SDGs@UofT

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals serve as a blueprint for a better world – and universities have an essential role to play in fostering a shared future of peace and prosperity.

Members of SDGs@UofT, a University of Toronto institutional strategic initiative working to advance the goals ratified by the UN in 2015, are encouraging scholars and researchers from all disciplines – from humanities and social sciences, to public health, medicine and engineering – to lend their expertise to the collaborative effort to tackle complex global issues including poverty, hunger, gender equality, labour justice and climate change.

“The SDGs tackle problems that can never be solved by one sector or one discipline alone,” says Erica Di Ruggiero, an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and SDGs@U of T’s research director. “Many researchers see themselves working on one or two of them, but we can be that nexus at the University showing how to work on four or five together.”

But as the UN’s 2030 deadline for the SDGs fast approaches, universities need a bigger seat at the table to accelerate progress, providing a vital interdisciplinary perspective to understanding and addressing these worldwide problems, says Joseph Wong, U of T’s vice-president, international.

“The SDGs require innovative solutions, and universities are where cutting-edge innovations are discovered,” says Wong. “Gendered analysis and cultural context – both critical for the SDGs – happen here. We push the knowledge envelope and contribute to evidence-based policy, so the world has the supporting data for its decisions.”

New research institutes at U of T Scarborough will tackle important global challenges

siddiq22 — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 18:00:11 +0000

New research institutes at U of T Scarborough will tackle important global challenges

siddiq22 Tue, 08/01/2023 - 14:00

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(photo by Moussa Faddoul)

U of T Scarborough Staff

Topic

Our Community

Institutes for Resilient and Inclusive Societies and Ecosystems

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

SDGs@UofT

Economy

Environment

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

U of T Scarborough

Subheadline

iRISE will include three founding institutes and one institutional strategic initiative that support research to pursue solutions and catalyze change

A new tri-campus unit hosted at the University of Toronto Scarborough will aim to address societal challenges related to health, the economy and the environment.

Called iRISE (Institutes for Resilient and Inclusive Societies and Ecosystems), the extra-departmental unit has been confirmed by the executive committee of U of T’s Governing Council and comprises three research-focused founding institutes and one institutional strategic initiative (ISI).

“iRISE provides an opportunity to intentionally bring together U of T’s outstanding scholarly strengths under a shared umbrella to address the intersecting complexities related to the environment, health and well-being, and sustainable economies and livelihoods," says Professor Wisdom Tettey, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough.

"We look forward to leveraging the synergies and networks that it will foster, to further enhance and amplify the global impact of the exceptional work that is going on across our three campuses.”

iRISE will support multidisciplinary convergence research – research that shows deep integration across disciplines and is driven by a pressing societal need.

“iRISE will pursue solutions and catalyze change by facilitating research discoveries, enabling innovators to move discoveries into action, inspiring communities and building their capacity to act,” says Professor Irena Creed, U of T Scarborough vice-principal research and innovation.

“It will also train future leaders dedicated to creating inclusive, sustainable, just and equitable societies.”

The three founding institutes of iRISE include the Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability; the Institute for Inclusive Health and Well-Being; and the Institute for Inclusive Economies and Sustainable Livelihoods.

iRISE will also be home to SDGs@U of T, an ISI that was approved in May.

Imre Szeman (supplied image)

Imre Szeman, professor of human geography at U of T Scarborough, is the inaugural director for the Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability, which will explore the causes and consequences of climate change and develop mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Its potential research themes include interactions among plants, soil, water and air; the effects of climate change from the cellular to the ecosystem levels; ecological restoration; environmental sustainability; nature-based climate solutions; carbon markets; Indigenous perspectives on the natural world; and understanding the Earth through the exploration of other planets.

The Institute for Inclusive Economies and Sustainable Livelihoods is led by inaugural director Sergio Montero – associate professor of geography and planning at U of T Scarborough – who takes the reins from interim director Caroline Hossein, associate professor of global development at U of T Scarborough and cross-appointed to U of T's graduate program of political science.

Sergio Montero (supplied image)

This institute will imagine, explore and share alternative economic futures from unique perspectives. Its potential research themes include alternative and cooperative economic practices of Indigenous and racialized communities; data science methods for greater, more equitable prosperity; training and skills development strategies that encourage personal and economic development; advanced understanding of the complex interdependencies among nations, localities and economic agents to facilitate more transparent decision-making.

Interim director Charles Trick, a professor of health and society at U of T Scarborough, will lead the Institute for Inclusive Health and Well-Being, which will explore the many determinants of health of people living in the Anthropocene.

Charles Trick (supplied image)

Potential research themes include fundamental science explorations of aging, elder care and mental health; policy and program pathways to change health inequities; innovative solutions to complex health issues, including arts-based health approaches; and translating knowledge of the relationship between environment factors and well-being into practice and policy.

SDGs@UofT is being led by director Erica Di Ruggiero, associate professor in the division of social and behavioural health sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and in the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation.

