This meaningful collaboration with BayWa r.e. was made possible through the leadership of Jochen Hauff, a CEU alumnus and leader in renewable energy.
Two CEU students traveled to Munich in April as part of their selection for the BayWa r.e. Empowering Futures Scholarship, which supports students from Ukraine with an interest in sustainability. The scholarship, funded by BayWa r.e., a multinational renewable energy company, provides full tuition, a stipend, and a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage directly with leaders in the green economy. As part of their scholarship, this year’s recipients participated in an immersive visit to BayWa r.e.’s headquarters in Munich, where they explored the company’s cutting edge work in renewable energy, biodiversity, and the circular economy.
The visit offered a packed agenda: from discussions on global energy policy and corporate sustainability to a behind the scenes look at BayWa r.e.’s control room operations. Highlights included presentations by department heads and sustainability experts, as well as a deep dive into the company’s approach to business ethics and biodiversity.
"One of the most impressive aspects of the visit was how openly and deeply the BayWa r.e. team shared their work on human rights, biodiversity, and the circular economy within the renewable energy sector," said Artur Ivanenko, a scholarship recipient currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at CEU. "It was incredibly inspiring to see how business practices can align with ethical and sustainable values."
For Nadiia Medvedieva, currently working toward an MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy, the experience directly supported her academic research. "I’m writing my thesis about the potential of using renewables in Ukraine to support the energy system and ensure energy security during wartime," she said. "This visit gave me a real opportunity to see how renewables can be implemented in practice and what kinds of technologies are actually being used. Some aspects, like considering biodiversity at renewable energy sites, were things I hadn’t even thought about before."
The visit not only offered valuable professional insight but also fostered a sense of connection between the students’ academic work and the real-world impact of renewable energy projects -both in Ukraine and globally.
CEU is grateful to partners like BayWa r.e. for their multifaceted support of our students. This meaningful collaboration with BayWa r.e. was made possible through the leadership of Jochen Hauff, a CEU alumnus and leader in renewable energy. We are proud and appreciative of the commitment of our alumni and the broader community to advancing CEU’s mission through philanthropy. If you or your organization are interested in exploring ways to support CEU, we warmly encourage you to reach out to Elena Ryabova at ryabovae@ceu.edu.