The integration of the Sustainable Development Goals into curricula, research and partnerships in higher education

In 2015, the United Nations proposed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), broken down into 169 targets, chart out a collective effort to address the global challenges humanity is facing. Following the adoption of the agenda, the SDGs needed to be incorporated into curricula, research and partnerships to foster the competencies needed by future decision-makers. The objective of the research presented here was to explore how higher education institutions (HEIs) work to integrate the SDGs into their curricula, research and partnerships. The authors analysed 37 Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) reports prepared by business schools/HEIs, signatories of the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (UNPRME), the largest voluntary engagement platform for academic institutions to transform their teaching, research and thought leadership in support of universal values of sustainability, responsibility and ethics. Their findings reveal that curricula feature new courses, modules and disciplines, created and implemented to address the SDGs with multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary involvement. Research and partnerships demonstrate cooperative behaviour between HEIs, companies, society and governmental and non-governmental institutions, contributing to sustainable economic development locally, regionally and globally. The authors hope that this study will contribute to discussions on how to further improve the incorporation of the SDGs in curricula, research and partnerships, and that it will provide insights into the status quo and recommendations for policy and practice.