Introduction

There is a general consensus that the SDGs are unattainable by government action alone. As indicated by SDG 17, there is a need for global partnerships. To-date, there has been a robust discussion of how to involve the business sector and civil society, but the role that higher education might play is only starting to be considered in a meaningful way.

Universities can help in the investigation, data collection and analysis, and exploration of what is required to achieve the SDGs. Any university that is conducting research is arguably supporting the development of solutions to the challenges framed by the goals, however, this work may not be driven by the SDGs. Highlighting the connections between HEI research and the goals can help to inform national governments, the United Nations, and other actors working on implementation while meeting the intellectual priorities of faculty and the curiosity of students.

“Make room for interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary research. This is needed to ensure that the SDG targets are fully understood in specific places and context and that they are not arbitrarily reduced to what is encountered or what is convenient to those in power. Interdisciplinary research has been on the rise in universities over the past several decades and sustainability institutes and sustainability studies are a cornerstone of interdisciplinary work.”

– Professor Harro von Blottnitz, Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Cape Town, South Africa [2]

Opportunities

By its nature, academic research must be empirically-driven. However, given the focus of universities on innovation and knowledge generation, there is ample opportunity for authentic and organic exploration of connections. Within higher education, there is increasing interest in applied research and active learning, which presents the opportunity to connect the global priorities offered by the goals to coursework and extended research projects.

Politics needs sound knowledge and technology

Despite legitimate criticism of the practical feasibility of 17 global goals with 169 targets and 232 indicators, the SDGs relate directly to our planet’s most pressing problems and integrate the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. More importantly, unlike the Millennium Development Goals, which focused primarily on developing countries, the goals of the 2030 Agenda apply to all countries. This means all countries are called upon in equal measure to solve the pressing challenges of the world together, and to commit themselves to sustainable development within their scopes. With the rise of fake news and a boom in conspiracy theories, objective knowledge and sound technical solutions are needed more urgently than ever. HEIs can help to develop this knowledge.

Educating tomorrow’s leaders

One of the most impactful ways HEIs contribute to sustainable development is in education of tomorrow’s professionals, constituents, parents, community members, and leaders. As well as providing these individuals with scientific and technical knowledge, universities can equip students to contribute to the requisitely multi-faceted creation of a sustainable future. There is no denying that today’s students will graduate in an increasingly complex world and are unlikely to be able to avoid facing the challenges reflected in the SDGs. There is an imperative to prepare students with an understanding of the inherent ethical and cultural values. Accordingly, universities foster innovation and passion to be change agents for a flourishing society. As universities consider this capacity, there is an opportunity to commit to reinvigorating approaches to education to include flexible and creative teaching, interdisciplinary learning, and mechanisms for critically rethinking established societal concepts.

Urgent call for technical and social innovation

The idea of scholarly activities being conducted with a commitment to the service of the general public is often met with resistance. While many members of the scientific community are aware that a focus on practical application can be essential to progress, there are still many who maintain that shifting from empirical science to applied solutions diminishes the credibility of the outcomes. However, policymakers, companies, NGOs, and UN groups urgently need new knowledge and technology transfer from research into practice to address major societal challenges such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, or global food security. As HEIs consider their role in governing the global commons, innovation should be at the forefront.

Figure 1. Win-win situation for mutual collaboration: the SDG framework supports the work of the higher education institutions while higher education institutions can help to reach the successful implementation of the SDGs (modified after SDSN Australia/Pacific 2017: Getting started with the SDGs in universities).

Hurdles & Solutions

Vague and varied SDG objectives, targets, and indicators

Hurdle: The 169 targets and over 200 indicators of the SDGs differ greatly in their quality and in their number of measurable indicators. Some SDGs only refer to a few targets and indicators (e.g. SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy – to 5 targets and 6 indicators). Other SDGs define many targets and indicators (e.g. SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals – with 19 targets and 25 indicators respectively). Additionally, indicators of one SDG contradict the targets of another SDG (e.g. SDG 9.1.2 ‘passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport’ contradicts SDG 13 ‘take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts’). Some indicators refer to quantitative and measurable variables (e.g. SDG 13.1.2 ‘number of deaths, missing persons and persons affected by disaster per 100,000 people’) while other indicators are defined more generally and qualitatively (e.g. SDG 15.2.1 ‘progress towards sustainable forest management’).

Solution: This sort of enigmatic puzzle is the bread-and-butter of HEIs. Transdisciplinary teams of researchers and students can contribute fresh ideas and additional thought dimensions to these complexities.

Timing, Focus, and Expectations

Hurdle: Governments and UN organizations may want useful answers quickly, but researchers may want to take the time to ensure that they are giving the most analytically robust information. Academic inquiry is also often focused on why things happen, rather than how it might be addressed. Thus, analytically rigorous outcomes from academia may not be consistent with what UN groups or policymakers want to hear. Similarly,  to maintain credibility in their own fields, academics may be unwilling to simplify or filter research outcomes to suit the needs of policymakers.

Solution: If addressing SDG-related challenges can be framed as multi-year endeavors and apportioned to various classes and students over the course of identifying solutions, there is potential to both develop meaningful approaches and augment the learning experience for participating students.

Below are a series of case studies demonstrating in-action and real-life examples.

University of Copenhagen: A Massive Open Online Course, produced by the Sustainability Science Centre and Centre for Online and Blended Learning, on the Sustainable Development Goals

Yale University: Developing a Matrix Mapping Yale’s Teaching and Research Connections to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

ETH Zurich: ETH Week – six challenging days to educate change agents for sustainably (forthcoming)

University of California, Berkeley: The University of California Critical Refugee Studies Collective (forthcoming)

 Quick Tips

1. Mapping how current scholarly work relates to the SDGs may be helpful in providing opportunities for collaboration between disparate parts of universities and connecting work to sustainability, but it is not an absolute or prescriptive process.
2. Some HEIs have created cross-disciplinary majors, minors, and concentrations. A review of existing courses and degrees may highlight opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaboration and help to illuminate pathways for students to engage with topics not traditionally listed in their major or focus.
3. Co-teaching a course on the SDGs can allow faculty from different disciplines to provide expertise in diverse areas. Just imagine a course about water that is co-taught by instructors from ecology, public health, divinity, engineering, and economics…
4. It may be helpful to prepare a briefing for leadership within an HEI to elucidate how the teaching and research related to the SDGs can advance their goals and support the excellence of the institution.

Footnotes

[2] Moore, E., Pailman, W., Stuart-Smith, R., Tran, M. (2019). Global Priorities, Educated Solutions: The role of academia in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. International Alliance of Research Universities.