COPERNICUS Alliance

To accelerate the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in a decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNESCO is launching the new global network of education stakeholders: ESD-Net 2030. The Network aims to create synergy among members and foster cross-sectoral collaboration to support the implementation of ESD nationally, regionally, and globally.  

Networks fuel innovation and support careers, and they act as drivers of change – this was one of the key messages during the workshop "The future of university networks – What is their added value for each member university and for the network?" at BOKU Vienna. The workshop on 24 May 2022 was organized on the occasion of BOKU’s 150th anniversary, which was celebrated with a memorable event entitled "Featuring Future Conference". Former CA President Anne Zimmermann represented the CA at the workshop next to eight other networks. The aim was to discuss what were the three most important benefits that members expected from each university network, and were these expectations met?

Transformative science in the digital space requires new knowledge, attitudes and skills. Co-creation, especially in a transdisciplinary environment, is not easily converted from physical meetings to an online format. Rather, it requires a conscious use of digital tools and a critical reflection about their influence on our interactions: how does the online environment influence communication? How can participation and inclusion be enabled, contributive fairness be fostered and trust be created in an online setting? A research team at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, developed guidelines based on experiences of researchers and lecturers at CDE during the COVID crisis, with a view to offering hands-on suggestions for online practice.

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What personal competencies are necessary for professionals to achieve sustainable development? A recent publication by CA colleagues from the Netherlands addresses this question in their paper "Competencies of Sustainability Professionals: An Empirical Study on Key Competencies for Sustainability". This freely available paper bridges the divergence in literature between theoretically and empirically driven research and offers novel insights on sustainability competencies for the fields of sustainability science, human resource management, and higher education. Colleagues who are interested in this topic may also follow the EU project TRACCskills, which seeks to identify "transformational, cross-cutting people skills for the SDGs".

To support the ambitious Circular Economy Strategy action plan adopted by the European Union, the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable Product Management enabling a Circular Economy (CD-Lab) at the University of Graz acts as a creative space for developing and conducting research in sustainable product management, the results of which will support the transition toward a circular economy.

The 17^th IRDO International Conference "SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SOCIETY 2022: Green, digital, and inclusive transition: how to make it happen?" was held from 2-3 June 2022 online. The conference attracted more than 100 participants and 70 authors with 36 papers from more than 10 countries. Its main purpose was to explore conceptual framework(s), conditions and possibilities for a green, digital and inclusive transition that enables the development of a common sustainable future, as embraced by the European Green Deal and in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs.

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Nearly one year after the Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development was adopted by 2,800 education and environment stakeholders from 161 countries at the 2021 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO has published an Explanatory Note on the Berlin Declaration which can be used as a pedagogical tool in educational settings for teachers, educators, learners and all other interested parties. Furthermore, a Brochure on the Berlin Declaration has been published, with the aim of being disseminated to policy-makers in order to spread the message of the Declaration.

The COPERNICUS Alliance is a partner in the recently started EU Erasmus+ project SDG-iLevel (Leveraging Individual SDG Contributions by University Staff). From 25-26 April the project partners from five countries met for the kick-off meeting in Girona, Spain. SDG-iLevel will create approaches, methods and tools aimed at uncovering, harnessing and strengthening the individual contributions of higher education employees to the Sustainable Development Goals in order to improve their mental well-being, job satisfaction, productivity and teamwork and to promote further SDG contributions.

The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao supports a group of students and faculty advisors who collaborate to develop an innovative educational project: Formula Student Bizkaia (FSB). Each year they design, test and manufacture an electric car (prototype) under the principles of sustainable awareness to compete in the international Formula Student university events.

Green Skills for Cities (G4C) is a new Erasmus+ project developed by Vienna University of Economics and Business and other partners. The project establishes a transdisciplinary educational platform and curricula targeted at working in the public sector, focusing on the development of skills in the field of nature-based solutions for cities. 

Yes, transformative learning works online! That is the main conclusion of the Erasmus+ project Online Transformative Learning (OnTL). Its ambition was to explore the opportunities for and limitations of transformative learning in virtual settings. The results are now available in the form of two nicely designed publications including a practical guide with tips and tricks on how to boost transformative learning online.

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In May 2022, the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will hold a free Training of Trainers open to all university and training institutions wanting to develop the theme of environment, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. The training will take place online during three days with a certificate upon completion of a post-knowledge assessment. Registration is open until 29 April.

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Three years ago, the Erasmus+ project SDGs Labs – Making the SDGs our business started with the premise that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a huge economic opportunity for start-ups and established companies. Under the lead of Vienna University for Economics and Business universities, businesses, NGOs and start-up incubators jointly developed a free online learning tool: The SDGs Academies helps incubators, start-ups and companies to implement the SDGs into their business practices.

Missed the Higher Education Summit online teaser ("Daring to transform learning for a future-proof economy") or want to watch it again? Browse through the "Resources" section on the conference website and watch all videos on demand for free! The material contains a full recording of the online conference, the pre-recorded keynote speeches by Kate Raworth, Mamphela Ramphele, and Garry Jacobs as well as short videos featuring students, representatives from higher education and economy.

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The UPV/EHU's Department of Sustainability and Social Commitment has launched a sustainable living challenge in order to involve the university community in the fight against climate change. The initiative has been developed together with The Planet App, a mobile application designed to reduce the individual carbon footprint.

TRACCskills (Transformational, cross-cutting people skills for the SDGs) is a new EU Erasmus+ project implemented by the CA, Legacy17 (lead), and Visionautik. For 14 months, a practice-oriented compendium will be drafted and tested for use in designing and delivering high-quality, future-fit adult education. The intended users of the compendium are adult educators within the formal and non-formal sector who dedicate their work to ESD and are open to rethinking and renewing their teaching practice.

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Upon invitation by the Secretary General of the International Association of Universities, Hilligje van’t Land, the CA Leadership Team submitted a position paper to the IAU Horizons Magazine vol. 26.2. The short article (p. 46) entitled "Is striving for excellence in HEIs incompatible with partnership practices? Leadership principles for the Future We Want" emphasizes the importance of partnerships in higher education to strive for transformative learning and achieve sustainable development. Altogether, the “In Focus” section of this issue contains 34 contributions on "Leadership for a sustainable future – Higher education and Agenda 2030 and the sustainable development goals", written by university leaders from all five continents, from associations and organizations, including student organizations.

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On 9 December 2021 an international audience of over 100 participants joined the organizers of Hasselt University and the COPERNICUS Alliance for an afternoon full of doughnuts: the Higher Education Summit online teaser on the theme "Daring to transform learning for a future-proof economy". The virtual event focused on research- and practice-related issues to realize an economy that strives for a safe and just world for everyone, within our planetary boundaries. Inspiring keynote speakers paved the way for a fruitful discussion: Kate Raworth ("Doughnut economics"), Mamphela Ramphele (Club of Rome), and Garry Jacobs (World Academy of Art & Science). Discussions continued also in the interactive workshops and during the final debate involving economists, teachers, researchers, social entrepreneurs and students. 
After this successful teaser event, the organizers look forward to next year's Higher Education Summit physical conference from 6-8 September 2022 in Hasselt, Belgium!

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