ONE THRIVE

We Did It Together: Future School Prepares Tomorrow’s Professionals

"Future School": During the summer semester, over 50 students from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and partner universities in the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Poland took part in the first "Future School".

The concept: Students from various disciplines come together in mixed, international teams—both virtually and on campus—to explore future-oriented topics related to business, agriculture, ecology, health, and sustainability.

This summer, the focus was on applying artificial intelligence throughout the entire food value chain, from producer to consumer.

In the video, Professors Dr. Elena Kashtanova and Dr. Christiane Naumann from Anhalt University explain what makes this new teaching format special.

There will be more "Future Schools" and similar initiatives between Anhalt University and ist international partner universities in the future.

These initiatives are part of the "ONE THRIVE" project: One Network Europe for Transforming Health, Reimagining Innovation, Vision, and Education. The goal is to build European, transdisciplinary networks to provide hands-on training for tomorrow’s professionals.

The project is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the HAW.International program, with funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space.

Hintergrund

Die Transformation von Agrar- und Lebensmittelsystemen durch Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) bietet bedeutendes Potenzial, um Nachhaltigkeit, Effizienz und Belastbarkeit zu verbessern, während sie die miteinander verbundenen Herausforderungen der menschlichen, tierischen und Umweltgesundheit im Rahmen des One Health-Konzepts angeht. In diesem Kontext etabliert die Initiative ONE THRIVE eine Future School als ein innovatives Lehr- und Forschungsformat, das akademische Exzellenz systematisch mit realen Anwendungen und gesellschaftlicher Relevanz verbindet.

Leitidee

Die erste Future School@ONE THRIVE ist akademisch auf dem Campus Bernburg der Hochschule Anhalt eingebettet und baut auf die interdisziplinäre Expertise von Studiengängen und Professuren in den Bereichen International Business (Prof. Dr. Christiane Naumann), Food and Agribusiness (Prof. Dr. Elena Kashtanova), Landwirtschaft (Prof. Dr. Scholz), Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung (Prof. Dr. Annett Baasch), Landschaftsarchitektur (Prof. Dr. Nicole Uhrig) sowie das gemeinsame Bachelorprogramm in KI-Engineering, Agrarökonomie und Technologie (Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer).

Ab 2026...

Hochschule Anhalt führt mit den ONE THRIVE-Netzwerkpartnern Future Schools zu Transforming Health, Reimagining Innovations and Vibrant Ecosystems als COIL in den Modulen mit Präsenzphase durch.

Patrick Burgess Aeres University of Applied Sciences

Sonata Miškinienė Vilnius University of Applied Sciences

Studium Generale - Future School Modul - WS 2026/27

Ab Oktober 2026 können sich alle Studierenden der Hochschule Anhalt für die Future School im Wintersemester 2026/27 anmelden. Alle Informationen zur Anmeldung finden Sie hier:

Future School | HS Anhalt | Studium Generale

Starting in October 2026, all students at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences can register for the Future School for the winter semester 2026/27. All information on registration can be found here: Future School | HS Anhalt | Studium Generale

FUTURE SCHOOL 2026 | Deutschland | SoSe2026

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AI Use Cases along the Food Value Chain

16. - 18. June 2026

FIRST FUTURE SCHOOL

Future School in combination Erasmus Blended Intensive Programme by Erasmus+ organized by

Germany: Hochschule Anhalt - coordinator/receiving institution

partner/sending institutions:

Netherlands: Aeres University of Applied Sciences
Lithuania: Vilnius University of Applied Sciences
Poland: Akademia Humanitas University

Staff/Teachers/Professors delivering the program:

Location

Internationales Pflanzenbauzentrum
Am Gutshof 3
06406 Bernburg-Strenzfeld
https://www.dlg-feldtage.de/de/

Objectives and Description

Future School is a BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) Erasmus+ lead by Hochschule Anhalt - Unviersity of Applied Sciences. The Future School program is organized in three phases: an online preparation, an on-site intensive week in Bernburg-Strenzfeld, and an online analysis and presentation phase.

