The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a way to provide a blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all. Although the SDGs aren’t focused on higher education, the achievement of the SDGs by 2030 will require different sectors to work together in an integrated manner and this includes universities and governments. The Impact Rankings are the first global attempt to measure university progress specifically around the SDGs. It can be a catalyst for action, a mechanism for holding our universities to account, and an opportunity for them to highlight great work that they are already doing. THE Consultancy offers the following Sustainability Consultancy Services to universities, governments and industry.

• Impact Rankings Data Assessment
• Impact Rankings Data Simulation
• SDG Academy
• Social Impact Assessment
   

Impact Rankings Data Assessment

As an institution that is already ranked in the Impact Rankings, this consultancy will provide you with a bespoke assessment of your university’s performance, benchmarked against best practice examples. This can be for a few as one SDG through to all 17 SDGs although the cost and the time will vary dependent on the number of SDGs included. It can be an activity that engages staff and bring awareness to cross-functional teams within the university around the work that the university is doing towards the SDG goals. It will identify your institution’s strengths and areas of opportunity, highlighting where your competitors may be outperforming you.

Specifically, the consultancy will cover:

• A comprehensive understanding of the rankings methodology.
• In-depth analysis of your institution’s overall and metric-level performance in the rankings, benchmarked against your chosen peers.
• Detailed analysis of your institution’s performance in the research metrics.
• Review of evidence submissions by your university, including sharing best practice examples.
• Identification of areas of strength and those with opportunities for improvement
   

Impact Rankings Data Simulation

If your institution is not currently ranked in the Impact Rankings, THE Consultancy can simulate your rank and score (utilising historic data) to provide you with an estimated performance in the rankings. It can be helpful to go through the process of gathering the information required to participate and to have this assessed before formal participation in the rankings. This can be for as few as one SDG through to all 17.

Specifically, the consultancy will cover:

• A comprehensive understanding of the rankings methodology.
• In-depth analysis of your institution’s simulated overall and metric-level performance, benchmarked against your chosen five peers.
• Detailed analysis of your institution’s performance in the research metrics.
• Review of evidence submissions by your university, including sharing best practice examples.
• Identification of areas of strength and those with opportunities for improvement
   

SDG Academy

THE Consultancy is able to provide training workshops designed for institutions to build expertise and enhance capability within the university in using the UN SDGs and Impact Rankings to showcase their impact on society and demonstrate their stewardship of resources and outreach within local communities. Institutions will fill out a short survey in advance so that we understand your needs and can customize our workshop accordingly.

Module 1: SDG data collection, communications and branding
Topics covered

• How to formulate a sustainability action plan
• How to collect SDG data
• How to measure SDG outcomes
• How to communicate SDG activities (report-writing, website, social media)
• How to improve SDG branding and reputation
• Sustainability, students and study choices

Who should attend?

• Universities who are keen to build SDG expertise within their university.
• Staff who works on SDG strategy, data collection, measurement, communications.

Module 2: Impact Rankings methodology, data submission and support to enter the rankings
This workshop will enable a better understanding of the Impact Rankings in terms of methodology, data that is required for submission, and support institutions who are keen to learn more about the rankings.

Topics covered

• A comprehensive understanding of the rankings methodology
• Provide guidance on the data submission process and the types of data required
• Global and regional trends
• Deep-dive into 3 SDGs of your choice and SDG 17
• Examine institution’s bibliometric data (THE will order this from our partner Elsevier) across the SDGs to determine SDGs of strengths
• Identification of areas of strength and those with opportunities for improvement
• Best practice examples from exemplar institutions on the data submitted, SDG reports and communicating SDG activities
• Support to enter into THE’s Impact Rankings if there’s interest in participation

Who should attend?

• Staff who works on Impact Rankings data collection and submission and are keen to enter the Impact Rankings
   

Social Impact Assessment

THE Consultancy is able to assess institutional performance regarding positive community and social impact through a bespoke assessment that draws on the data and information employed in the THE Impact Rankings, designed around the SDGs.

Case study: Project with Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) to use the Impact Rankings as a measure of Thailand’s higher education sector’s social impact

MHESI is changing the higher education landscape in Thailand with the ‘Transforming Universities’ initiative. Universities in Thailand’s “area-based” category are using the UN’s SDG’s and sustainability to drive performance, research and engagement with students, local and wider communities.

MHESI wanted a way to measure the area-based universities commitment, performance and improvement against the SDG’s. Leveraging THE’s Impact Rankings as KPI’s allowed for MHESI to work with the area-based universities in setting objectives & targets and then to be able to measure them.

THE’s solution:

• Performed a series of webinars, surveys and interviews with Thai universities to understand the support needed to improve the impact of SDG-related activities
• Subscriptions to THE’s data products for all Thai ranked institutions

Project outcomes:

• All ranked Thai universities are using THE’s data tools to set annual plans against MHESI set objectives (from 22 to 27 within the first 12-months)
• Consultation for 35 Thai universities to support entry in the Impact Rankings and meet MHESI’s KPI’s of institutional development and improvement
• An in-depth report on each university’s SDG activities along with recommendations to support the universities in their efforts to develop and communicate their SDG-related activities.
• Next phase of the project: Surveying Thailand’s university students to monitor long-term student outcomes as a result of Thailand’s education for sustainable development. News article: THE Consultancy collaborates with Thai universities to launch national survey on education for sustainable development | Times Higher Education (THE)

For more info on the project: What we can learn from global universities’ sustainable activities | Times Higher Education (THE)