Edinburgh Napier has improved its score in the latest ranking of universities’ progress in facing up to major global challenges.
The 2025 Times Highter Education (THE) Impact Rankings scored ENU at 76.5 – an increase against last year’s score of 76.1 – meaning it maintains its position in the 301-400 bracket of the worldwide league table.
The Rankings assess the university sector’s achievements against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs identify many of the biggest challenges facing society today – such as ending poverty, improving health and education, reducing inequality and protecting the environment – and are an urgent call to action for countries and organisations around the world to address them.
ENU’s Strategy includes a commitment to demonstrate a delivery against the SDGs, backed up by this latest assessment in the THE Impact Rankings.
The 2025 Rankings scored ENU particularly highly in its work under three of the goals: Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, and Sustainable Cities & Communities.
Running for a seventh year the THE Impact Rankings use standardised indicators to provide balanced comparisons across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching. 2,526 universities from 130 countries/territories participated, up from 2,152 universities in 125 countries last year
To participate in the full rankings, institutions must provide evidence covering at least four SDGs, with SDG17 ‘Partnerships for the Goals’ being mandatory. ENU submitted evidence against 11 of them, four more than last year.
The UN’s SDGs continue to play a part in a significant amount of ENU’s work – with some notable examples of projects which look to tackle them head-on.
Last year the University launched the SDG5 Living Lab, alongside Women’s Enterprise Scotland. It aims to advance the fifth SDG, gender equality, by supporting more women into business.