International Week on Sustainability at the University of Antwerp: live impressions from the GSB delegation
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The I-Week programme is a 5-day educational intensive that includes interactive presentations by more than 40 leading global experts, discussions and group project work, during which students can learn best practices in sustainable development, transition to circular economy, ESG business transformation and socially responsible entrepreneurship from globally responsible leaders in business, science and the non-profit sector.
The main part of the Russian delegation annually participates in I-Week events in online mode, as do most of the international participants of the programme. This hybrid format of I-Week provides an opportunity to bring together representatives from all five continents from Australia to Brazil in one educational and communication space. Students meet people from different cultures, learn to better understand their own cultural code through a project problem-based learning approach. It’s also an opportunity to make friends from different countries. Participation in I-Week equally enriches the participants' experience in both offline and online formats.
The intensive training programme, organised by the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Antwerp, brought together more than 400 students representing more than 30 different countries from all continents in a blended format in 2024. Participation in the "International Sustainability Week" is a unique opportunity for 3rd-4th year Bachelour Degree students and 1st-2nd year Master Degree students of the HSE Graduate School of Business who are interested in sustainability issues.
Associate Professor
"It gives me great joy and pride to represent the GSB on the I-Week international team. It is greate that the tradition of international exchange established four years ago continues despite all the difficulties. Our Belgian friends, led by Professor Peter Verhaesen of the University of Antwerp, always receive the Russian delegation of GSB students with special warmth. Traditionally, at the end of the I-Week programme, we had the opportunity to exchange impressions and discuss how to make the Russian team's participation in I-Week 2025 an even bigger and more transformational experience in responsible leadership education", said Ekaterina Ivanova, Associate Professor at the HSE Graduate School of Business.
Two weeks prior to the main event, participating students begin to familiarise themselves with key sustainability terms and intercultural communication practices through a series of online preparatory classes. These intensive introductory courses are led by the I-Week team, consisting of professors from the University of Antwerp and a number of invited experts.
During the main week of I-Week classes, students listened to speakers as well as worked with the support of the I-Week professors’ team on group projects for organisations at the forefront of the business, non-profit and management education sectors to transform their sustainability strategies. The team of project supervisors included Peter Verhaesen (University of Antwerp), Luc van Liedekerke (University of Antwerp), Orsolia Diofasi (Corvinus University), Philip Nimmegers (University of Antwerp), Kavita Hamza (University of Sao Paulo) and Ekaterina Ivanova (HSE Graduate School of Business).
"The topics discussed were social sustainability, drivers in a world in transition, and the value of sustainable ecosystems in protected areas. I immediately realised that I had never met such eloquent speakers, I was especially impressed by the speech of I-Week's regular guest, Dutch Professor Jan Jonker, who spoke with passion and charisma about his topic," said Danila Spiridonov, a first-year student of the GSB International Management programme.
An important part of the training was teamwork: students were divided into mixed international groups, in which they had to do a project on a selected company. The week ended with pitches of group project works and their discussion during an interactive session between the students and their supervising professor. At the end of I-Week, students turned in a group research project and were tested on their intercultural communication skills. The programme also included a wide variety of optional workshops: a walk in an Antwerp park, a visit to a social entrepreneurship centre. Trips to museums of contemporary art and design were organised around the theme of sustainability.
The University of Antwerp is divided into many buildings in the heart of the city centre, among which there are campuses in old and modern buildings. The main campus with its beautiful courtyard is reminiscent of Hogwarts. "When I saw the University of Antwerp, it was as if I was in one of the films about student life. Old historic buildings, green lawns where students sit on warm days, modern sports halls, spacious classrooms and parties at weekends. And there are no security guards or fences - the entrance to the university campus is free," said Anastasia Panfilova, a first-year student of the GSB Master's programme "Sustainable Business Management". The students noted that the Belgians should definitely teach us the successful neighbourhood of old buildings with new ones using the most modern technologies.
The students highly appreciated the level of teaching and intensity at the event. It were organisational issues only - getting a visa and finding accommodation - that caused difficulties. Antwerp itself left the most pleasant impressions: it seems toy-like after Moscow, with a leisurely rhythm of life - by 19:00 the shops close, and residents ride bicycles and sit in cafes, although some districts can be youthful and noisy in the evenings.
