Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA) was represented three times at the third Energy and Climate Festival on Karlsruhe's market square on May 9, 2026: With the Sustainability Agency for the Future (ZuNa), the mobility research project move.mORe and the European university network INGENIUM, HKA showed how applied science is actively helping to shape the energy transition - regionally, at a European level and in a way that can be experienced directly.

The festival, organized by the city of Karlsruhe and the fokus.energie association, was held this year under the motto "Shaping Europe's energy transition regionally" - in keeping with Europe Day on 9 May. In sunny weather, hundreds of visitors of all ages took the opportunity to exchange ideas with researchers, students and practice partners.

ZuNa and INGENIUM: Sustainability as a joint European project

The Sustainability Agency for the Future (ZuNa) and the European university network INGENIUM presented themselves together at a stand, making their close cooperation visible to the public. With the help of a quiz wheel, exhibits from the Green Technology Management course invited visitors to discuss how sustainability can be thought about and implemented in everyday life. The joint appearance underlines HKA's claim not only to research sustainability, but also to bring it into the social dialog.

move.mORe: Sustainable mobility for self-experience

The joint project move.mORe, a cooperation between Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, funded by the Innovative University, presented itself directly on Kaiserstraße. Visitors used the "Platz da!?" sidewalk simulation to explore the competition for space on the street: What are the standard dimensions for pavements and cycle paths? What conflicts arise when different road users meet? Children were also able to ride around simulated obstacles on a cargo tricycle and thus take on the perspective of other road users. A particular crowd-puller was a large e-bike simulator, which visualized a realistic riding environment and which many visitors wanted to try out for themselves.

Premiere of the E-Carla as a mobile research laboratory

The E-Carla was a particular eye-catcher: the electric cargo trailer converted by the HKA electrical engineering workshop, equipped with solar modules and inverters, completed its first public use in its new form at the Climate Festival. In future, the vehicle will be used as a mobile laboratory - directly on site at schools, local authorities and industry partners. It thus makes the central principles of the energy transition tangible: renewable energy generation, storage and decentralized use in a compact system.

HKA as a bridge builder between university and urban society

The energy transition and the change towards a sustainable society can only succeed together - and this begins within the university itself. Cooperation within the university between different faculties, projects and initiatives is of central importance. Furthermore, HKA sees itself not only as a shaper of technological development, but increasingly also as a mediator between scientific innovation and public discourse. The appearance at the Energy and Climate Festival is an expression of this attitude: the focus is less on the presentation of research results and more on the transfer of knowledge between the university and society - in both directions. Knowledge is brought from the laboratory to the marketplace - literally and figuratively.

The Energy and Climate Festival takes place regularly on Karlsruhe's market square and is one of the most important public platforms for regional dialog on climate protection and the future of energy. The fact that HKA was also represented with INGENIUM as a European university network underlines the fact that the answers to the challenges of the energy transition are not just local - they are European. The Europe Day on May 9 was a fitting framework for this. HKA will continue to be present in the future with research projects, practical exhibits and its European network.