September 18, 2024
Innovative Research Universities showcasing sustainability leadership and impact
The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) is celebrating its members’ successes in sustainability with a new publication, Sustainable Universities and Communities.
The report highlights best practice across IRU member universities with a collection of case studies that showcase the positive impact of their students, researchers, campus operations and community partnerships. The data and case studies in the report are mapped against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to highlight key strengths and areas of leadership.
IRU Chair Professor Simon Biggs (Vice-Chancellor and President, James Cook University) said the report provides a data-informed record of the progress made on the way to a more sustainable, innovative and inclusive future.
“Sustainability is in the DNA of our universities, and IRU members were the first in Australia to teach inter-disciplinary environmental studies,” he said. “The data in this report clearly shows our research strengths aligned with SDGs such as Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities and Climate Action. And we are leading the way with our sustainable campuses.
“In order to future-proof Australia on the pathway to a to a net-zero world, we welcome further opportunities to work in partnership with governments and communities.”
IRU Executive Director Paul Harris said that member universities are already making significant contributions to the future of their local communities across Australia and around the world. However, many of these positive impacts are not captured in the ways that universities are currently evaluated.
“In recent years, international university rankings have started to focus more on impact and on sustainability,” he said. “We see this reflected in the strong performance of IRU member universities.
“This expanding sense of the social value of the university is welcome, but we know that there is still much that rankings do not capture – for example, the role of the university in its local community and the importance of partnership with Indigenous communities to support progress towards self-determination. Our aim with this report is to bring to light the many diverse ways that IRU staff and students are delivering a more sustainable and equitable future for Australia.”
The publication, Sustainable Universities and Communities, was launched today at the IRU’s 2024 Senior Leaders Forum, held at Murdoch University in Perth. It is available on the IRU website.
