2026-02-11 12:02
YOUNG RESEARCHER SCHOOL JOHN VON NEUMANN UNIVERSITY The event is intended for PhD students from the EU4Dual partner institutions, as well as researchers and colleagues who obtained their PhD degree within the last eight years. 28 September - 02 October 2026
28 September 2026 - Monday 14.30 Arrival – Registration 15.00 Opening ceremony – Overview of the week Presentation of JvNU 15.30 Interactive presentation of participants (team-building activity) 18.00 Welcome dinner (cost included in the programme)
29 September 2026 –Tuesday | |
09.00 – 11.30 | Session 1 — Diagnosing Linearity, From Take-Make-Waste to Loops Dr. Mohammad M. Jaber |
12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch (cost included in the programme) |
13.00 – 17.00 | Excursion to Lakitelek Népfőiskola https://nepfolakitelek.hu/ (cost included in the programme) |
30 September 2026 - Wednesday | |
09.00 – 11.30 | Session 2 — Designing Loops, Redesigning the Value Chain Dr. Mohammad M. Jaber |
12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch (cost included in the programme) |
13.00 – 14.30 | Factory visit (cost included in the programme) |
01 October 2026 - Thursday | |
09.00 – 11.30 | Session 3 — Understanding the Sharing Economy: Promises and Contradictions Dr. Kinga Szabó |
12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch (cost included in the programme) |
13.00 – 14.00 | Visit the Town Hall of Kecskemét, sightseeing in Kecskemét (cost included in the programme) |
14.30 – 15.30 | Leskowsky Instrumental Museum (cost included in the programme) |
02 October 2026 - Friday | |
09.00 – 11.30 | Session 2 — Sharing for Sustainability: Designing Access-Based Solutions Dr. Kinga Szabó |
12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch (cost included in the programme) |
| Departure |
The application is open till 07 September 2026.
LECTURES and WORKSHOPS
EU4Dual · 2nd Young Researcher School · Green Economy Track
Circular Economies: From Concept to Implementation
Dr. Mohammad M. Jaber · Department of International Economics · John von Neumann University
Programme overview
These two sessions form a single thread within the school's wider Green Economy programme. The first morning diagnoses the linear economy in concrete sectors; the second morning redesigns those sectors as circular value chains. Both are anchored in the EU regulatory architecture (CEAP, ESPR, PPWR, Right to Repair, CBAM, the Battery Regulation).
Each session runs for three hours, morning-only, and combines a focused lecture of around 45 minutes with an extended group workshop. The format is built for a mixed audience of doctoral students and early-career researchers from across EU4Dual partner universities: engineers, economists, business scholars, designers, and sustainability researchers. Every group activity in the programme is designed to give every discipline in the room a way in.
The two mornings are designed as a connected arc. Participants who can only attend one will still benefit; the deeper learning comes from doing both.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the two mornings, participants will be able to:
Distinguish between R-hierarchies (R3, R6, R9) and explain why the choice matters for both measurement and policy design.
Read a sector through a circular-economy lens and locate its dominant linearity drivers and leakage points.
Map the EU regulatory architecture relevant to a chosen product or sector — CEAP, ESPR, PPWR, Right to Repair, CBAM, Battery Regulation.
Apply the ReSOLVE framework and the Circular Business Model Canvas to a real value chain.
Identify a credible PhD-scale contribution to the circular economy literature within their own discipline.
Session 1 — Diagnosing Linearity, From Take-Make-Waste to Loops.
Aim
To equip participants with a working vocabulary of circular economy concepts, an understanding of the EU regulatory stack that governs the field, and a structured method for diagnosing linearity in any sector.
