Learning Network on Sustainable Energy Systems

LeNSes is a multi-polar Network for curricula and lifelong learning capacity development focused on System Design for Sustainable Energy for All. It is a 3 year project funded by the European Commission (ACP-EU Edulink II), involving 3 design schools in Europe and 4 in Africa. LeNSes is an action of human resources and curriculum development, aiming at the promotion of a new generation of designers (and design educators) capable to effectively contribute to the transition towards sustainable energy for all society. LeNSes ambitions to promote a new shared and articulated disciplinary ground on System Design for Sustainable Energy for all focused on Sustainable Product-Service System (S.PSS) and Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) models, through a series of exchange activities and pilot courses at the partner institutions.

LeNSes produced an open learning e-package, a modular package of teaching materials (texts, slide shows, audio, video, etc.) and tools for designers that design educators worldwide will be able to download (free of charge), modify/remix and reuse (copy left). LeNSes also promoted a series of diffusion activities targeting the design community worldwide.

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Dr Fabrizio Ceschin - I am a Reader in Design for Sustainability, coordinator of the Design for Sustainability research group and member of the Design for Sustainable Manufacturing research theme. I worked in the Design and Innovation for Sustainability research unit at Politecnico di Milano for six years before joining Brunel University London in 2012. I carry out research in the area of: - Design for Sustainability and Circular Economy, and in particular in developing principles, strategies and tools to innovate and design products, services, product-service systems and business models integrating environmental, socio-ethical and economic sustainability; - Co-design, and in particular on how to support multi-stakeholder and participatory design processes. Over the past years I have been involved in several international and national research projects, funded by the European Commission, EPSRC, Innovate UK, the British Council, SMEs and multinational enterprises. My research projects have resulted in more than 80 journal and conference publications and 4 books. I have been teaching in the area of design for sustainability over the past 15 years. I am currently teaching modules on Fundamentals of Design for Sustainability and Advanced Design for Sustainability (BA and BSc), and I am director of the MSc Integrated Product Design. I am member of the EPSRC Peer Review College, the Design Research Society and the British Industrial Design Association, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Education I obtained a BSc and MSc equivalent degrees in Industrial Design awarded by Politecnico di Milano in Italy. In 2009 I started my doctoral research in design for sustainability at Politecnico di Milano, which was completed in 2012.

Related Research Group(s)

Design for Sustainability - We focus on developing the theory and practice required to design solutions that foster environmental, socio-ethical and economic sustainability in areas ranging from materials and manufacturing to products, services, business models, bottom-up initiatives and socio-technical systems.

Project last modified 21/11/2023