Sustainability in Education and Research

Ghent University aims to continue investing in the coming years in promoting and supporting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research collaboration and societal valorisation. A fertile environment is essential for bottom-up research initiatives to flourish.
Higher education is considered a key catalyst for sustainable development, particularly through its educational mission. Educating nearly 50,000 young people each year provides both an opportunity and a responsibility to reinforce sustainability thinking.

Objectives

  • A research policy that fosters and supports sustainability-related research.

  • A broad strategy for socio-economic impact, cutting across both Education and Research, with stronger internal synergies, a clear narrative, robust relationships with societal stakeholders, and an engaging public outreach approach — all to encourage and support researchers in this work.

  • Through its teaching, Ghent University contributes to a more sustainable society and aims to familiarize students with social, ecological, and economic sustainability challenges and potential solutions.

  • In pursuit of education with high societal relevance — connected to and inspired by current and future challenges — Ghent University seeks to integrate sustainable development both in content and in process across its entire educational offering.

Achievements

To facilitate learning for and about sustainability, various initiatives have been developed in recent years at multiple levels. Education is shaped both at the programme and course level, and efforts have been made on both fronts in terms of awareness-raising, professional development, and support. In addition, numerous extracurricular, bottom-up initiatives have emerged and been offered.

Actions 2025–2028

  • Creation of NIC – Network for Impact Coordination: NIC brings together expertise and experience in academic research/education and management, with a mission to promote meaningful research and foster a critical understanding of how research leads to impact (i.e., developing “impact literacy” within and beyond Ghent University).

  • Development of a policy framework for addressing threats and intimidation against researchers, ensuring that Ghent University can best prepare, support, and protect its academic community.

  • In-depth reflection on institutional and structural barriers that hinder interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and education.

  • Establishing a policy framework on the responsible use of (Gen)AI in research and education.

  • Responding to support needs of faculties, programmes, and educators — for example, when integrating sustainability into curricula, during programme reform, or in developing interdisciplinary courses on sustainability. This includes providing the "ABC of Sustainability" learning module to equip students with foundational knowledge, supported by response lectures tailored to their fields of study.

  • Additional, intensive, tailored support for programmes and educators seeking to more strongly embed sustainability in their teaching. The insights, outcomes, and methodologies from these tailored tracks will enhance the overall support offering.

  • Integrating sustainability into basic and continuing professional development for educators.

  • Developing a new vision for internationalisation, incorporating sustainability-related elements.

  • Further expansion of living labs, both to advance sustainability across various aspects of the university and to stimulate inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research.