There are many problems we want and need to solve in the world – so many that it can feel overwhelming to even know where to begin. But what if we had a guide for how to approach these challenges in a smarter, more sustainable way? In a sense, we do. Nature has spent billions of years learning how to adapt, use resources wisely, and keep systems running in changing environments – and there’s a lot we can learn from it.
This workshop explores how biological systems – from organisms to whole ecosystems – can offer practical inspiration for building more resilient, sustainable ventures. Across the weekend, you’ll learn the core principles of “biomimicry” and discover how nature’s strategies can help us rethink growth, resources, and value creation. Instead of treating sustainability as an add-on, we look at how living systems thrive: through efficient use of energy, circular flows, mutual support, and continuous adaptation.
Day one focuses on learning from nature: observing patterns, understanding how ecosystems work, and exploring what “nature as mentor” actually means. Day two shifts into action: using these insights to design real, nature-inspired solutions to local or global challenges. You’ll work in teams, prototype ideas, and experiment with approaches that encourage long-term thinking and regenerative design.
What You’ll learn:
- How to use nature’s strategies to inspire smarter, more sustainable design ideas.
- How to rethink value and growth by looking at how living systems create and share resources.
- How to see problems through an ecosystem lens and understand how everything is connected.
- How to apply biomimicry principles to real challenges and test nature-inspired solutions.
- How to collaborate across disciplines in ways that mirror the interconnectedness of natural systems.
About the instructors
Dr. Anna Maria Orrù is a designer, researcher, and educator whose work combines biomimicry, artistic research, and ecological design. With a PhD in Architecture/Artistic Research from Chalmers University of Technology, she focuses on hands-on, performative methods that help people engage with sustainability in creative, practical ways. Anna Maria teaches at Konstfack and co-coordinates the Social Ecological Design master’s programme at IED Turin. She is also co-founder of Nordic Biomimicry, a centre dedicated to working with nature as mentor, measure, and method. Outside academia, she cares for bees, tends an olive grove, and runs a biodynamic vineyard that supports her Monte Preti Nature School in Tuscany.
Dr. Fredrik Moberg is a systems ecologist, author, and communicator specialising in sustainability science. He co-founded Albaeco, an organisation that translates cutting-edge research into practical insights for innovation and policy. Fredrik is also deputy head of communication and a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. His work spans sustainable business strategy, resource management, and resilience thinking, and he has served on strategic councils and prize juries within Nordic environmental and innovation fields. He is the author of Den uppfinningsrika planeten (2021), a popular science book introducing biomimicry to Swedish readers.
This biomimicry weekend workshop connects to Entrepreneurial Mindset and our Biomimicry bootcamp; for a research lens, read The Actual Skills You Need for Sustainable Entrepreneurship
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ELIGIBILITY & SELECTION
All students and alumni of SSES member universities are eligible to apply to this weekend workshop. We get many applications and unfortunately cannot accept everyone. The selection process is outlined below.
For this specific workshop, you as an attendee will be requested to present yourself and what motivates you to learn about frugal innovation by uploading a short personal video. We also ask that you share in what area you would like to identify opportunities for frugal innovation and why.
SELECTION PROCESS
- Application is reviewed
- Selection is made and a confirmation email is sent out
- Participants must confirm their seat in order to secure the spot
- If spots are not confirmed in time, the waitlist will be reviewed and new participants selected
