15 Austrian universities have recently founded the UniNEtZ network with experts from social and natural sciences, technology, arts and music to tackle the SDGs. Universities have taken responsibility to work on the SDGs in a transdisciplinary approach, to reflect the complexity of the SDG framework. CA member University of Graz, represented by RCE Graz-Styria, is the focal point of “SDG 11: Inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements”.
With this new role, RCE Graz-Styria is expanding its current areas of work supporting and developing actions and research that promote inclusive and sustainable urbanization, participatory planning and green public spaces, taking into account the needs of people in vulnerable situations.
The UniNEtZ network is contributing to enhance collaboration amongst Austrian universities and raising the importance of mainstreaming sustainable development in university education and research. Until 2021 the universities will deliver a report to the Austrian government proposing concrete measures on how to implement the SDGs at national level.