Business & Climate Action Summer School 2026

• Morning: Welcome & Team-Building Activity; Introduction to Businesses and Climate Actions
• Afternoon: Montreal city tour
• Evening: Welcome reception

• Morning: Climate Action Strategy, Business Model Transformation
• Afternoon: Company visit 1
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: Carbon Accounting, Carbon Accounting Inventory Activity
• Afternoon: Sustainability reporting, Sustainability reporting game
• Evening: Cultural experience (Canadian food reception)

• Morning: Business Decarbonization: Planning, Measuring & Controlling, Decarbonization Game (“Business Race to Zero”)
• Afternoon: Group project work
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: The Daily Carbon Footprint Challenge, Responsible Production & Consumption
• Afternoon: Team-building activity
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: From Governance to Group Dynamics (Facilitating Robust Collaboration in Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Decarbonization)
• Afternoon: 
  • Option 1: Incubator Scrum – District 3 Incubator
  • Option 2: Company visit 2
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: Group project work
• Afternoon: FinTech, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: Climate Finance & Innovative Blended Finance Vehicles
• Afternoon: Climate Finance Use Cases
• Evening: Festival visit to Les FrancoFolies de Montréal

• Morning: Climate Resilience & Adaptation and Operations, Assets & Supply Chains
• Afternoon: Group project presentation & closing
• Evening: No scheduled activity

• Morning: Field Trip to Ottawa (Climate Policy & Regulation for Businesses), including meetings with leading organizations and government agencies
• Afternoon: Ottawa city tour
• Evening: Return from Ottawa

About the field experience

• Connect theory with practice through visits to industrial sites such as hydroelectric facilities, aluminum operations, and port infrastructure, offering insight into decarbonization in resource-intensive economies.
• Support CBI flagship initiatives, including the greenhouse tomato feasibility effort for northern Quebec, with opportunities to consult local stakeholders and understand environmental and socio-economic constraints.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration by enabling meaningful dialogue with professors, industry leaders, and community representatives.

Educational benefits

• Connect theory with practice through visits to industrial sites such as hydroelectric facilities, aluminum operations, and port infrastructure, offering insight into decarbonization in resource-intensive economies.
• Support CBI flagship initiatives, including the greenhouse tomato feasibility effort for northern Quebec, with opportunities to consult local stakeholders and understand environmental and socio-economic constraints.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration by enabling meaningful dialogue with professors, industry leaders, and community representatives.

• Connect theory with practice through visits to industrial sites such as hydroelectric facilities, aluminum operations, and port infrastructure, offering insight into decarbonization in resource-intensive economies.
• Support CBI flagship initiatives, including the greenhouse tomato feasibility effort for northern Quebec, with opportunities to consult local stakeholders and understand environmental and socio-economic constraints.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration by enabling meaningful dialogue with professors, industry leaders, and community representatives.

• Dates: June 20–27, 2026
• Route: Montreal, Tadoussac, Baie-Comeau, Manic-5, Sept-Îles, then Havre-St-Pierre.
• Activities: Industrial site visits, cultural engagements, discussions with regional stakeholders, and ecological observation activities.
• Whale observation along the Route des Baleines is included as a unique environmental education component, highlighting climate impacts on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Funding: Travel and accommodations are covered by sponsors; students are responsible only for meals, insurance, and optional personal activities.
• Selection: Based on submitted essay and sponsorship availability.

• The Sept-Îles North Shore Field Experience is an optional and limited extension of the Business & Climate Action Summer School.
• Due to logistical capacities, travel arrangements, and sponsorship constraints, the number of available seats is restricted, and not all students who apply for both the Summer School and the field experience will be able to participate in the extension.
• Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to make their decision to apply to the summer school independently of the possibility of being selected for the field experience. Acceptance into the summer school does not guarantee acceptance into the Sept-Îles extension, and students should be aware that selection for the field experience is competitive and contingent on multiple factors. This approach ensures fairness and transparency while helping manage expectations and avoid potential disappointment.
• This experience is offered as a non-credit activity, meaning it does not count toward academic degree requirements but instead serves as an enriching experiential learning opportunity.

If you are interested in participating in this optional extension or would like to support the initiative through sponsorship or funding contributions, please feel free to reach out to Virginie Chane-Teng at chaneteng.virginie@concordia.ca and Denis Schweizer at denis.schweizer@concordia.ca. They will be happy to provide further details, answer any questions and guide you through the next steps of the selection or partnership process.

Submit the application for the Business and Climate Action Summer School through the portal by the application deadline of February 13, 2026. 

Your application must include:

• Copy of your most recent transcript
• CV
• Letter of intent of 500 words maximum describing why you wish to participate in the Business and Climate Action Summer School and the objectives you hope to pursue during the program. You should also indicate what perspectives, strengths or contributions you believe you will bring to the group and how this program aligns with your academic or professional interests in sustainability and climate action.

Application requirements for the optional “Sept-Îles North Shore Field Experience”

Students who wish to participate in the Sept-Îles North Shore Field Experience must indicate this interest when submitting their summer school application and must include the required research essay as part of the same submission.

Participation in the field experience is only available to students applying to the main program, and the additional essay is necessary for consideration for the extension.

Selection for the extension is based on the research essay (maximum 500 words) — which should concisely analyze a climate-related challenge facing Quebec’s North Shore region and demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of its environmental, industrial, and socio-economic dimensions — together with the overall strength of the applicant’s summer school application package.

Final admissions decisions will be made by the program directors, Denis Schweizer and Matthäus Tekathen, in consultation with Concordia International by February 25, 2026.

By March 16, 2026, admitted students must submit the program fee to secure their spot in the program.

This program is open to undergraduate students and graduate students. To participate in the field school, students must meet the following requirements:

Undergraduate students

• Be enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program
• Have completed at least 30 credits (60 ECTS) toward your current degree program by the end of the academic year

Graduate students

• Be enrolled in a Master’s or MBA program
• Have completed at least nine credits (18 ECTS) toward your current degree program by the end of the academic year

• Attendance: Students must commit to attending all scheduled sessions, site visits and program activities throughout the duration of the program.
• Language: The program is delivered entirely in English. Students must be capable of full academic participation in English. This means students require at least an English level B2 (upper intermediate) on the CEFR scale.
• Enrolment status: Students must be enrolled in a recognized post-secondary degree program and in good academic standing.
• Travel documents: Students are responsible for ensuring they possess all required travel documentation (ID, visa, permits, proof of medical insurance, etc.) necessary for participation.