Bachelor & Master Theses · R&D · Publications
Bachelor & Master Thesis Collaborations That Deliver Real R&D Value
A three-to-six-month Bachelor or Master thesis is one of the most focused ways to investigate a new AI method, sustainability dataset, or evaluation benchmark. We help companies define an academically sound thesis topic that answers a real product question, match motivated students from our research network, and turn prototypes into maintained open-source modules.
Typical challenges
Why company theses often miss their potential
Common pitfalls when engineering or sustainability teams host a thesis student alone
If a topic reads like a software feature ticket, university chairs reject it. If it is purely theoretical, the company never uses the thesis after submission.
Students lose their first two months trying to get data access, define labels, or set up basic pipelines before any real scientific experiment begins.
Company supervisors know their product domain well, but often lack the time to coach experimental design, statistical evaluation, or academic writing.
Once the thesis PDF is handed in, the student's repository is rarely maintained or integrated—turning six months of R&D effort into shelfware.
For companies
What companies gain from a co-supervised thesis
Focused 3-to-6-month R&D exploration without overloading your core engineering team
Sharp thesis scoping that fits university & product
We formulate a precise research question with clear baselines, metrics, and data boundaries that satisfies university examiners and directly informs your technical roadmap.
Access to pre-vetted students & researchers
We match thesis candidates from our previous research projects and the NLP4Climate community, and connect with relevant academic chairs from our partner network.
Open-source module handover & maintenance
When the thesis implementation is structured as a modular component in an open framework such as OpenSustainability Analysis, we maintain it long-term so your company avoids maintenance debt.
Straightforward HR setup in Germany
In Germany, students contracted solely to write their degree thesis without separate operational work are exempt from social security reporting, making administration straightforward for HR teams.
How a thesis collaboration runs
Step 1: Define the exposé & dual success criteria
We translate the company's R&D challenge into a concise thesis exposé with clear research questions, datasets, baselines, and university-compatible milestones.
Step 2: Match student & align academic chair
We select a suitable Bachelor or Master candidate from our research pool and coordinate with the university examiner on scope and timeline.
Step 3: Co-supervise experiments & open-source code
Over the three-to-six-month thesis period, we hold regular methodological and technical check-ins so the student's code and evaluation remain reproducible.
Step 4: Thesis submission, open release & paper
The student submits their thesis to the university, the software module is merged and maintained in our open-source stack, and we co-author a research paper where findings warrant publication.
Connected services
Connected student & R&D pathways
Explore related ways to structure student research and R&D funding
Hire a working student on a scoped research task or open-source module—often used before or after a thesis.
Host a full-time mandatory intern in Germany for three to six months to build a dataset or open-source module ahead of a Master thesis.
Larger multi-partner research collaborations connecting companies, university labs, and domain experts.
How we help startups define their overall R&D topic and organize execution around eligible research uncertainties.
For Bachelor & Master students
What students get when writing their thesis with us
Support from topic definition to publication and open-source impact
Vetted, relevant thesis topics
Choose from concrete research questions in climate NLP, sustainability report analysis, greenwashing detection, fact-checking, or climate risk data.
Publish a research paper together
Strong Master and Bachelor theses should not end in a drawer. We actively support turning validated thesis findings into co-authored conference, workshop, or working papers.
Collaboration with companies & researchers
Work directly with domain practitioners who care about your results and experienced researchers who help you design rigorous experiments.
Existing tools, baselines & datasets
Build on top of established open-source infrastructure like OpenSustainability Analysis and existing benchmarks instead of starting from scratch.
NLP4Climate community exchange
Present your work-in-progress in NLP4Climate focus groups and monthly calls to get feedback from international peers.
Bridge from Werkstudent or Pflichtpraktikum
Many students start as a working student or mandatory intern to familiarize themselves with the codebase before starting their thesis.
Case studies
Real examples from our thesis & research collaborations
How student theses, company bottlenecks, and open-source frameworks reinforce each other
Master thesis conducted with Europa-Universität Viadrina, the University of Zurich, and Climate+Tech using AI tools to analyze corporate carbon emission compliance evasion—evolving into a collaborative working paper.
Originated from Score4More's need to distinguish merely relevant sustainability passages from decision-useful evidence. Developed with University of Zurich researchers into an annotated benchmark and paper.
Open-source report analysis framework developed across our research and engineering community, providing a modular testbed where student theses can plug in directly.
Joint research and open-source development across university groups and student researchers to verify climate claims and build standardized evaluation datasets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who officially grades the Bachelor or Master thesis?
Formal academic supervision and grading always remain with the accredited university professor or examiner. Climate+Tech and the partner company provide the practical research problem, domain context, technical co-supervision, and open-source infrastructure.
How does German social security law treat a thesis contract?
In Germany, if a student is contracted with a company exclusively to create their required Bachelor or Master thesis and performs no separate operational work for the company, the arrangement is generally exempt from social security contributions and reporting—even if the company pays a fixed thesis stipend or remuneration. If the student also works part-time on operational or broader R&D tasks, companies often combine or precede the thesis with a working student contract. See our HR & CTO Guide for a full comparison.
What happens to intellectual property and open-source modules?
We agree on boundaries before the thesis starts. Company-specific data and proprietary logic stay confidential, while generalizable evaluation pipelines or software modules can be published open source inside frameworks we maintain—ensuring the student can publish their thesis without NDA friction and the company receives a maintained component.
Can a thesis lead to a peer-reviewed paper?
Yes, when the methodology is rigorous and the findings are original. Our collaborations around UsefulBench and Lolie Cambolive's carbon compliance research show how applied problems and Master theses transition into working papers and academic publications.
Have a Thesis Idea or R&D Bottleneck?
Talk to us to scope a Bachelor or Master thesis collaboration or apply as a thesis candidate.
We usually reply within a few working days.
Discuss a Bachelor or Master Thesis Collaboration
Whether you are a company looking to host a co-supervised thesis or a student looking for a thesis topic in climate AI and sustainability, send us a short note.