The Global Research Academy, an interdisciplinary summer school for doctoral students launched by Freie Universität Berlin, King's College London and the Universidade de São Paulo, has completed its first two phases. These took place on 17-19 July in London and on 21-23 July in Berlin. The programme consisted of theoretical seminars and many visits to local sustainable initiatives in the cities.

In London, for example, the group visited the King's Cross neighbourhood, which is reinventing itself within an urban regeneration initiative. In Berlin, the participants visited the Floating University and also the 100% Tempelhofer Feld initiative. The programme was jointly developed and accompanied by academics from the three universities. From King's College this was Dr. Robert Cowley (Geography), from the Universidade de São Paulo Prof. Fábio Kon (Computer Science) and from the Free University Prof. Sérgio Costa (Sociology).

The very international group of participants was made up of ten doctoral students from each of the three universities. This group in turn divided into smaller working groups, which designed projects on the topic of "Sustainable Cities" and will work on these until the final stage of the Summer School, which is planned for the beginning of 2023 in São Paulo. The aim is to network the young researchers from the three universities and to publish a paper on the group projects.