Registration for CoCuRE Workshop 2026
We are delighted to invite you to participate in our Collaborative Educators Workshop: “CoCuRE - Complementary Currencies for Regenerative Economics”, a Blended Intensive Program (BIP) co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Higher Education Program. This initiative is coordinated by Bernd Ankenbrand and Ester Barinaga and will be hosted by the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS). The program combines three 1-hour online meetings between January and February 2026 with an in-person, 5-day retreat at the THWS Campus in Schweinfurt, Germany, from 2–6 March 2026.
Please complete this form by 28 November 2025 to secure your participation.
The workshop is limited to 20 participants and requires at least 10 from three EU institutions.
For questions contact:
Prof. Dr. Bernd Ankenbrand (Academic Contact of this BIP) - bernd.ankenbrand[at]thws.de
Maike Antlitz (Erasmus+ Coordinator, THWS) - maike.antlitz[at]thws.de
Purpose and Objectives
Running in parallel with conventional money, complementary currencies—from regional currencies and time banks to crypto and energy-based systems— have the potential to play a key role in building more sustainable and inclusive economies. Yet, high-quality teaching materials on these topics remain scarce.
This BIP aims to jointly develop open educational resources (OERs) to fill that gap, including
- Teaching Cases
- Video mini-lectures and digital storytelling materials
- Pedagogic games (role plays, interactive monetary simulations)
Together, we hope to create a shared knowledge base for educators aiming to empower students to engage critically and creatively with real-world socio-economic challenges around money, governance, and regeneration.
Methods and Activities
The BIP will blend collaborative design workshops, peer review sessions, and digital co-creation tools. Participants are encouraged to bring one or two existing teaching resources, and in return will leave with a portfolio of at least ten new, peer-developed materials - and memories of a great time spent with fellow educators passionate about complementary currencies for regenerative economics :-)
All outputs will be published as open educational resources (OERs) for wide dissemination through partner universities and public repositories.
In addition, participants will receive training and hands-on support on using emerging AI tools for educational design—such as Perplexity, notebooklm.google.com, and HeyGen avatars - and create H5P interactive content compatible with learning platforms like Moodle, WordPress, or Canvas.
Virtual phase (3 one-hour meetings between January–February 2026):
- Online introductions, idea sharing, and peer review sessions
- Collaborative mapping of existing pedagogical resources
In-person retreat (5 days in Schweinfurt, 2–6 March 2026):
- Peer exchanges and co-creation labs for developing teaching materials following the Design Thinking process
- Evening discussions and networking
- Optional excursions to the World Heritage sites of Würzburg and/or Bamberg
Our Erasmus+ co-funding covers food, refreshments (including plenty of cookies), and workshop facilities during the retreat, as well as support for the dissemination of developed OERs in journals and conferences.
Travel and Accommodation
Participants from European higher education institutions can apply for travel funding via Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Training (STT). Please use the BIP-ID 2024-1-DE01-KA131-HED-000227638-3 and the Erasmus Code D WURZBUR03 of the THWS, when contacting your International Office to confirm eligibility. (Here as an example, the description of STT at THWS)
If you are not affiliated with an EU higher education institution, you are still warmly invited to join (for instance, to develop a teaching case around your complementary currency initiative).
The THWS Campus in Schweinfurt is centrally located in the heart of Europe, making it easily accessible from across the continent. The city is well connected by train links via Würzburg and Bamberg, both of which are major hubs on Germany’s high-speed rail network. The nearest international airports are Frankfurt (FRA) and Nuremberg (NUE), each offering convenient onward train connections to Schweinfurt.
A broad range of accommodation options is available—from the picturesque Youth Hostel by the river Main, to budget-friendly hotels such as B&B Hotel Schweinfurt-City, up to conference hotels including the Kolping Hotel or Mercure Hotel.