Universities and SDGs: evidence of engagement and contributions, and pathways for development

Hong, Xi; Calderón, A.; Coates, Hamish

doi:10.1080/23322969.2022.2121311

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…There is now a broad consensus that sustainability is no longer exclusively focused on the environment, but has widened its scope to encompass both society and the balance between humans and the earth [47]. Likewise, universities have begun to play a key role in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education, research, and cooperation with industries.…”

Section: Discussion Challenges and Possible Pitfallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the Gap between Academia and Society: Research, Training and Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development

Posadas de Julián,

Verdejo Lucas,

De Rueda Villén

et al. 2024

Preprint

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We are currently facing a potential ‘polycrisis’, a critical inflection point that requires a whole-of-society response aimed at building collective foresight and preparedness for short-, medium-, and long-term risks. The role of higher education institutions and social stakeholders is decisive to make an impact. This paper depicts the alignment of academia, governance, and industry with the aim to challenge, inspire, and encourage universities to go beyond commodified courses and mere employability, enhance student growth and bind macro-scale measures that lead to a sustainable future. A modest teaching innovation project has served as a transforming lever, with the private sector joining in, to create a platform that reaches more than 50 000 undergraduate students and teaching staff. The resulting structure, rooted in the University’s strategic plan, has served to channel local and regional initiatives, establish effective partnerships with broad social members, raise awareness and promote actions to advance in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. Chronology, materials and methodology, together with a description of the different courses, programmes and actions are provided. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research, policy and cooperation among stakeholders. Research methodology posted on clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT04392869, NCT05598944, and NCT05775978.

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Section: Discussion Challenges and Possible Pitfallsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the Gap between Academia and Society: Research, Training and Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development

Posadas de Julián,

Verdejo Lucas,

De Rueda Villén

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…UCE (Munro et al, 2016;Benneworth, 2018;Farnell et al, 2020;Hong et al, 2022), relates to a wide range of engagement between students, staff and management with communities and external organizations aimed at generating mutual benefits between the parties. This is often framed within the context of university's third mission, with the others being teaching and research.…”

Section: Partnerships and The Un Sustainable Development Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…UCE also act as an important mechanism for promoting awareness within the university community (Leal Filho et al, 2021b). In general, universities have the capability to contribute to the SDGs through teaching, research, and engagement as one of the main sources of expertise and knowledge, but also by making their campus more sustainable and by including the SDGs as strategic institutional agendas (Hong et al, 2022).…”

Section: Partnerships and The Un Sustainable Development Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping universities-communities partnerships in the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals

Leal Filho,

Dibbern,

Viera Trevisan

et al. 2023

Front. Environ. Sci.

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The establishment of partnerships between universities and communities can significantly support the implementation of initiatives related to sustainability as a whole and help to realize some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Despite the usefulness of mapping of partnerships, there is a perceived necessity for studies, which may shed some light on these interactions, and the many advantages they offer. Against this background, this paper reports on a study which has assessed the extent to which partnerships between universities and communities may assist in achieving the SDGs. Methodologically, by means of a bibliometric analysis and the use of a set of enlightening case studies, the paper introduces some of the partnerships being implemented today and draws the lessons learned, which may be helpful in future initiatives. A total of eight initiatives are presented and discussed during the paper. The results suggest that more joint efforts are needed, as part of efforts to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs at the university level, including a list of measures that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) could apply to address those goals. Overall, this research contributes to the sustainability area by providing empirical evidence, insights, and recommendations for fostering partnerships between universities and communities. It adds to the existing body of knowledge and understanding of how collaborative efforts can contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs.

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“…The aim of the SDGs is to mobilise efforts to end all of forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind. Out of the 169 targets which are included under the SDGs, higher education (HE) and universities are called out directly in only two instances; but there are 60 instances (i.e., targets) across the SDGs in which HEIs play a pivotal role and are a synergy between regional development and the achievement of those goals (Calderon, 2021a; Hong et al, 2022). Lozano (2006) observes that HE initiatives have occurred after the societal ones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Rankings: What they are About and How to make them Meaningful

Calderón

2023

Journal of Studies in International Education

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Higher education institutions (HEIs) have long embraced a path towards sustainability and engaged in supporting sustainable development. The adoption of the sustainability development goals has forced HEIs to assess how they engage with these goals and how they address societal challenges head on. However, the emergence of sustainability rankings is when HEIs began to focus on promoting these institutional efforts in earnest. The aim of this article is to put in perspective the various sustainability rankings which have emerged over the past fifteen years, discuss some of the methodological nuances of these, and highlight the disparity in performance of HEIs across world regions. This article also suggests some ways in which these rankings can be improved and ways in which the administrative burden of supplying and analysing data can be strengthened.

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Universities and SDGs: evidence of engagement and contributions, and pathways for development

Cited by 7 publications

References 71 publications

Bridging the Gap between Academia and Society: Research, Training and Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development

Bridging the Gap between Academia and Society: Research, Training and Strategic Alliances for Sustainable Development

Mapping universities-communities partnerships in the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability Rankings: What they are About and How to make them Meaningful

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