Until now, the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been discussed at the institutional level in higher education (top-down approaches). Nevertheless, there are no visible guidelines and roadmaps serving as references for academic staff to boost their own initiatives (bottom-up approaches).
At ACEEU, we decided to tackle this challenge by implementing the SDG-iLevel Project, with the support of the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships. This project will develop approaches, methods, and tools aimed at spotlighting, strengthening, and fostering the individual contributions of higher education staff to the SDGs (“I” level contributions to the SDGs). The results of the project will have a direct positive impact on higher education staff job satisfaction, encouragement of bottom-up initiatives, and enhancement of the social impact of higher education institutions.
For reaching the goal of empowering higher education staff to develop their contributions to the SDGs, the project works on three levels: conceptual, individual and institutional. First, the project maps the theories and concepts related to the actions that contribute to developing each SDG. Second, the project builds the tools for spotlighting the diversity of initiatives that higher education staff are developing. Finally, the project develops roadmaps for connecting the bottom-up and top-down initiatives on the SDGs as a way to effectively embed the culture of sustainability in higher education institutions.
SDG-iLevel is framed in the social engagement mission of higher education. Social engagement in higher education implies that institutions are strategically positioned to deliver a range of societal contributions, benefits and impacts. “Engagement” allows higher education institutions to be influential stakeholders within the wider ecosystem due to the economic, social and cultural impacts they generate for their regional context.
In this project, ACEEU will collaborate with the University of Girona (Spain), University in Rijeka (Croatia), Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), COPERNICUS Alliance e.V. (Germany), and Senior Europa Sociedad Limitada - Kveloce I+D+i (Spain).
More updates are coming soon!
