United Nations University-FLORES

UNU-FLORES Engages with Saxony’s Innovation Ecosystem at

UNU-FLORES participated in the Saxon Innovation Conference ( ) in Dresden, joining more than 2,000 participants from across academia, industry, and the start-up ecosystem.

The event provided an opportunity to showcase several initiatives of our Institute, particularly the UNU Hub Climate Resilience and Sustainable Technology (CREST) Hub with TU Dresden, and to highlight our engagement in Excellence Clusters that advance cutting-edge research and innovation. Throughout the day, the UNU-FLORES team connected with researchers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders contributing to Saxony's vibrant innovation ecosystem.

Representing UNU-FLORES at the conference were Sonja, Atiqah, Thato, Juliane, Johanna, Turkan, Yamikani, Waseem, Berthy, Alavy and Prashant.

UNU-FLORES Doctoral Researcher Contributes to Winning Team at Infineon Venture Hack '26

The Infineon Venture Hack '26, hosted at dresden|exists, brought together eight interdisciplinary teams to tackle real-world industry challenges presented by Infineon.

We are pleased to share that UNU-FLORES doctoral researcher Prashant Kumar was part of the winning team. Collaborating with participants from other institutions, the team developed a rapid AI-powered prototype designed to help organizations identify right experts and generate decision-ready insights across technical language barriers.
Reflecting on the experience, Prashant noted:
"It was an exciting opportunity to engage with industry representatives, expand my network among German companies relevant to my research, and gain deeper insights into Germany’s innovation ecosystem, which strongly aligns with my interest in startups, entrepreneurship, and innovation-driven problem solving."

Congratulations to Prashant and his teammates on this achievement

More information: https://www.dresden-exists.de/events/infineon-venture-hack26/

Publication Spotlight

3D concrete printing is changing how we think about construction by enabling custom designs, reducing waste, and speeding up builds, but is it truly greener? Our colleagues Mohammed Alokshiya, Waseem Ashraf, Tobias Hatzfeld, and Edeltraud Guenther published their paper on “Evaluation of gaps in life cycle sustainability assessments of 3D concrete printing: A systematic literature review and recommendations” in Cleaner Environmental Systems.

The study systematically reviews how the sustainability of 3D concrete printing is assessed. It reveals that the major focus of sustainability assessments is on environmental impacts, specifically carbon footprint and energy use, while overlooking resource scarcity, ecosystem damage, and other environmental impacts. Similarly, economic and social dimensions of sustainability are also overlooked or fragmented. The authors call for a standardized, holistic framework that covers all life stages to enable fair comparisons with conventional construction.

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2026.100458

Guest Researcher from India visits UNU-FLORES

Dr. Ramesh Nayaka (IIT Dharwad, India), currently a guest researcher at TU Dresden under the IGSTC Paired Fellowship, recently visited UNU-FLORES alongside Dr. Cesare Signorini (CARE).

During his visit, Dr. Nayaka presented his innovative work on 3D-printable concrete inks incorporating recycled construction waste - an approach that advances sustainable materials use and circularity in the built environment. The visit offered a valuable opportunity for exchange on resource efficiency and emerging construction technologies.

A delegation of UNU-FLORES participated in the Freiberg University Forum at TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

As part of the event, Dr. Alexey Alekseenko, Head of Laboratory at UNU-FLORES, delivered a lecture on the "Resource Nexus approach in the post-mining sector,". He discussed integrated solutions for the sustainable management of land, water, energy, material, and other resources in mining regions that are undergoing transformation.

The forum also provided valuable networking opportunities. Berthy Kpiebaya and Mahsa Moodi used the event to connect with researchers working on topics related to urban mining and land rehabilitation and enjoyed the exchange of ideas that may lead to future collaborations.

SURE Hub presenting during Amazon Week 2026

Prof. Flávio de Andrade Silva presented during the session “Material Design Towards a Sustainable Future”, held in Dresden as part of the GRK 2250 closing event. The session was also included in the Amazon Week 2026 programme. He highlighted various projects in the Amazon that are being implemented through the United Nations University (UNU) Hub on Sustainability and Urban Resilience in Engineering (SURE).

The hub was collaboratively established by the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and the UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES). It serves as a platform for research, education, and outreach focused on accessible, sustainable, and climate-resilient housing, with particular attention to informal settlements as integral parts of urban life in Brazil and beyond.

Publication Spotlight

Our colleagues Gareth Simpson, Daniel Karthe, and Alexey Alekseenko, together with Zoe Simpson, published their paper on “The WEF Nexus Index and Human Development Index as complementary lenses of sustainable development” in the Sustainability Nexus Forum.

The WEF Nexus Index is strongly correlated with the Human Development Index (HDI), showing that countries with higher health, education, and income levels generally also have better and more equitable access to water, energy, and food.

High-HDI countries typically experience strong resource security, while low-HDI countries face resource scarcity or unequal distribution. However, some nations achieve high HDI despite limited resources, and others show good resource conditions without corresponding human development due to policy or structural gaps.

Overall, while HDI captures social progress, it does not assess sustainability. The WEF Nexus Index complements it by measuring resource security. Together, they provide a more complete, “Beyond GDP” view of development and support policymakers in identifying priorities and benchmarking progress across nations and regions.

Read the full paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00550-026-00592-6

The ocean is where water, energy, and food systems intersect

This , under the theme “Re:Imagine, Beyond the World We Know – A New Relationship with the Ocean,” we are invited to rethink our role from passive inheritors of the ocean’s generosity to active guardians of its future.

At the Dresden Nexus Conference Mediterranean Edition 2027, we carry this vision forward. Under the theme “Advancing the Resource Nexus: from the Source to Sea Continuum,” we connect science, policy, and practice to address how our water, energy, and food systems impact ocean health and planetary wellbeing.

When? 27–29 April 2027
Where? Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

Join us in turning Nexus thinking into action.

June 5 is

Heat. Floods. Drought.
More frequent. More intense. Too loud to ignore.

And yet, humanity is closer to the solutions than ever before.
What happens next is still in our hands.

At UNU-FLORES, we are advancing solutions through our work on:
- Resilient Food, Forest and Ecosystems
- Transformed Landscapes
- Sustainable Buildings and Construction
- Responsible Electronics
- Circular Textiles

All driven by a Approach to the sustainable management of environmental resources.

Join the movement. Share your voice, shift the narrative, and help accelerate the solutions already within reach.

Publication Spotlight: How Spatial Resolution of Soil Information Affects Hydrological Modeling in More Complex Topography—A Comparison for a Mesoscale Mountainous Watershed in NE Tanzania

Our doctoral researcher, Simon Chidodo, led a study on how soil data detail affects water modelling in Tanzania. It found that using high‑resolution soil information gives more accurate results than coarser global data. The improved data better captures underground water movement, reduces uncertainty, and strengthens model performance, especially for low water flows. This helps decision-makers manage watersheds more effectively, particularly in regions where detailed environmental data is limited.



Read the full paper here: https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/13/5/124