Sustainable future – setting the framework
The Vice-Chancellor has launched a University-wide action on research and education intended to contribute to sustainable development. This project is the first part of the action and aims to establish its framework.
Aim and purpose
The aim of the ‘Hållbar framtid’ (‘Sustainable future’) action is to encourage researchers and teachers to take new interdisciplinary initiatives that build upon the already strong research and education produced by the University. This will enable the University’s activities in this area to be strengthened and showcased so that its breadth and multidisciplinary potential can be better exploited. Furthermore, cooperation between operators at local, regional, national and international level will be strengthened. The new University-wide investment in the future covers all disciplinary domains.
This project is the first part of the action, and it has four deliverables:
- to map and analyse experiences from other initiatives and environments at the University
- to conduct an external analysis of similar actions relating to sustainable development
- to identify external regional, national and international partners for collaboration
- to propose measures, an organisation, budget and timetable for the action
Background
Uppsala University has major potential to update and develop both education and research in the area of sustainable development. The breadth of the University brings with it internationally leading research in virtually all relevant areas that could be linked to sustainable development. The already strong regional network that the University has in the area of sustainability also provides a good basis for a more integrated collaboration.
Overall, this provides the University with the conditions to meet global challenges and to work to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals as part of the 2030 Agenda, and the ambition is to take a leading role in the journey to a more sustainable society. In the long run, this forms part of the University’s mission: to gain and disseminate knowledge for the benefit of humankind and for a better world (Uppsala University: Mission, Goals and Strategies, UFV 2018/641).
The long-term outcomes of this investment, of which this project constitutes the first part, are for:
- Uppsala University to be an internationally leading university in terms of research and education which contributes to sustainable development
- Uppsala University to be a key collaborative operator in relation to sustainable development.
This specific project seeks to propose how both the long- and short-term aims of the action are to be achieved.
Contact: Joëlle Rüegg: joelle.ruegg@ebc.uu.se