15th Healthy Universities North Network Conference: Ideas for an Active and Health-Promoting Campus

Clausthal-Zellerfeld, March 10, 2026  

Under the motto “Transforming Universities, Getting Campuses Moving, Promoting Health,” the 15th Network Conference took place on March 10, 2026, at Clausthal University of Technology. Around 40 representatives from universities, academia, and the professional field gathered in the Aula Academica to exchange ideas on innovative approaches to health promotion in the university context and to provide new impetus for the further development of activity-friendly universities. With so many guests from the network and beyond, Dr.-Ing. Sylvia Schattauer, President of Clausthal University of Technology, took the opportunity to personally welcome the participants.  

Strengthening Physical Activity and Health in Everyday University Life

The conference focused on the question of how physical activity, health, and learning can be more strongly integrated into everyday university life. Various keynote presentations highlighted different perspectives on this topic—from spaces for physical activity on campus to health-oriented teaching formats and low-threshold incentive systems for more physical activity in daily life.

The Path to the Health and Technology Campus

A special focus was placed on current developments at Clausthal University of Technology. The Sports Institute is working with many other stakeholders to develop a Health and Technology Campus as part of a participatory transformation process. The goal is to embed health-promoting structures and offerings directly into everyday university life and to enable physical activity where it has been lacking so far.

Exchange, Networking, and Practical Insights

In addition to expert presentations, the conference offered a variety of opportunities for exchange and networking. A joint “Walk and Talk” session across campus led participants, among other places, to the newly designed exercise area in the immediate vicinity of the university library. In subsequent workshops, ideas and approaches were discussed on how to concretely shape a healthy and active university life.

A shared vision for the future

The event concluded with a joint reflection on possible next steps and a roadmap for the further transformation of universities into health-promoting places of learning and work.

For Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Sdrenka, Director of the Sports Institute at Clausthal University of Technology, the network conference clearly demonstrates how important exchange within the network is for the further development of health-promoting universities: “If we want to sustainably embed health and physical activity on campus, we need shared ideas, bold approaches, and the active participation of the university community. This is precisely what the network conference we organized provides: an important space for this.”

The network conference once again underscores the importance of cooperation, exchange, and participation for the sustainable development of health-promoting universities. Clausthal University of Technology and the team at the Institute of Sports Science are delighted by the numerous ideas generated and the ongoing dialogue within the network.

Text: Dr. Sebastian Sdrenka