Innovation in Green Chemistry & Circular Life Sciences

Entrepreneurship Education /Innovation in Green Chemistry and Circular Life Sciences

Innovation in Green Chemistry and Circular Life Sciences

Fall Semester 2026 - 3 ECTS

Start your journey now!

This course explores innovation for safer and more sustainable materials, combining green chemistry, circular design and innovation-driven problem solving. You will develop the mindset and skills to create practical solutions to real-world environmental and societal challenges while building competencies in creativity, teamwork, leadership and impact-driven decision making.

Through lectures and a semester-long interdisciplinary project with external industry or stakeholder partners, you will address challenges such as hazardous chemicals andunsustainable material systems . Topics include safer-by-design approaches, circular materials and bio-inspired strategies, hazard assessment, alternatives evaluation and solution development for applications in areas such as polymers, coatings, industrial processes, food-contact and medical materials.

The course emphasizes hands-on, real-world learning and prepares you for careers in industry, academia, startups and innovation-driven organizations.

Learning outcomes

Develop a strong understanding of green chemistry, bio-inspired design, safer-by-design approaches and circularity principles for sustainable innovation
Apply chemical structure-function concepts to identify and evaluate safer and more sustainable alternatives for products, materials, and industrial processes
Use hazard, performance, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and circularity criteria to support evidence-based decision-making and alternatives assessment
Explore how sustainability solutions are shaped by technical, environmental, regulatory, and market considerations
Work in interdisciplinary teams with external industry and stakeholder partners to address real-world innovation and sustainability challenges
Build transferable innovation and entrepreneurial competencies, including leadership, teamwork, creative problem-solving, strategic thinking and effective communication for academic and industry audiences

Course Structure

Introduction to industry challenges:
Join an interdisciplinary team to solve a real-world challenge presented by an industry partner.
Weekly lectures by Experts: Benefit from insights shared by professionals, enhancing your understanding of sustainable innovation in green chemistry.
Introduction to Core Concepts: Explore key frameworks and real-world case studies that provide the tools and insights to advance your entrepreneurial journey.
Collaborative Teamwork: Engage with peers to address practical business challenges, building teamwork and creative problem-solving skills.
Milestone-based Assignments, Presentations and Feedback: Present your team's progress and gain valuable insights through peer evaluations, fostering continuous improvement.

Prior to Monday 7th of September (midnight)
Content covered:
• Read challenge briefs by industry and practice partners
• Review challenge descriptions and background materials and share preferences
• Based on shared preferences, teaching team will form balanced interdisciplinary teams
Mon Sept 14, 16.30 –19.30
• Overview of the course, objectives and expectations
• Partner organizations present the challenges
• Q&A with partner organizations in teams
• Introduction to concepts of green chemistry, safer materials and circular design
• Developing entrepreneurial thinking and competences
• Team building
Mon Sept 21, 16.30 –19.30
• Identifying problem statement, key stakeholders and value proposition
• Fundamentals to chemical exposure, hazard and risk, and how to quantify and compare these metrics (SDS and hazard table)
• Pharos tutorial: introduction to searching, interpreting and comparing chemical and material hazard data using the Pharos database.
Mon Sept 28, 16.30 –19.30
• Environmental and circularity performance criteria (e.g. bioaccumulation) and how to quantify and compare results
• Fundamentals to environmental and circularity considerations (recyclability and material flows)
• Mapping of material flows and system boundaries, identifying circularity barriers and opportunities. Aligning chemical safety with reuse, recycling and material longevity based on case studies.
Mon Oct 5, 16.30 –19.30
• Material specifications and how to quantify and compare results applied to the specific challenges.
• Methods to quantify and compare performance metrics and profiles (e.g. ASTM and ISO standards)
• Trade-offs between safety, performance and feasibility
Mon Oct 12, 16.30 –20.00
• Teams present challenge progress from Sessions 1–4 and receive peer and expert feedback

• Regulatory landscape and market context for safer and circular solutions in the EU and USA (REACH, EPA), including feasibility considerations, cost, scalability, and supply- vs. demand-side innovation

• Panel discussion with government and industry representatives moderated by Megan Arnett
Thu 15 Oct, 16.30 –19.30
• Looking to nature to understand chemical and material substitution approaches (biomimicry)
• Bio-inspired and systems-based design strategies, examples from other industries
• Identifying existing and emerging alternatives backed with examples

