Your Journey into Sustainable Business
The Responsible Business Forum (RBF) invites recent graduates and final-year undergraduate and master’s students to apply for Sustainability Starter – an educational program designed to provide practical knowledge for building a career in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
What does the program include?
Over six online sessions, participants will explore topics such as socially responsible business practices, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, sustainability strategies and leadership, funding opportunities, and the role of innovation, technology, and corporate philanthropy. A dedicated part of the program will focus on impact measurement and reporting, as well as public policies shaping the field.
The program runs from October to December 2025. In November, participants will tackle the #SustainabilityChallenge with support from mentors and experts. Divided into teams, they will develop innovative solutions to key business challenges, such as reducing production carbon footprints, improving energy efficiency, or promoting employment of vulnerable groups. Their solutions will then be presented to the business community at the CSR&ESG Forum, the largest CSR event in Serbia.
Benefits for participants
- Theoretical and practical knowledge of sustainable development and socially responsible business
- Lectures and workshops led by sustainability experts and representatives of RBF member companies
- Teamwork on a real business challenge (#SustainabilityChallenge case study)
- Presentation of solutions at Serbia’s largest CSR event – CSR&ESG Forum
- Certificate of participation upon successful completion of the program
- Opportunity to build networks and take first steps toward a career in sustainability
Eligibility and Selection
The program is open to final-year undergraduate and master’s students, as well as graduates within 12 months of completing their studies. Up to 30 candidates will be selected based on motivation, relevant education, and interest in sustainability topics.
How to apply
Interested participants must complete the online application form by October 10, 2025, 11:59 PM.
Key Dates
- Application deadline: October 10, 2025
- Program duration: Late October to December 4, 2025
- Certification and presentation of #SustainabilityChallenge solutions: December 4, 2025
About the Program
Now in its fifth year (second year under this name), the program has brought together a large number of young people who gained key knowledge and valuable contacts for their early professional steps. Its goal is to provide participants with a safe entry into the world of sustainable business—a field that increasingly shapes how companies operate and society develops. Participants gain firsthand experience of how corporations apply sustainable development principles in practice and take part in creating solutions that bring real change.
About the Responsible Business Forum
Guided by the motto “Better Business for a Better Society,” the Forum brings together companies that contribute to societal development through sustainable practices. It encourages the business sector to be an active and reliable partner in the communities where it operates. The Forum empowers companies to operate according to sustainability, responsibility, and ethical principles, and through synergy of resources and knowledge, it promotes good business practices that deliver measurable social and environmental impact.
