Course Syllabus

Course description:

The DIS Nordic Sustainability Partnership is a high-level, interdisciplinary, project-based elective, focused on students passionate about and committed to facilitating both the green transition of our economies and mitigating the effects of the environmental challenges we face. 

 To participate, you must be enrolled in at least one of the following electives: 

• Sustainable Business Strategy (Faculty: Adrian Mongan) 
• Environmental Economics (Faculty David Possen) 
• Sustainable Finance (Faculty Daniel Reece) 
• Renewable Energy Systems (Emmanuel Gentil) 

Building on knowledge from the co-requisite courses, you will work closely with DIS sustainability faculty on a real-world sustainability project for a third-party Danish commercial sponsor. This course involves the design of creative and innovative solutions to a complex challenge demanding in-depth knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to tailor your solutions to a Danish business context. 

 Classes will be a mix of: 

• Mentoring from DIS faculty; 
• Site visits to the corporate sponsor(s), including initial project liaison and updates; 
• Individual class sessions tailored to a particular element of the project (e.g. aspects of strategy, sustainable finance, social entrepreneurship, etc.) 

Successful completion of the course and evaluation criteria will result in your accreditation as a DIS Nordic Sustainability Partner and receipt of a digital badge demonstrating your achievements through the project. The digital badge can be attached to your LinkedIn profile.  

Nordic Sustainability Partnership Spring 2026:

During this semester, we will work with Topsoe - a global leader in sustainable technologies and catalysis, specializing in solutions that help industries produce cleaner energy and chemicals more efficiently.

Founded in 1940 and headquartered in Lyngby, the company has built a reputation for innovation in catalysis, process design, and renewable technologies. Topsoe works across sectors such as refining, chemical production, and hydrogen generation, providing advanced catalysts, proprietary processes, and engineering solutions that reduce emissions and enhance operational performance.

Driven by a commitment to sustainability, Topsoe focuses on enabling the energy transition, including the production of green hydrogen, renewable fuels, and carbon-neutral chemicals. By combining cutting-edge research with decades of industrial experience, the company empowers its partners worldwide to meet growing energy demands while minimizing environmental impact.

With a global footprint spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas, Topsoe is recognized not only for its technological excellence but also for its dedication to long-term partnerships and sustainable industrial progress.

This time around the project will be broken into 2 parts (i) A Preliminary Research Project (details will be revealed during class 2 on January 26); and (ii) Full client challenge (details will be revealed during our client visit on February 18)

List of previous NSP projects can be found here.

 Objectives/Skill Development: 

• Work on an advanced, interdisciplinary project, drawing on the cumulative knowledge gained from other DIS courses and the mentoring of DIS sustainability faculty; 
• Gain experience of working on a real-world sustainability project; 
• Develop your skills in professional teamwork; 
• Increase your networks both professionally and academically; 
• Think creatively, intelligently, and critically with regard to applying examples used in the classroom to the final project; 
• Prepare and deliver a convincing and innovative group project to the class, sponsors, and faculty. 

Faculty:  

Adrian Mongan is the primary faculty teaching the course.  In addition, students will work closely with other DIS sustainability faculty, who will attend the initial presentation of the project by the sponsor at the start of the semester, facilitate one or two mentoring sessions during the course of the semester as students work on the project, and participate in and provide feedback on the final student presentation at the end of the semester. 

Adrian has a Master's in Economics (International Macroeconomics), UW Madison, Wisconsin and a Master's in Economics (International Trade), University College Dublin, Ireland. Worked in multinational conglomerates for over 15 years with roles as company macroeconomist, strategy director, and in strategic communication. Experienced university lecturer in international trade, macroeconomics, and microeconomics. With DIS since 2019.

Other DIS faculty involved are Daniel Reece, David Possen, and Emmanuel Gentil 

Evaluation:  

This course is designed for students who are fully committed to delivering an advanced sponsor project, engaging in the extra work needed, and working as part of a team. Addressing a real-world challenge for the sponsor is a team effort. As a result, a lot of the assessment is based on team performance, requiring that all students enrolled in the course commit to a collaborative and exceptional effort. Full details can be found under the Assignments tab.

Field studies & Teambuilding events: 

We will visit the sponsor location for in-depth project updates and presentations. We will also experience some inspirational visits in the Copenhagen area as well engage in sustainable teambuilding events.

Readings: 

Due to the dynamic nature of our course and project, our reading list will be updated on a week by week basis. However it is recommended that you read the following as early as possible during the course.

• About Topsoe 
• Sustainable Strategy Consulting Basics

The overall reading list will be updated periodically depending on the topic at hand.

 

The Faculty

Adrian Mongan (AM) adrian.mongan@dis.dk

Emmanuel Gentil (EG) emmanuel.gentil@dis.dk 

David Possen (DP) dpo@dis.dk 

Daniel Reece (DR) daniel.reece@dis.dk