Schedule
Time | Block | Activity |
09:00–09:15 | Linear Confessions | Each participant traces the likely fate of one product they used in the last 24 hours. Sticky-note wall map. Gets every voice into the room within the first quarter hour and frames the rest of the session honestly: we are all embedded in the linear economy before we critique it. |
09:15–10:00 | Lecture: The Concept and the EU Architecture | R-hierarchies and what each one hides; Material Flow Analysis as the underlying measurement logic; CEAP I and II; ESPR and Digital Product Passports; Right to Repair, PPWR, the Battery Regulation, CBAM as a circular-adjacent instrument; the EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework — what it captures and what it misses; the current research frontier. |
10:00–10:15 | Coffee break | The Linear Confessions wall stays visible. Participants are invited to add to it during the break. |
10:15–11:30 | Workshop: The Circularity X-Ray | Mixed groups of 4–5. Each group draws one of six sector cards (textiles, small electronics, construction, food packaging, EV batteries, furniture). Using the MFA template, the R-hierarchy worksheet, and the EU regulation map, they produce a one-page diagnosis of their sector: linearity drivers, leakage points, applicable regulations, and the single most important research gap. |
11:30–12:00 | Cross-group synthesis | Each group posts its diagnosis on the Circularity Wall and presents in five minutes. Plenary discussion focuses on what cuts across sectors, what is sector-specific, and where the EU regulatory architecture under-delivers. |
Output
Each group leaves Day 1 with a one-page Circularity X-Ray of their assigned sector.
Session 2 — Designing Loops, Redesigning the Value Chain
Aim
To move participants from problem to solution: from understanding why a sector is linear to designing a circular alternative that they can defend in front of investors and policymakers.
Schedule
Time | Block | Activity |
09:00–09:15 | Recap and reframe | Walk the Circularity Wall from Day 1 — what shifted in people's heads overnight. Restate the central tension of Day 2: knowing what is broken is not the same as knowing how to fix it. |
09:15–09:50 | Mini-lecture: ReSOLVE and Business Model Archetypes | The six ReSOLVE levers: circular business model archetypes — product-as-a-service, take-back, refurbishment, industrial symbiosis, sharing, virtualisation; live cases including Patagonia Worn Wear, Renault REFACTORY, Caterpillar Cat Reman, Mud Jeans, Library of Things, Fairphone; the dual-education hook — none of these models exists without industry partnerships, which is the EU4Dual proposition. |
09:50–10:00 | Short break | — |
10:00–11:30 | Workshop: The Redesign Studio | Same groups, ideally remixed for diversity. Each group redesigns a circular business model for their Day-1 sector using the Circular Business Model Canvas. They address take-back logistics, financing, required customer behaviour change, regulatory enablers and barriers, and KPIs. Output: one slide pitch. |
11:30–12:00 | Investor Panel | Groups pitch in three minutes each, framed as a venture-capital and policymaker panel. The audience asks one critical question per pitch. Closing reflection: which pitch would actually scale, and why. |
Output
Each group develops a circular business model using the Circular BMC framework and pitches it to the room in 3 minutes.
About the facilitator
Mohammad M. Jaber is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Economics at John von Neumann University. He worked as the principal investigator and scientific leader on the CiRCLETECH circular economy twinning project (Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement 101079354), with consortium partners at the University of Miskolc, TU Delft, and LUT University. His research covers energy economics, climate vulnerability, and household-level sustainability, with a comparative focus on Hungary and Jordan. He reviews regularly for Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, and Energy Efficiency.
Questions or revisions: mohammad.jaber@nje.hu · ORCID 0000-0001-8808-4170
EU4Dual · 2nd Young Researcher School · Sharing Economy
Sharing Economies: Rethinking Ownership, Access and Sustainable Consumption
Dr. Kinga Szabó, Faculty of Business and Economics, John von Neumann University
Programme overview
These two sessions form a complementary thread within the school's wider Green Economy programme. While circular economy approaches focus on extending product lifecycles and reducing material waste, the sharing economy raises a different question: can societies reduce resource consumption by changing the way goods and services are accessed and used?
Over the past two decades, digital platforms and collaborative forms of consumption have transformed sectors such as mobility, accommodation, workspaces, and energy systems. Advocates argue that sharing can improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental pressures by making better use of existing assets. Critics, however, point to rebound effects, regulatory challenges, and the concentration of power within digital platforms.
