Universities are bold, committed and responsible partners that act and exert influence at both national and international levels
Universities participate boldly and openly in the societal debate on sustainable development and make their expertise available to networks and other partners. They work actively in national and international cooperation networks that produce an understanding of and solutions for how to create and maintain a sustainable and responsible society.
The following concrete measures must be taken:
- Universities strengthen science communication on sustainable development and responsibility, participate in the societal debate and require systemic changes. Science communication is improved actively to ensure it will also reach the parties outside the science community.
- Universities encourage their students and staff to participate in the societal interaction and multidisciplinary cooperation of their field.
- Universities promote the adoption of innovations made by research in society, for example, through entrepreneurship or collaboration with companies. Innovations based on new scientific knowledge and their commercialisation are implemented according to the principles of sustainable development.
- Universities strengthen the knowledge base of decision-making by creating new science advice concepts between universities and decision-makers and supporting the existing ones. Universities strengthen their regional cooperation on sustainability with cities and municipalities.
- Universities build mutual long-term partnerships with actors in developing countries, promoting cooperation particularly in the fields of research and education.
- Universities require that their partners act responsibly and respect human rights. Sustainable development and responsibility are adopted as one of the assessment criteria for universities’ cooperation and activities.
