The University of Gdańsk is strengthening its leadership position in the area related to the implementation of the 17th UN Sustainable Development Goals in Poland. This is indicated by the results of the fifth edition of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 'THE Impact Ranking), published on June 1, 2023. This ranking is among the most prestigious, comprehensive and developing classifications of higher education institutions worldwide. The ranking results unequivocally confirm that we are an organisationally strong university with high employee ethics and sensitivity to current social and environmental issues.
Maintaining the leading position among Poland's 23 higher education institutions
Only two universities in Poland reported on 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Agenda Goals. These were the University of Gdańsk and the Medical University of Gdańsk. The condition for listing in THE Impact Ranking is to report on at least four goals, of which goal 17. Partnership for the Goals is obligatory. Of the 23 universities listed in the ranking, eight institutions produced a report for the minimum required four goals; four universities described five issues in their report; 7 universities reported between 6 and 8 goals and two further 10–11 goals. The above clarifies that the Sustainable Development Goals are not yet sufficiently relevant to the national academic community. The data presented in THE Impact Ranking covers the full spectrum of organisational, research and educational activities of universities, which are submitted to the organiser after a thorough analysis of all activities of the university (both in the context of research, education and activities in terms of cooperation with the social and economic environment or the university's activities as an employer).
The preparation of the report, the realisation of as many as 13 goals by our university and obtaining the best result among Polish universities testifies not only to the correct understanding and interpretation of the ranking methodology but also to the fact that these goals are realised by the University of Gdańsk academic community.
Of the 13 issues developed by the University of Gdańsk, in 3 of them, we were ranked the highest in the country (in goals: 1. Ending Poverty, 5. Gender Equality and 14. Life Below Water), in 4 of them, our university was ranked 2nd in Poland (goals: 4. Good Quality Education, 7. Clean and Accessible Energy, 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 17. Partnership for the Goals), and in a further two ranked 3rd (Goals: 10. Less Inequality and 13. Climate Action). This means that of the 13 parameters assessed, we were ranked on the podium in 9 cases. The other places occupied are also very high.
It is important to note that the overall assessment of this year's ranking edition includes activities and actions undertaken at universities in 2021. The final assessment and positioning of the university are based on the evaluation of three selected, reported issues (goal 17 is subject to obligatory evaluation). In the case of our University, the final assessment this year consisted of points from the scopes: 5. Gender Equality, 7. Clean and Accessible Energy, 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and 17. Partnerships for the goals.
You can read about UG's activism, which resulted in a leading position in Poland and 13th in the world in achieving Goal 5, in the article at the link:
Detailed scores for goal 5 are shown in the graphic below:
The University of Gdańsk's high score in the implementation of Goal 7. Clean and Accessible Energy is the result of the development and consistent implementation of 'green' policies such as the 'Programme for Effective Energy Management and Economical Management of Utilities Associated with the Maintenance and Operation of Infrastructure Facilities at the University of Gdańsk for 2020 - 2024'. In this case, the high rating is also the result of the university facilities being equipped with a BMS (Building Management System) and BEMS (Building Energy Management System). As a signatory to the Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal, our university undertakes and implements joint activities for developing offshore wind energy in Poland. Numerous research works and educational and expert activities conducted by the university are connected with offshore issues and expertise and analyses for the needs of the industrial sector are also carried out. There is an interdepartmental team for offshore wind energy at the University of Gdańsk, whose activity can be observed on the dedicated website https://offshore.ug.edu.pl/.
Detailed scores for goal 7 are shown in the graphic below:
The excellent scores for goal 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (2nd place in Poland out of 9 competing HEIs, a high score in the world - range 101-200) are due to the presentation of UG as a democratic institution with a transparent structure, the rule of law, respecting academic freedom, including all groups making up the academic community in decision-making processes.
Detailed scores for goal 16 are shown in the graphic below:
In terms of Goal 17. Partnerships for the Goals, our university has made tremendous progress moving up from the 601-800 range to the 301-400 range globally and from fifth to second place in Poland among the 23 listed universities), largely due to the 2022 report 'Together for People, Environment and Prosperity. UG's community engagement through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals', which you can read more about at:
Of considerable importance for the growth of our position in this point is the strengthening of cooperation within the alliance of universities with the acronym SEA-EU and the UG's undertaking of several activities popularising sustainability issues among partner universities.
Detailed scores for goal 17 are presented in the graphic below:
The first place in Poland in the implementation of goal 14. Life Below Water results from the commitment to maritime issues in research, infrastructure and organisation. Marine issues are a priority research area for the University of Gdansk, as reflected in the motto In mari via tua—the fact of owning one of Europe's most modern research vessels - the ss. Oceanograf and the partnership within the SEA-EU Maritime University Alliance influences our university's high ranking in this area.
The detailed scores for goal 14 are shown in the graphic below:
– We are very pleased with the increasingly better results in the individual SDGs reported by our university - this is how dr Krzysztof Szczepaniak, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Gdańsk, comments on the excellent results of the University of Gdańsk in this ranking, and adds: - I am convinced that the Centre will contribute to the further achievement of these goals in the years to come. There is concrete evidence for this. In 2022, the Centre designed and implemented an IT tool that helped show the contribution of all Faculties clearly, International Research Agencies and organisational units of the University to sustainable development. In this way, the entire university community was involved in identifying, implementing and reporting on achievements related to the SDGs. Deans and heads of units contributed to the successful implementation of the reporting system for implementing the SDGs at UG. The excellent identification of the main actors active in the SDG fields in the units and the display of their achievements has increased interest in this area among UG staff, which translates into further ideas and research projects as well as organisational and administrative activities.
Dr Krzysztof Szczepaniak talks about the potential of our university and ideas for further sustainable activities:
– Starting in 2023, the University of Gdańsk leads the 'Goes Greener' task within the European University – SEA-EU 2.0 project. The Centre will play an important role in implementing this task by working closely with the academic community. Together with academics, administrative staff and students of our Alma Mater, we will implement the so-called 'small steps' for sustainable development over the next two years. Finally, I would like to emphasise that our involvement in cooperation with the socio-economic environment is increasing. We are preparing and implementing projects with the Marshal's Office of the Pomorskie Voivodeship and its organisational units, the local authorities of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area, the Association of Seaside Cities and Municipalities, the Pomerania Development Agency and foreign partners such as the European Commission and its research agenda, i.e. the Joint Research Centre. The leitmotif of all the activities undertaken is, of course, to build the sustainability of the Pomeranian region and its resilience to all natural and economic crises. We invite our university community to keep an eye on the czrug.ug.edu.pl website and become actively involved in achieving sustainable development goals.
The aggregate results of Polish universities' individual goals in THE Impact Ranking 2023 are presented in the table below.
Full results are available at:
Ranking methodology:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/impact-rankings-2023-methodology
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