This field of action deals with cooperation partners who are not directly affiliated with a university, but who play an important role in the holistic view of sustainable university development. As required by DIN EN ISO14001:2015, the BNC integrates key stakeholders of a university via this field of action. As the BNC pursues a modular concept, universities can choose which collaborations and partnerships to focus on in order to further develop their sustainability performance. Working together with partners and raising awareness of sustainability issues also encourages them to act more sustainably themselves - a win-win situation for both sides.
In this module, cooperation with government agencies or other public institutions, for example, will be examined. Cooperation is always an advantage, as joint resources and expertise can often be used more efficiently. The development of projects with scientific participation is particularly advantageous for a city administration and can support a subsequent decision-making process. In addition, a university is also an economic factor for a city.
By focusing on the module, cooperation with regional and national companies is strengthened. Cooperation is very important for a university, as there are many practical, Bachelor's and Master's theses that are preferably written in companies due to their practical relevance. But companies also have an advantage, as the scientific elaboration of certain topics supports the work of management. In addition, many companies are dependent on graduates and specialists. By cooperating with a university, students can get to know the work and processes in companies at an early stage.
In many areas of a university, there are research projects in addition to teaching assignments. These projects are often linked to other institutes and funding bodies. Cooperation with institutes is therefore an advantage. Teaching results in a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application examples.
Networks with other universities and educational institutions are important in order to exchange ideas in the areas of organization, teaching and research, but also to strive for cooperation in order to jointly achieve and advance the goals of sustainable development. The BNC project was also created on the basis of networking between HSZG and TUD. There are many networks with different orientations. This module is intended to enable a university to choose the type and scope of the networks and to focus on relevant networks. A university must decide according to its individual orientation in which areas and how actively it wishes to network.
The Studentenwerk, although not directly affiliated with the universities, is a public law institution with legal capacity and is responsible for the social, economic, health and cultural support and promotion of students (§ 109 SächsHSFG). The Studentenwerk is therefore an important partner for the target group of students in all three dimensions of sustainability. Measures to sensitize and raise awareness, such as reducing energy consumption in the halls of residence or using regional and seasonal products in the canteens, must be coordinated with the Studentenwerk. The Studentenwerk is not represented at all university locations in Saxony. In these cases, there is cooperation, for example, with the municipality when it comes to student accommodation or with the respective operator of the canteen.
The state enterprise is one of the most important cooperation partners with regard to the management of properties in the Free State of Saxony. Through centralization, the Free State of Saxony can save costs, which, however, results in additional coordination work for larger universities. This also has an impact on the introduction of an environmental and sustainability management system. Due to centralization, the influence on direct environmental aspects of the educational institution is only possible to a limited extent and requires the universities to cooperate with the SIB. For example, data on energy consumption must be requested separately and the maintenance of buildings and green spaces must be handled by the SIB. The SIB also regulates supply and disposal for the universities in Saxony. In order to implement a joint strategy for sustainable development at SFIVET with the SIB, the "SIB" module is an important basis for developing common goals and finding links to the other modules, especially for waste, energy, water and campus design, and for promoting sustainable university operations.