The seventeenth of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals is Partnerships for the Goals - to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Our research
A vast range of our research relates to the SDGs. We have an overarching purpose to '..deliver high quality education and research to add value to the social, cultural and economic capital of our communities and shape their development’, and a strategic commitment to demonstrate delivery against the UNSDGs; our academic themes of Environment, AI & Advanced Technologies, Health, and Culture & Communities.
We have a strong track record of collaborating internationally with partners and institutions from low or low-middle-income countries and driving impact across all the SDGs, all of which helps to strengthen the means of implementing and revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development.
We have 15 research centres dedicated to stimulating high-quality knowledge exchange and innovation that benefits the social, cultural and economic life of the society we serve. Our research case studies demonstrate impact across all the SDGs, and more examples can be found in our Business & Innovation Hub.
Curriculum
Many of our programmes have a connection to SDG17. We are currently in the process of mapping these, and more information will be provided shortly.
As an institute of higher education, we believe in the power and importance of education. Through our ENhance Curriculum Framework we embed education for sustainable development throughout our curriculum. Our interdisciplinary module, ‘Achieving Sustainability,’ is offered as an option to all students across the University.
Other examples of our areas of focus in line with SDG17
- We participated in the EAUC (UK’s Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education) Scotland FE and HE SDG snapshot. Our "Bleedin' Saor Collective" case-study evidences work on reducing period poverty and addressing period stigma. Design students worked with the award-winning social enterprise HeyGirls to design dispensers encouraging organisations to provide a range of free sanitary products. By providing solutions to provide free sanitary products as part of the Scottish Government’s Sanitary Support Scheme the collective supports SDG1 and SDG5. This initiative was recognised by the Scottish Government and shaped their policy on providing free period products in public places.
- We participate in the Scotland SDG network, as a co-founder of Everyone's Edinburgh, the regional community of business for good, aligned to SGDs and first UK member of the global Cities CAN B (the movement dedicated to enabling city actors to collaborate in its sustainable development). The "Business for Good" programme was launched, where we provide a training programme to encourage businesses regardless of stage, scale, or sector to engage in the SDGs and make an impact, with course attendees moving on to form part of a thriving community of practice. It is part of a wider initiative to build a fairer, more prosperous and sustainable city – Everyone’s Edinburgh.
- We have led dialogues around the SDGs such as a two-day conference prior to COP26 for business leaders and the #GetOnWithIt campaign (alongside organisations like alongside, PechaKucha, LEGO®, and the, HCI Skills Gateway) putting education and young people at the heart of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.
- The Business School published a paper on their work on "Empowering Organisations To Embrace UN Sustainable Development Goals: Post-Covid-19 Scotland". This involved a programme with SMEs across Scotland to explore how owner-managers of Scottish small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are implementing the SDGs agenda 2030 by using the UN SDG Action Manager tool. This was the first publication on the United Nation new SDG Action Manager tool which is available globally. The body of work contributed to an invited session on "Grand Challenges and OR" at the Operational Research International Conference. This is now a regular feature at the international conference, chaired by the University.
- We host world-leading carbon offset and nature-based research. Prof Mark Huxham within our School of Applied Sciences alongside other colleagues within the University key partners with the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES), whom we collaborate with to support community-based conservation of blue carbon ecosystems, including in Africa and Asia. This pioneering work has been recognised with a number of achievements such as winning the Equator Initiative Prize and the support from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Within the 2021/22 academic year the University's Leadership Team decided to support ACES and the development of the Vanga Blue Forest to secure ethical offset opportunities that we are confident with and comfortable to use in forthcoming years. The investment will support significant community leadership as well as further academic and research development. This contributes to 10 SDGs particularly climate action and life below water.
- The University Business School participates in the UN Global PRME initiative that reports progress against each SDG. The Business School published the inaugural SIP report in 2023.
- Other examples of impact against all UNSDGs can be found in our Annual Statutory Accounts
- Our Business School hosts a student-led "Next Generation" conference and week-long activities in March each year. This is designed by fourth-year students on the capstone sustainability module. Open to all in the university, alumni and public, often with local school children attending.
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