Mon 19 Oct, 16.30 –19.30
• Creation of a hazard table to the proposed alternatives (based on learnings from session 2)
• Comparative assessment of alternatives
• Presentation to industry partners of progress made and alternative materials proposed
Mon 26 Oct, 16.30 –19.30
• Introduction to LCA: principles and application to chemical materials
• Lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the alternative product(s) proposed
Mon 02 Nov, 16.30 –19.30
• Structuring reports tailored to academic, industry and innovation audiences
• Communicating your findings in a pitch
Mon 09 Nov, 16.30 –19.30

Principles of green chemical synthesis and how they apply to accessing safer alternative materials

Evaluating synthesis routes across safety, efficiency, scalability and recyclability

Translating strategies into conceptual prototypes and assessing their feasibility and system integration
Mon 16 Nov, 16.30 –19.30
• Receive feedback from the Innovation Office to refine your final pitches
• Peer feedback on presentations and reports
Mon 23 Nov, 16.30 –20.30
• Final team presentations to academic, industry and innovation support audience
• Feedback from partners, instructors and peers
• Course reflection, synthesis of learnings and wrap-up
• Networking apéro

Fall 2026 Schedule

The number of participants is limited to 25 per course. Interested students should email Carolina Rovira Schmitt (carolina.roviraschmitt@unibas.ch) before Tuesday September 1st, 2026. Please include:

1. Your name, study field, degree level (Master’s or PhD), number of completed semesters, and matriculation number,

2. Academic background and motivation: a brief description of your relevant background and experience, as well as a short motivation statement explaining your interest in participating in an innovation- and project-based course focused on safer chemicals and circular materials;

3. Interest areas: a short description of one topic of interest related to chemical safety, material sustainability or circular materials design. No prior project idea is required, since this will be provided by the partner organization.

Please check if ECTS from this course will be accepted by your faculty.

We will select participants and confirm 25 participants by Thursday September 3rd, 2026. After the confirmation email, you can enroll through the Online Services (services.unibas.ch).

Eucor-Students and mobility students of other Swiss Universities or the FHNW first have to register at the University of Basel BEFORE the start of the course and receive their login data by post (e-mail address of the University of Basel). Processing time up to a week! Detailed information can be found here: https://www.unibas.ch/de/Studium/Mobilitaet.html. After successful registration, you can enroll for the course in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch).

Leading Team

Prof. Dr. Michael Nash

Associate Professor Chemestry Department, University of Basel

Anna-Elina Pekonen

Head of Entrepreneurship

Education, Innovation Office, University of Basel

Carolina Rovira

Innovation Manager, Entrepreneurship Education, Innovation Office, University of Basel

Dr. Maryame Bina

Course Associate & Chemistry PhD Alumni, University of Basel

Trainers

Dr. Megan Arnett

Executive Director, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry

20250207-Marie-Perrin-1049-credit Kilian Kessler ETH Zurich.jpg

Dr. Marie Perrin

CEO REEcover & Pioneer Fellow at ETH Zurich

Dr. Roland Hischier

Head ALCA Group, Empa

Dipl. Stefan Huber

Founder & Managing Director StoryUp

Testimonials

As a startup co-founder, what stood out most in the Changemakers Course wasn’t just the structure or theory, it was finally being in a space where I felt understood. It gave me room to try and fail without the usual real-world pressure, and to reflect honestly on what holds me back and what’s truly possible. If you’re thinking about launching an idea but feel stuck or not ready, this course is the safest and most inspiring space I know to take that first real step.

Marie-Kristin Fischer

B.Sc. Psychology

Looking back, this course has been one of the most transformative experiences in my academic and entrepreneurial journey so far. Through sessions on leadership, systems thinking, marketing, and sustainability, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of what it means to create meaningful, lasting change.

Kelechukwu Mbadugha

M.Sc. Business and Technology

The Changemakers course steered me into turning ideas into impact from the ground up. It opened my eyes to the power of building startups that are not only innovative but also truly sustainable at their core.

Aayushi Saini

M.Sc. Business and Technology

As an international student, this course was a stepping stone into understanding the startup culture in a new country. It helped me broaden my perspective on how businesses can be both circular and successful. The effort the Innovation Office put into curating impactful sessions—with guest speakers, industry experts, and open discussions—made the course highly engaging and unlike a typical classroom experience.

Muhammad Anas Hasham

M.Sc. Business and Technology

The course offered an inspiring atmosphere where one could witness how many creative individuals worked together on innovative approaches to tackle a major societal challenge, discovering a wide range of potential solutions along the way.

Lars Schneiter

B.Sc. Economics and Behavioural Sciences

This course helped me bridge business viability with sustainability through systems thinking, making my approach to innovation more holistic and impactful. I especially appreciated how it encouraged real-world application and teamwork, which deepened both my learning and purpose as a changemaker.