A university
for the world
Our commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals
For 574 years the University of Glasgow has been changing the world; from pioneering innovations and inventions to inspiring generations of students to use their knowledge and skills as a force for good.
In the intervening centuries, we have made great progress in further widening access to education and continuing to transform our Gilmorehill estate, investing around £1.5bn in recent years to create thriving new spaces for collaboration and learning.
Of course, education is a major vehicle for reducing inequality. It opens doors to opportunity, leads to better paid jobs and helps build more inclusive societies. However, addressing inequality goes beyond education. It’s important to ensure we are directly tackling the root causes of inequity: poor health; environment; socioeconomic inequalities; and discrimination.
Here in Glasgow, our work is rooted in place. We remain resolutely focused on improving outcomes for communities across our city region, driving inclusive economic growth through the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District and addressing stubborn inequalities through our broad portfolio of research.
But our civic mission doesn’t end at the city’s boundary. The challenges we face and the solutions we seek are global. The very fabric of our societies relies on having strong institutions which stand with those most marginalised, wherever they are. To truly fulfil our civic purpose, we must engage meaningfully with global challenges.
Through the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we have a shared framework for this work. We have a collective mission across our University to mobilise our science, research, innovation, teaching and community action to effect change at a local and global level. We must work together to take an all-encompassing approach to address the major challenges facing the world, from racial injustices and gender inequality to disease and poverty, climate change and food insecurity.
We are grateful to each and every member of our community who has played their part so far. Looking ahead, we will use our role as an anchor institution to forge closer local partnerships and to build new global, interdisciplinary collaborations based on equity and a shared commitment to the SDGs.
Professor Andy Schofield
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow
Purpose
Our latest report is our fifth annual publication, providing examples of some of the work and activity that has been taking place across the University of Glasgow (and beyond) to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals across the last few years.
We continue to look at four areas of activity:
- Research
- Learning and teaching
- University operations
- Civic engagement
We are immensely proud of the dedication and innovation shown by every part of our community in supporting the aim of the goals. From ensuring our wider local community directly benefits from Glasgow’s role as a civic anchor institution with global connections, to championing education as an engine for social progress, the work outlined in this report provides a snap-shot of some of the things we do as a University; but the range and breadth of our impact and research activities is much broader. This report, and our accompanying web pages, exemplifies our commitment to not only being one of the best universities in the world, but the best University for the world.
The report was compiled and produced as a shared endeavour by Planning, Insight & Analytics and External Relations. We want to extend our thanks both to colleagues in these directorates for their help and guidance in producing the report, and to colleagues across the University for their valued input and their continued focus on the UN's SDGs.
Find out about our progress towards the 17 SDGs:
Looking ahead
This report is the fifth comprehensive annual publication by the University of Glasgow assessing our contribution to the delivery of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Since our inaugural report in 2021, the SDGs have become an increasingly important part of how we capture the impact of our activities at a local, regional, national and global level and of how we assess new ways of contributing to the goals.
We were delighted to see our institutional commitment to the SDGs reflected in our strong performance in several global sustainability rankings and aim to use this report to highlight the wide-ranging and impactful work of our colleagues.
We have a long history of world-changing research and innovation, outstanding teaching and partnerships, and a strong commitment from our staff and students to creating positive impact in the world. Our approach to sustainability runs through our academic, operational and civic activity. Our quadruple helix approach, bringing together academia, industry, public bodies and our communities is a true partnership towards all our collective goals and we continue to work with these partners for the city of Glasgow and globally, to make a tangible contribution to tackling society’s grand challenges.
Uzma Khan
Vice-Principal for Economic Development & Innovation and Deputy Chief Operating Officer