TMU community invited to share work that demonstrates social, economic and environmental impact

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is engaging stakeholders campus-wide to help demonstrate the university’s impact on sustainable development through the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings (external link) . The rankings measure universities’ overall contribution to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (external link) .

Faculty, staff and students are asked to submit examples of research partnerships, programs or initiatives active in 2023 that demonstrate social, economic, or environmental progress in Canada or around the world. Responses will be collected by the University Planning Office (UPO) until Oct. 11 to help inform the university’s submission for the next THE Impact Rankings.

In last year’s rankings which evaluated 2,154 universities worldwide, TMU scored highly on SDGs including clean water and sanitation (ranked 88th), reduced inequalities (tied for 78th), and climate action (tied for 100th).

“Our faculty, staff and students are leading initiatives to grow our impact on sustainable development to help position TMU as a global sustainability leader,” says Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano, provost and vice-president, academic. “While there is still more work to be done, I’m proud of what my colleagues and our TMU students have accomplished to advance the SDGs locally and globally and this is a great opportunity to showcase these achievements.”

Some examples of TMU research projects, initiatives and partnerships that relate to the SDGs include:

• Through the Civic Lab TO (external link)  partnership with the City of Toronto and other local institutions, TMU has collaborated on research projects to improve water management, support vulnerable communities, contribute to development of a digital equity policy, and more. These projects are examples of the cross-sectoral partnerships that are crucial to progress on the SDGs.
• The Social Ventures Zone (SVZ) works with students, alumni, faculty and people from the broader community to build social ventures that create real impact. The SVZ supports innovators with coaching, training, work space and funding opportunities. Ventures at the SVZ have focused on issues as diverse as the environment, urban poverty, food security, gender-based violence, conscious consumption, and accessibility.
• TMU launched its first Sustainability Action Plan earlier this year, developed in alignment with the SDGs and the institution’s sustainable development priorities.

University-wide engagement is crucial to TMU’s performance in the rankings, in order to fully reflect the impact of our stewardship, outreach, teaching and research. To share an initiative your area is leading to advance the SDGs, please email UPO@torontomu.ca or submit the “Share your initiative” form on the TMU SDG website by Oct. 11. You can learn more about the university’s commitment to sustainable development by visiting the SDG website.