This work is focused on the inclusion of the sustainability issue in both the academic and industrial sectors. For that, MSc projects are carried out in the frame of collaborative research projects at the University of the Basque Country in collaboration with private companies, technology centers and Basque Excellence Research Centers (BERCs) within the Elkartek Program funded by the Basque Government. In this way, the students of the Master in Renewable Materials Engineering have the opportunity to assess the whole production process of more environmentally friendly materials from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life of the product after disposal. Additionally, as engineering students, they must apply the sustainability approach to the optimization of the processes involved in the production of the bio-based and biodegradable materials, minimizing the resources used, both chemicals and energy, in order reduce the production costs and the environmental impacts associated to these processes. In this regard, the students must get familiar with the tools provided by the industry to measure the environmental load associated to the products developed in order to be able to put more sustainable and competitive products in the market. This University-Industry cooperation provides the students with the opportunity to assess the required properties for the specific application in a close collaboration with the industrial partners, which offer a closer point of view of the market needs. In this context, the students have developed specific and transversal skills in relation to safer, healthier and more sustainable production ecosystems, a new range of products for a population with an increasing concern about the environment, incorporating the biotechnology.

Keywords: Sustainability, engineering, University-Industry collaboration.