The central objective of the First Future School @ ONE THRIVE is to analyse and evaluate AI-enabled solutions along the entire food value chain, from primary production and processing to logistics, markets, and end consumers, through the lens of the One Health approach. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding how AI applications can simultaneously support human, animal, and environmental health while remaining economically viable and socially acceptable. Furthermore, the Future School aims to highlight how the One Health framework brings together fragmented interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary fields into one integrated pipeline, enabling a more holistic and impactdriven approach to innovation in the agri-food sector.

The Future School follows a three-phase structure. In the first phase, conducted through four interactive, virtual, online sessions in April and May, participants build a shared conceptual foundation in Artificial Intelligence, agri-food systems, and the One Health framework, complemented by training in qualitative research methods, stakeholder mapping, and interview design. The second phase consists of an intensive on-site week in Bernburg, planned to be aligned with the DLG Field Days (16–18 June 2026), one of Europe’s leading agricultural field exhibitions. This setting provides a real-world learning and research environment in which participants can engage directly with technology providers, agricultural practitioners, industry representatives and other stakeholders along the food value chain. During this phase, students attend impulse presentations by scientists and industry experts, observe innovative technologies and AI-related applications in practice, and can conduct guided field visits as well as semi-structured interviews with exhibiting companies and stakeholders. The DLG Field Days thus serve as the empirical foundation for the analysis of AI use cases, current challenges, bottlenecks and solution approaches within food and agricultural systems. In the third phase, the collected empirical material is systematically analysed and synthesised. Students develop structured AI use-case profiles and assess them from a One Health and sustainability perspective, reflecting on economic, societal, and market implication

Future School will offer a platform for research & collaboration to 35-40 students working in international teams formed during the preparative virtual phase.

The program will be structured into 3 main sections: Online interactive sessions [20h], On—site intensive week [40h], Online Analysis and presentation [40h]

ON—LINE interactive sessions

The program provides 4 interactive online sessions (4 × 90 minutes) to build shared conceptual and methodological foundation.

During the 4 online sessions the students of the universities will understand:

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and AI use cases along the food value chain
One Health perspective: linking human, animal, and ecosystem health
Ethical, social, and regulatory aspects of AI in agri-food systems
Methods for qualitative research: stakeholder mapping and interview techniques
Preparation of fieldwork: formulation of research questions and interview guides

Session 1: AI in Agri-Food, Unlocking the Future. 08.05.2026, 14:00 - 15:30

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer.

Goal: this session will focus on AI Application in the plant production

Session 2: Healthy Planet, Healthy People: The One Health Framework. 22.05.2026, 14:00 - 15:30

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Tim Reuter (One Health Framework), Prof. Dr. Monika Brückner-Gühmann (Food Processing)

Goal: This session will focus on the relationship between food systems, sustainability, ethics, and health within the One Health perspective.

Session 3: Responsible AI – Governance, ethics, and sustainability. 29.05.2026, 14:00 - 15:30

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Volkmann (Legal Frameworks); Adrian Schröder (AI Applications)

Goal: This session will build directly on the challenges identified in Sessions 1 and 2 and focus on how AI must be governed responsibly.

Session 4: Qualitative Research Methods and Field Research Preparation. 05.06.2026, 14:00 - 15:30

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Markus Meyer (best praxis - Project MeineWaldKI); Prof. Dr. Christiane Naumann (Qualitative Research Methods and Field Research)

Goal: This session should prepare students for fieldwork by giving them practical tools for structured qualitative research. The pilot Project “MeineWald KI” as KI application for enhancing sustainability,

Here is about attending lectures by teachers and experts, while obtain information and instructions to develop the onsites activities, present ideas and work together.

ON—SITE WORKSHOPS 40 hours of on—site activities

The on—site field Days will be held in 3 days of full—time experience in Bernburg-Strenzfeld (Germany) [16-18 June].