The students, immersed in ESG topics, were impressed by the peculiarities of city life: rubbish collection is strictly regulated. "For each neighbourhood, a certain day is chosen when a bag of rubbish (sorted by type into colourful bags) can be taken to the street and city services will pick it up. Until that day, rubbish is stored at home. Don't make the same mistakes we did, or you'll get a sticker with a bag fine! By the way, we didn’t manage to understand how they calculate the violators," said Sofia Ivanova, a first-year student of the GSB Master's programme "Sustainable Business Management".
The full-time participation in I-WEEK gave an opportunity not only to gain new and important knowledge, to get acquainted with international practices of sustainable development and ESG, but also to plunge into the real student life, to feel a part of this community, to meet students of the University of Antwerp, as well as I-Week participants from Mexico, Turkey, Germany and other countries.
Anastasia Panfilova
First year student of the GSB Master’s programme "Sustainable Business Management"
"I-Week brought me a tremendous experience, new friends and a lot of good memories. After the classes we met with the guys in the bar and shared impressions, experiences, difficulties and stories about how life in our countries is organised. I think that all this is no less important than the study itself, as this way you broaden your horizons and at the same time familiarise foreigners with your culture and values. It is worth mentioning that during the whole trip I never felt any negative or prejudiced attitude. All the time I felt safe and asked the locals if I needed their help. I would like to advise all students to follow the GSB news and participate in such programmes to develop their professional and soft skills, to get acquainted with international experience, and to enrich their cross-cultural communication experience".
Natalia Smirnova
1st year student of the GSB Master’s programme "Marketing: digital technologies and marketing communications"
"Impressions from the trip to I-Week are extremely positive, because I managed to combine the days before/after the conference with travelling around Europe, and during the training I managed to communicate with people from Belgium, Germany, China, Turkey and other countries. One of the outcomes is that our world is worth protecting, not only from the point of view of ecology, but also to watch and study it. There are friends in every corner of the planet".
Danila Spiridonov
1st year student of the GSB Master’s programme "International Management"
"In general, participation in I-Week and the trip to Belgium left only positive impressions and emotions. In terms of teaching, I was first of all impressed by the high level of organisation and the quality of presentations. And now I have a clear understanding of what sustainable development is, why it is important, why it is talked about and what needs to be done today to ensure a bright future".
Sofia Ivanova
1st year student of the GSB Master’s programme "Sustainable Business Management"
"This trip will be remembered forever: great experience, useful classes, interesting teachers and interested students, thoughtful organisation. Be sure to use this opportunity and keep a diary of the trip - you will reread it with a smile".
Vladimir
Student of the GSB Master's programme "Strategic Management and Consulting"
"It was an unforgettable event that left lasting impressions and added new knowledge. As many other participants, I joined the programme remotely - in an online format. My participation in I-Week and the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world enriched me. I gained new experiences that allowed me to broaden my horizons and see the world from a different perspective. I-Week helped me realise that borders between countries are not an obstacle to cooperation and knowledge sharing."
Nadezhda Evstratova
4th year Bachelor's student of the GSB "Business Informatics programme"
"There were many speakers holding top positions in companies from a wide range of industries. I really enjoyed working with my team on a group project, everyone was engaged. Even though we only met online, we managed to create a safe space, work very efficiently and enjoy our multicultural experience."
Dalila Lupeta
1st year of the "Managing Low Carbon Development" HSE-University Master's programme at the Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technologies
"This year I was lucky enough to participate in I-Week online, which was a very valuable new experience. All the sessions and assignments that participants see offline in Antwerp are accessed through the university's user-friendly platforms, so the quality of the learning experience doesn't drop. Although I will never forget the experience gained from the sessions and discussions of the talks by leading sustainability experts, the most valuable lesson of I-week for me was working together with people from all over the world: it allowed me to learn more about the world, and even the online format helped me to improve my cross-cultural competences more."
Alexandra Volkova
1st year student of the GSB Master’s programme "International Management"
"The thing I liked most about the I-week was the teamwork with international students. It was nice to communicate with guys from different backgrounds and learn something new from them, such as optimism and striving for excellence. I participated in I-week online, but communication with the team did not suffer. I can say that in the end I'm even glad I did: it was free, I didn't have to worry about accommodation (the University of Antwerp doesn't provide dormitories), I could allocate my time efficiently (especially since I have a job in addition to my main studies). Also, the I-week coincided with the pre-session week, when I had a lot of deadlines for my studies, and I'm not sure I would have been able to devote enough time to them if I had gone to Antwerp in person."