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University

In a nutshell: Overview of fields of action, goals and measures

Field of action Research

  • Expanding research in the fields of action of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and setting priorities

Goals (success indicators)

  • Excellent researchers and research on the topics of the SDGs are promoted (publications)

Specific measures

  • Positioning of core topics and research centres at the UoC (Clusters of Excellence, Key Profile Areas, EUniWell) that are relevant with regard to the SDGs
  • Establishing transdisciplinary interaction platforms with the participation of all six Faculties
  • Establishing a centre with new, interdisciplinary research approaches to sustainability topics

Field of action Teaching and Studies

  • Enabling and promoting knowledge and skills acquisition in the SDG fields of action.

Goals (success indicators)

  • The UoC develops and implements additional curricular and extracurricular offers on SDG topics (teaching-learning offers, theses).

Specific measures

  • Raising the profile of the UoC’s study and teaching/learning programmes, including the development and establishment of new degree programmes thematically linked to sustainability in the sense of the SDGs.
  • Embedding sustainability topics in vocational training programmes (teaching, medicine, law)
  • Developing and establishing an innovative, interdisciplinary study and teaching/learning offer thematically linked to sustainability in the sense of the SDGs (arising from the research of the Centre).

Field of action Commitment and Transfer

  • Promoting engagement in the fields of action of the SDGs and disseminating them in society.

Goals (success indicators)

  • Cooperation with non-scientific practice is visible in the thematic fields of the SDGs (projects).

Specific measures include

  • promoting innovations and start-ups linked to sustainability,
  • expert mediation and policy advice linked to sustainability,
  • creating further open formats (such as citizen science) that tie in with sustainability

Field of action Organization & Operations

  • Recording and reducing the University's greenhouse gas emissions and making campus operations more sustainable in the sense of the SDGs.

Goals (success indicators)

  • The consumption of fossil fuels is consistently and significantly reduced with the goal of climate neutrality (emissions).

Specific measures

  • introducing sustainable energy and climate protection management (energy efficiency, expansion of photovoltaics, greening of facades, etc.),
  • implementing space-efficient working
  • compiling and implementing a "Roadmap for Sustainable Campus Operations”

Overarching measures

  • active networking of actors, competence building and support of commitment through network structures as well as internal integration of students, faculty and staff,
  • awarding and increased communication of achievements to embed sustainability through a university sustainability prize, web and social media, press and public relations work and events
  • creating support structures and governance mechanisms in the form of new responsibilities: Vice-Rector for Sustainability, Sustainability Council and Sustainability Office as well as in the network,
  • promoting early-career researchers through Humboldtⁿ (fellowships, lecture series, summer schools) and EUniWell (mobility, seed funding),
  • establishing sustainability reporting, including quality assurance, in the area of teaching and learning the management system Q³UzK, and evaluation, including through participation in rankings (e.g. THE-Impact) as well as regular sustainability reports including quantification of greenhouse gas emissions and energy balance.