Polytechnic University is the first university in Russia to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

On April 27, the authoritative international publication Times Higher Education (THE) published the TNE University Impact Rankings 2022. The universities in this ranking are evaluated by their level of impact on the sustainable development of society and their contribution to achieving the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN) both in terms of research and public activities and in terms of commitment to these goals in the internal affairs of the university. This year’s ranking includes 1,406 universities from 106 countries, including 94 Russian universities. This year SPbPU climbed four places in Russia, and in the overall ranking it entered the group of places 101-200, breaking away from the third hundred in which it was ranked last year. International experts in the ranking also ranked Polytechnic University as number one among Russian universities for individual goals: in urban sustainability, fighting hunger and developing partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals.

The University showed the best results in the «Ending hunger» SDG, where, compared to last year, it jumped 20 places and now ranks 76th. The second most successful SDG for Polytechnic University was the «Eradicate Poverty», where the university ranked 87th. SPbPU also made it into the top 100 in the «Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure» SDGs.

Rector of SPbPU, RAS Academician Andrei Rudskoi: Such a large and active university as Polytechnic cannot stand aside from global problems. For many years we have been working on technological developments that improve people’s quality of life and reduce the burden on the environment. This includes electric transportation, new batteries, antiviral drugs, and large-scale water management projects. We don’t forget that the university itself is committed to sustainability goals. We have innovative wastewater filters on campus, we have an energy efficiency program, we support the medical and psychological well-being of our students and staff, we provide jobs for people with disabilities, and we have a host of other initiatives that protect the well-being of people and the environment in which we live and work.

Maria Vrublevskaya, Head of the Department of Strategic Planning and Development Programs: One of the priorities of the new university development program until 2030 is sustainability. We position the university as sustainable in all senses. The activities of the Priority 2030 program are aimed at research and development in the field of hydrogen energy, biofuels, digital twins and green biotechnologies for the agroindustry, medicines and diagnostic methods for socially significant diseases, as well as making education more accessible, including through digital resources, creating a «happiness ecosystem» for employees and students, ensuring that the university’s developments are attractive to industry. We hope that these initiatives will allow us to gain a foothold in the first place and strengthen Polytechnic’s brand as a sustainable university. I would especially like to note that we support initiatives dedicated to the sustainability of cities and territories within the strategic project «Human-Centered Technologies and Solutions,» and it is nice to see that these activities have already allowed us to achieve first place in the SDG "Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.

For reference:

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a list of 17 international cooperation goals developed by the United Nations to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs aim to improve the health of all nations, fight inequality, poverty, hunger and the effects of global climate change, improve people’s access to education, drinking water, work and affordable energy, and promote social justice and peace.

The methodology of the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings is based on an analysis of four areas of university activity:

• Research — conducting research on relevant topics
• Responsible management — universities manage significant resources, including human resources, which can be used to achieve the SDGs
• Education — the work universities do with regional, national, and international communities
• Education — training a sufficient number of qualified practitioners and ensuring that all graduates use key sustainable development ideas in their future careers.

Prepared by SPbPU Department of Strategic Planning and Development Programs