Consultancy Project Energy Science

Course goals

• is able to carry out research independently (in team)
• has learned to rapidly familiarize himself with a new research topic
• is able to present academic research both orally and in a written report
• possesses project management skills
• has learned to work in a team.

Content

In the Consultancy Project course students will acquire the necessary skills to carry out a research project independently and to work in a team. In other words, the course provides to students the opportunity to gain and practice the skills required for the development of independent research (e.g. Master thesis, internship) and for their professional career.

The course consists of two components: a short methodological part and a consultancy assignment. Students will work on these simultaneously. All in all, they will gain experience in research skills and in those skills that are relevant when working for a client, as a team, towards a common goal. These include:

- project management;
- teamwork (including team roles, meeting skills, providing feedback, conflict management);
- defining a research question and develop a research plan;
- choosing the right research method(s) and the level of detail needed;
- finding (and evaluating) data in scientific and grey literature;
- generating own research data (e.g. conducting interviews);
- presenting work in public;
- writing a scientific and consultancy report.

In practice, students will work in groups of approximately 5 persons to solve a concrete problem on sustainable energy and/or material use. The consultancy projects are carried out for real clients and are acquired by the course coordinator to ensure a diverse portfolio of high quality and highly relevant research questions. Students will be assigned to a project also on the basis of their preferences and are expected to apply skills acquired during the AEA and ESM courses, but also other courses of the first year.

Examples of past assignments are making an energy plan for the drugstore chain Kruidvat, or investigating the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement options throughout the entire coffee supply chain of Sara Lee. In a typical assignment, groups will carry out a technical and economic assessment, may investigate the possibilities for renewable energy production, energy saving potentials and other means to reduce GHG emissions, use materials more efficiently, etc.