Approach
We are directly involved in shaping SDG policy through national government and regional non-governmental organisations. We form Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with charities, SMEs, and multinationals across sectors. We also work closely with local government and civic society - for example, by leading our City Region Deal on the Housing, Construction and Infrastructure Skills Gateway. Through this work, we support problem identification, policy development, strategy design, modelling potential futures with and without interventions, as well as monitoring, reporting, and enabling adaptive management.
We initiate and participate in cross-sector dialogue on the SDGs - for example, through conferences involving government or NGOs. These include hosting the Conference: (Re)Mapping Mobility: Migration, Thresholds, and the Politics of (Dis)Placement during Refugee Week in June 2025, and convening leaders from museums and cultural groups in Mexico in Spring 2023.
We publish progress against each of the SDGs, both through this website and in a highlight report within our annual accounts.
Research
Much of our research aligns with the SDGs, particularly through our academic themes of Environment, AI & Advanced Technologies, Health, and Culture & Communities.
We have 15 research centres dedicated to high-quality knowledge exchange and innovation that benefits the social, cultural, and economic life of the communities we serve. This includes partnerships that enable access to science, technology, and innovation - especially in the development, transfer, and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies.
Our School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment leads partnerships that support global adoption of information and communications technologies, with an emphasis on cybersecurity and sustainability.
We also engage in international collaborations to collect and analyse SDG-related data. For instance, our Business School published “Empowering Organizations to Embrace UN Sustainable Development Goals: Post-COVID-19 Scotland”, contributing to an invited session on "Grand Challenges and OR" at the Operational Research International Conference - now a regular feature chaired by the University.
Through international partnerships, we review comparative approaches and contribute to best practice in tackling the SDGs. Our academic community also researches the goals themselves - for example, the paper “Sustainable Events, Net Zero, UN SDGs and ‘stickiness’” (August 2024).
Our enterprise service delivers programmes aligned to the SDGs in partnership with NGOs - for example, the Social Innovation Challenge with The Challenges Group, and the Academic Programme for Entrepreneurship with the Strascheg Centre for Entrepreneurship in Munich, focusing on Urban Mobility. Many of our research projects are carried out in collaboration with NGOs addressing SDG issues. Our research themes - Health, Environment, AI & Advanced Technologies, and Culture & Communities - are deeply aligned with the SDGs. For example, in partnership with Newborns Vietnam, we have helped achieve a 42.2% reduction in infant mortality at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi.
Our research case studies demonstrate impact across all SDGs, with further examples available in our Business & Innovation Hub.
Teaching
International and regional cooperation is integral to our education delivery. We maintain long-standing partnerships with local schools and colleges, and international higher education partners. We work with schools to raise awareness of higher education pathways, supporting learners from all backgrounds, including those from areas of multiple deprivation.
As a leading educator of home and international students in Accounting and Finance, our Business School prepares future leaders to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, including capacity for tax and revenue collection.
We offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules focused on sustainability and the SDGs, such as Renewable Energy and Environmental Law and Achieving Sustainability. Undergraduate programmes in Animal & Conservation Biology, Criminology, Psychology & Sociology, and Health and Social Care, as well as our flagship MSc in Environmental Sustainability, all directly address the SDGs.
Our public engagement team provides outreach education aligned with the SDGs, drawing on our research strengths in areas like Good Health and Wellbeing and Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Sustainability and sustainability literacy are embedded in our ENhance Curriculum Enhancement Framework, guiding continuous improvement across our academic provision.
We are committed to meaningful education around the SDGs across our curriculum and beyond. Our University Strategy commits us to “combine the expertise and motivation of our community to enhance environmental sustainability within and beyond the University through our curriculum, research, operations, partnerships and engagement.” This commitment is embedded in each subject area by our academic staff.
Examples