The first morning explores the conceptual foundations and key debates surrounding the sharing economy. The second morning moves from analysis to application, examining how sharing-based approaches may contribute to sustainable transitions in different sectors.
Each session runs for three hours, morning-only, and combines a focused lecture of around 45 minutes with an extended group workshop. The format is designed for doctoral students and early-career researchers from across EU4Dual partner universities and welcomes participants from economics, business, engineering, social sciences, sustainability studies, and related disciplines.
The two mornings are designed as a connected arc. Participants who attend only one session will gain a strong understanding of the topic; the deeper learning comes from engaging with both.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the two mornings, participants will be able to:
• Explain the key concepts and theoretical foundations of the sharing economy.
• Critically assess claims regarding the environmental and social benefits of sharing-based models.
• Analyse the relationship between sharing economy initiatives and broader Green Economy objectives.
• Evaluate real-world sharing systems from economic, environmental, and governance perspectives.
• Identify emerging research questions related to sustainable consumption, digital platforms, and access-based business models.
• Develop evidence-based proposals for sharing economy initiatives that support sustainable development.
Session 1 — Understanding the Sharing Economy: Promises and Contradictions
Aim: To provide participants with a conceptual framework for understanding the sharing economy and a critical perspective on its role in sustainable development.
Schedule
Time Block | Activity |
|---|---|
09:00–09:15 | Access and Ownership – Participants reflect on products and services they have recently used without ownership. The exercise introduces the central question of the session: does access offer a more sustainable alternative to ownership? |
09:15–10:00 | Lecture: The Sharing Economy and Sustainable Consumption – Origins and evolution of the sharing economy; collaborative consumption; digital platforms; access-based business models; sustainability claims and critiques; links to circular economy and Green Economy strategies; current research debates. |
10:00–10:15 | Coffee break |
10:15–11:30 | Workshop: Mapping Sharing Systems – Mixed groups analyse one of six sharing economy cases (car sharing, bike sharing, accommodation sharing, co-working spaces, community energy sharing, tool libraries). Using a structured framework, participants identify key stakeholders, value creation mechanisms, environmental impacts, governance challenges, and research gaps. |
11:30–12:00 | Cross-group synthesis – Groups present their findings and compare the sustainability performance of different sharing models. Discussion focuses on what enables or constrains sustainable outcomes. |
Output: Each group develops a one-page Sharing System Map highlighting the opportunities, limitations, and research challenges associated with their assigned case.
Session 2 — Sharing for Sustainability: Designing Access-Based Solutions
Aim: To move participants from analysis to application by exploring how sharing-based approaches can contribute to sustainable transitions.
Schedule
Time Block | Activity |
|---|---|
09:00–09:15 | Recap and reflection – Revisiting the insights from Session 1 and discussing the conditions under which sharing contributes to sustainability. |
09:15–09:50 | Mini-lecture: Future Directions of the Sharing Economy – Community-based initiatives, platform governance, sustainable mobility, energy communities, urban sharing systems, policy frameworks, and emerging research frontiers. |
09:50–10:00 | Short break |
10:00–11:30 | Workshop: Sustainable Sharing Lab – Groups work on a contemporary sustainability challenge and develop a sharing-based response. Themes may include mobility, housing, renewable energy, food systems, education, or community resilience. Participants evaluate feasibility, stakeholder interests, environmental impacts, and implementation barriers. |
11:30–12:00 | Research and Policy Forum – Groups present their ideas and receive feedback from peers. Discussion focuses on scalability, governance, and long-term sustainability impacts. |
Output: Each group develops a concept for a sharing-based initiative and identifies potential research questions arising from its implementation.
About the facilitator
Kinga Szabó is a researcher in the field of sharing economy and sustainable consumption. Her work focuses on access-based business models, collaborative consumption, and the role of digital platforms in shaping more resource-efficient forms of economic activity. Her research examines the contribution of sharing practices to sustainable development and the broader objectives of Green Economics.
Contact: szabo.kinga@nje.hu