BUP Science and Sail 2024

The Baltic University Programme (BUP) and Klaipėda University, proudly present BUP Science and Sail 2024, a summer school with the focus on the Baltic Sea Environment.

The summer school will take place between 4-11 August in Klaipėda, Lithuania and the waters of the Baltic Sea. Accepted students will be studying the sensitive Baltic Sea Environment, both on land and at sea with leading experts from across the region.

Parts of the summer school will take place onboard Klaipėda University’s sailing vessel Brabander, sailing the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea, while conducting tests and collecting samples. Participants will also study the unique coastal environment of the Curonian Spit and Nemunas river delta, learning about the impacts of and solutions to climate change, biodiversity loss and the human aspects of the unique Baltic Sea Environment.

This summer school is free of charge and applications are open for students studying at either bachelor or master level at The Baltic University Programme’s participating universities. In total 36 students from BUP participating universities will be selected to take part. Furthermore, we will welcome 3 PhD students. The PhD students will have a unique opportunity to take part in the full program, along with the students, while also practicing their teaching and mentoring skills. The attending PhD student will be supporting students in contextualising the work. We accept students from all kinds of study programs and no pre-knowledge of the Baltic Sea Environment is required.

Read about last year's successful Science and Sail

Sailing in the Baltic Sea on the tall ship Brabander. Photo: Pontus Ambros

Student application

Apply to attend

PhD application

Apply to attend

Topic and program

Accepted students will be divided into smaller groups, in which they will work closely together during the week in Klaipėda. Each group will collect data, compile knowledge from experts, study important indicators and learn to draw conclusions to better understand the human-environmental relationship of the Baltic Sea. During the final day of the program, students will present their findings to their peers.

The goal of the event is to:

Improve the knowledge of students about the Baltic Sea Environment and its importance for the societies and economies of the region.
Reflect and explore different indicators related to the Baltic Sea Environment.
Teach students techniques to solve environmental problems from an interdisciplinary and practical approach and link them to climate change.
Build skills in intercultural and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Students who complete the summer school will be rewarded with a certificate. The organisers cannot grant any ECTS for the summer course, but we encourage students to talk to their home departments and ask if they can convert the certificate to credits.

Preliminary program Pdf, 172 kB.

Quick information

4-11 August 2024
Klaipėda, Lithuania
Open for all students at BUP participating universities
Maximum number of participating students is 39, including 3 PhD students
Free of charge
Application deadline: 19 May 2023, 23:59 (CEST)

Hosted by: The BUP Coordinating Secretariat and Klaipėda University.

Practical information

Conference cost and location

The summer school will take place in and around Klaipėda, Lithuania, and at the campus of Klaipėda University. One of the days will also be spent onboard the sailing vessel Brabander, sailing up and down the Lithuanian coast. Accepted students will participate in the event for free and no fees apply.

Each student has to fund their travels to and from Klaipėda by themselves. However, we encourage accepted students to explore funding opportunities via their local university.

Accomodation and food

Accepted students will be accommodated in Klaipėda on campus in shared rooms and all meals will be provided from the evening of 4 August to check out on 11 August.

Selection of students

After the application deadline on 19 May 2024, The Baltic University Programme’s Coordinating Secretariat and the BUP National Centres will be selecting the students based upon their motivation, field of study and background. Selected students will be offered a place, while a selection of the remaining students will be put on a waiting list. At the latest on 31 May 2024 the students that have been selected will be contacted.

For more details regarding the selection process, please contact The Baltic University Programme’s Coordinating Secretariat.

Marketing material

We welcome you to share information about BUP Science and Sail and invite you to use our marketing material which can be found here: Google Drive with marketing material for the BUP Science and Sail.