This event aimed to foster discourse on social, environmental, economic, and engineering sciences related to resource management, with a particular emphasis on Sustainable Development Goal 12. The colloquium promoted responsible consumption and production practices.

Twelve PhD students from different partner universities spent a week at TU BAF, where they visited Siltronic AG — one of the world's leading producers of hyperpure silicon wafers, and participated in a laboratory tour. The tour included visits to the Centre for Efficient High-Temperature Material Conversion, the Metal-Free Cleanroom Laboratory at the Institute of Mineralogy, and the Mining Simulators & Digital Mine Lab.

Students also enhanced their intercultural communication skills in academia by participating in a training session led by Kristin Ziegner-Llewellin from Hochschule Mittweida. Through the "Research Toolkit" training provided by Dr. Maria Machevariani, Dr. Jiangxue Liu, and Prof. Dr. Jan C. Bongaerts, they delved into cutting-edge trends and tools needed for young researchers.

The first two days of the colloquium were held in the Krüger Haus, a historic building that hosts the "German Minerals" exhibition by the Mineralogical Collection Germany. This venue was ideal for the final exhibition of RE-EURECA-PRO, a sub-project of the European University on Responsible Consumption and Production (EURECA-PRO). The exhibition featured posters that documented the entire project journey and included a sound design piece that captured the voices of those involved in the project.

During the last two days, PhD students presented their current research and competed in a contest showcasing their scientific and presentation skills. The level of presentations was so high that the jury awarded two prizes for each category.

The best research prize was awarded to:

• Magdalena Gwóźdź, Silesian University of Technology

  "Tuning Thermal Properties of Sustainable Phase Change Materials Using Hydrogen Bonding Interactions"

• Nina Oehlsen, TU Bergakademie Freiberg

  "Replacing Commodity Plastics: Using Aspergillus niger Mycelium Biomass as a New Engineering Material with Tunable Mechanical Properties"

The best presentation prize was awarded to:

• Komal Aziz, Silesian University of Technology

  "Recycling of End-of-Life Tires: A Greener Way of Energy and Sustainability"

• Dickson Wachira, TU Bergakademie Freiberg

  "Enhancing Traceability in Gemstones Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Using Blockchain Technology"

Students also selected the best presentation among themselves:

• Sofía Peláez, University of León

  "Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Sustainable Practices for Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Ceramics UV Laser Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP-UPL/C)"