Erica Di Ruggiero (supplied image)

The ISI will be dedicated to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – global targets to end poverty, improve health and education, reduce inequality, spur economic growth and tackle climate change.

Through its SDGs Scholars Academy, SDGs@UofT will conduct convergence research that will identify transition pathways to achieving the SDGs, measure progress, explore interdependencies and design instruments and interventions to build on the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Creed notes that hundreds of faculty, staff and students provided input that influenced the development of iRISE and its institutes. As iRISE continues to evolve, there will be ongoing opportunities for the U of T community to be involved in shaping its future directions. Directors will engage with faculty and students via one-on-one discussions and in departmental meetings.

Membership is open to faculty across U of T. Creed says that iRISE will be particularly beneficial to faculty, staff and students wishing to reach across academic units and institutions to build collaborations and partnerships that engage diverse communities, governments and industries.

“The iRISE directors will lead a vibrant intellectual community that will facilitate local and global partnerships and enable the nimble exploration, development and implementation of solutions,” she said.

U of T institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:24:30 +0000

U of T institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 07/27/2023 - 09:24

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A new strategic initiative launched by U of T will focus on an ambitious research agenda that addresses the UN's 17 sustainable development goals (photo by Johnny Guatto)

U of T Scarborough Staff

Topic

Global Lens

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Sustainable Development Goals

The University of Toronto has launched SDGs@UofT, a new institutional strategic initiative aimed at having a substantive global impact by supporting sustainable development.

SDGs@UofT pursues an ambitious research agenda that addresses the 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) –targets that individuals, communities, institutions and countries can work toward achieving by 2030. They include taking urgent steps to combat climate change, consuming and producing sustainably, improving health and education, reducing inequality and protecting the natural world, among others.

“Universities have been called on to commit to research and knowledge mobilization that support the sustainable development goals,” says Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “SDGs@UofT is part of U of T’s commitment to these goals and to developing solutions that have an impact on a global scale.”

SDGs@UofT supports a co-ordinated and coherent convergence research agenda that will leverage existing research strengths and bring together diverse thought leaders to help shape understanding and implementation of SDG initiatives. Convergence research consists of deep integration across different disciplines and is driven by a specific and compelling problem, particularly one arising from important societal needs.

“Removing institutional barriers to interdepartmental, interdivisional and tri-campus collaborations will enable research to address complex global problems that cannot be addressed by a single discipline,” says Joseph Wong, U of T’s vice-president, international.

The initiative will also launch the SDGs Scholars Academy, a think tank bringing together researchers from various disciplines across U of T with the goal of advancing understanding and addressing issues critical to sustainable development. Through the academy, SDGs@UofT will conduct research that will identify pathways to achieving the SDGs, measure progress along these pathways and explore interdependencies among the SDGs. It will also design interventions that will assist in the development of the next iteration of global goals after 2030.

SDGs@UofT will be led by U of T Scarborough and will be supported by a number of divisions and engage researchers, faculty, students and staff from across U of T.

Wisdom Tettey, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, says SDGs@UofT reflects the campus’s commitment to incentivizing collaborative research to solve complex global issues.

“Our commitment is rooted in a collective vision of being the embodiment of inclusive excellence, a bold community of conscientious and adaptable global leaders in scholarship, innovation, teaching and learning who constructively disrupt the status quo, connect the world and advance transformative change for the good of all,” he says.

U of T has been incorporating facets of SDGs into its academic activities, campus operations and collaborations with local and global partners across its three campuses for several years. Many of these have been guided by the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability.

Some notable recent examples include the launch of the sustainability pathways program, which clusters courses and co-curricular activities with a common theme of sustainability. There is also a new database of Campus as a Living Lab projects and an inventory of courses that provide students, partners and staff with the opportunity to experiment and contribute to real-world pressing sustainability and climate solutions. Work has been done across the three campuses in fitting buildings with geothermal heating and cooling systems aimed at achieving low carbon emissions.

The ongoing work done by the Reach Alliance, a tri-campus initiative founded at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, has also been committed to advancing SDGs by focusing on interventions and innovations that reach those living in extreme poverty. These efforts and others contributed to U of T being ranked second in the world in the inaugural QS Sustainability Rankings.

Erica Di Ruggiero, associate professor of global health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and research director of the SDGs@UofT, says there is a sense of urgency behind this work.

“The target for the sustainable development goals is 2030, so there isn’t a lot of time. In fact, during the pandemic, many countries lost ground on the SDGs,” says Di Ruggiero, whose research focuses on the influences affecting equitable policy progress on the sustainable development goals.

“But, along with our collaborators, we will harness the strengths of U of T across disciplines and sectors to generate just and equitable solutions that will also inform future goals.”

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SDGs@UofT

SDGs@UofT

SDGs@UofT brings scholars together in pursuit of UN Sustainable Development Goals

Read more about U of T’s work on SDGs at SDGs@UofT

New research institutes at U of T Scarborough will tackle important global challenges

U of T institutional strategic initiative focuses on UN sustainable development goals