studying IUS processes.

Learning outcomes

Upon successfully completing the course, the participants shall be able to:

  • Describe and critically discuss key characteristics and elements of IUS;
  • Describe and discuss different forms through which IUS methods can be applied to businesses, cities and regions;
  • Describe and critically discuss the consequences of IUS for business competitiveness, for urban and rural development, and for the development of more bio-based and circular economies.
  • Describe and critially discuss methods for assessing impats of IUS;
  • Clarify and analyse the importance and impact of technical, managerial, social, economic and institutional factors for the emergence and development of IUS.
  • Describe and critically analyse techniques for facilitationg IUS-developments – including contextual strategis for effective IUS-facilitation;

Reflect over interplay between IUS and own research areas and discuss how these can

Contents

Following themes are included in the course:

  • Background, characteristics, forms and definitions of IUS
  • Environmental-, business- and regional development-impacts of IUS
  • How IUS can contribute to more bio-based and circular economies;
  • Development factors and dynamics related to emergence and development of IUS with focus on technical, social, economic, managerial and institutional factors.
  • Tools and techniques for facilitating IUS
  • Example research methods for studying phenomena within IUS.

Educational methods

Course activities include lectures, seminars, critical analyses of selected literature, group discussions, and preparation, presentation, and peer-assessment of a shortly-written research output on a relevant specific topic.

Examination

Performance in the course is evaluated as “Pass” or “Fail” based on active participation and performance in lectures, seminars, literature discussions (2 hp) as well as the preparation, presentation, peer-review of a scientific research output in the form of a document that can fulfill the requirements of ”introduction” and ”methods” part of a scientific article (2 hp).

Grading

Two-grade scale

Course literature

Provided at the course start.

General information

The course attends to different circumstances of the students – in terms of background, living conditions and competencies – and strives to provide equal opportunities. On-line participation in a limited number of course instances is possible.