The IAU is pleased to announce the launch of the 4th Global Survey on Higher Education and Sustainable Development (HESD). This survey aligns with the IAU’s commitment to advance sustainability in higher education (HE) across the world and to forward the HE sector’s contribution to a more sustainable future.
Conducted every four years under the IAU’s strategic priority on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD), the Global Survey is a keystone in providing insight into how higher education institutions (HEIs) integrate sustainable development into teaching, research, governance, and community engagement. This 4th edition will further investigate how sustainability is integrated into higher education, focusing specifically on institutional policies, curriculum design, research priorities, and external partnerships. In addition, it will analyse how higher education institutions (HEIs) align with major global frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in order to advance a more comprehensive and systemic understanding of sustainable development within the sector.
The success of the 4th IAU Global Survey on HESD relies on active participation of HEIs and universities worldwide. We invite you to use this opportunity to share your institution’s sustainable development progress and contribute to an important global research initiative.
Survey goals:
- Map global engagement of higher education institutions with sustainable development across teaching, research, governance, and community engagement.
- Assess progress and identify challenges in integrating sustainable development principles within higher education since the previous survey edition.
- Examine institutional approaches to embedding sustainability in curricula, research agendas, policies, and institutional strategies.
- Analyse alignment with global frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Capture regional perspectives and diversity, ensuring balanced representation across geographic, cultural, and institutional contexts.
- Identify good practices and innovative approaches that can inform peer learning and institutional transformation.
- Provide an evidence base to support institutional decision-making, policy development, and strategic planning on HESD.
- Strengthen advocacy efforts highlighting the essential role of higher education in advancing sustainable development at national, regional, and global levels.
- Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among higher education institutions, networks, and stakeholders committed to sustainability.
The IAU sincerely thanks its partners for their generous support:
- Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur (ARES)
- Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
- Association of African Universities (AAU)
- Association of Arab Universities (AARU)
- Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
- Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españolas) (CRUE)
- European University Association (EUA)
- German Rectors’ Conference (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz) (HRK)
- Global Student Forum (GSF)
- Qatar Foundation (QF)
- Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS)
- Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe (UDUALC)
For more information on the 4th Global Survey on HESD and instructions to take part, please visit the IAU website.