The workshops and activities include:

Guided visits to Bernburg city
Impulse presentations by scientists and industry experts on AI and digital innovation in agriculture
Practitioner inputs on current challenges and real-world applications
Field visits at the DLG Field Days (16–18 June 2026)
Guided Interviews
Small interdisciplinary student teams (2–3 persons) focusing on different segments of the food value chain
Documentation and first synthesis of AI use cases and problem-solution patterns

ON—LINE Analysis & Presentations

Analysis and Presentations

Systematic analysis of collected interview and field data
Development of structured AI use-case profiles
Assessment from a One Health and sustainability perspective
Reflection on economic, societal, and market implications
Final scientific-style presentations and discussion of findings
Identification of future research, innovation, and policy implications

Methods and Outcome

The expected outcomes include enhanced student competencies in interdisciplinary analysis, a portfolio of validated AI use cases assessed from a One Health perspective, strengthened links between science and practice, and strategic knowledge on market acceptance and consumer value perception of AI-enabled food solutions. Successful participation will be accredited with 3 ECTS.

virtual component May 8, 22, 29, and June 5th 2026

Key dates

08.05.2026 – 1st online meeting

22.05.2026 – 2nd online meeting

29.05.2026 – 3d online meeting

05.06.2026 – 4th online meeting

Erasmus paperwork

All participants must register with their International Offices.

Erasmus paperwork:

1. Learning Agreement (LA):

All participants from our Partner Universities must sign an online learnign agreement (OLA) before the BIP workshop starts. Key data:

Receiving Institution: Hochschule Anhalt - University of Applied Sciences
Erasmus Code: D KOTHEN01
ISCED-F Code: 0311/0410 Economics; 0510/0520 Biological and related sciences/environment not further defined
responsible person at receiving institution: Prof. Dr. Elena Kashtanova - Elena.Kashtanova@hs-anhalt.de; Prof. Dr. Christiane Naumann - Christiane.Naumann@hs-anhalt.de;
administrative contact at receiving institution: Christian Lippold; erasmus@hs-anhalt.de, +49 3496 67 5115
Module title (Table A and B): "Future School"
ECTS: 3/5

2. Grant Agreement (GA):

If you receive a financial support from your home University, your home University will provide you with an Erasmus scholarship agreement (GA). Make sure to sign it before your mobility (before the workshop starts)

3. Transcript of Records (TOR):

Will be issued at the end of the workshop (after the virtual part “after mobility”). The TOR will include the workshop title, duration of the workshop and a total of 3/5 ECTS. Please ask your home University on how to transfer these ECTS to your home University after the BIP is completed.

CREDITS AND PARTICIPATION

students from partner institutions:

Pelase check regulations for credit recognition at your home institution.

HSA students:

The BIP can be recorded as short term mobility in your Diploma supplement, which will be issued at the end of your study period at our Unviersity.

Financial Support & Organizational Issues

Your home University can provide you with financial support from Erasmus+ (Short Term Blended Mobility)

Financial support: The daily support from Erasmus for students is to be defined EUR, + additional travel support according to distance between your hoem country and .
Inclusion support: please contact erasmus@hs-anhalt.de if you are a student with special needs. We would be happy to help you organizing your trip to Anhalt.
Travelling to Berlin: We strongly encourage you to use sustainable means of transportation. If you travel by bus / train or other electric vehicles, you will receive an increased financial support from Erasmus. HS Anhalt will not book or pay for any tickets. It's in your responsibility to do so.
Sleeping in Bernburg: You are responsible for organizing and paying for accommodation. HS Anhalt will not book any rooms/hotels for you.

Erasmus requries some paperwork to be completed before your go abroad. This involves a Learning Agreement and a Grant Agreement. These documents must be signed before the mobility period. Pelase ask your Erasmus coordinator at your home University about the procedures.

Health Insurance and Visa

VISA:

If you hold a valid residence permit for studies or a student visa in another EU country, you can travel to Bernburg without an additional visa.

HEALTH INSURANCE:

Your European health insurance is also valid in Berlin, Germany (EHIC - European Health Insurance Card). Take it with you! In case you need to see a doctor in Germany you can use your card. All European countries and Germany have social insurance agreements. You won't have to pay for basic health services or emergency treatments in Germany.

Private insurance - Please check the conditions of your student health insurance. In case Germany is not covered, you have to take care of additional arrangements on your own!