Welcome to
SDSN Ireland
We are an All-Island network of Universities and institutions focussed on high quality education and research, where the Sustainable Development Goals are at the forefront of the work we do.
Established in 2022 by the University College Cork and Queens University Belfast the network encompasses partners across the island of Ireland with the hope to encourage collaborative approaches to sustainable research solutions and education.
Our Vision
SDSN Ireland is a North-South cooperative network focused on developing context-specific solutions and mobilising local action for the SDGs. Engaging universities, research centres, local authorities, NGOs, civil society organisations and policymakers, the Network would bring the latest research to bear on producing solutions to the challenges within the SDGs and would seek to empower individuals and organisations to achieve impact through education and engagement.
University College Cork and Queen’s University Belfast, as co-hosts, will ensure an all-island approach is taken to implementing the UN SDGs. The Network also intends to develop a close connection with SDSN UK delivered out of UCL, with QUB as the conduit to this partnership.
The activities of SDSN Ireland
Activities will be focused on the following objectives:
(i) To capitalise on the teaching, research, and community engagement activities of HEIs, north and south of the island, in support of SDG implementation within our local city and county regions, as well as nationally and transnationally.
(ii) To support capacity building for local implementation of SDGs within communities and cities through training and sharing of best practice.
(iii) To build wider partnerships and research collaborations aimed at co-developing and co-creating solutions for the SDGs with a North-South focus.
(iv) To seek ways to integrate relevant national and regional policies into local policy implementation through collaboration with policy makers north and south of the border with the aim of streamlining policy implementation at an all-island level.
(v) To provide a public leadership role in the societal transition towards the 2030 agenda and demonstrate co-produced solutions to these global challenges. This would include the showcasing and highlighting of best practices for the implementation of SDGs at local, regional, and national level.
(vi) To build on initiatives currently being undertaken at both universities, such as the Queen’s Social Charter Communities and Place project and the Centre for Shared Education and UCC City Lab and CARL
Science Shop to
1. Support educational institutions to better engage with policy makers and the third sector.
2. Provide students with opportunities to undertake research and projects which will have a direct impact on their local communities.
(vii) Provide institutional expertise to organisations, supporting individuals and the wider community, to understand how the SDG’s can be integrated into their day-to-day lives.
(viii) Use the unique position of Northern Ireland, being within both the UK and the Island of Ireland, to build links between the All-Ireland SDSN and the UK SDSN. Use this linkage to share expertise and develop occasional joint activities between the two networks, where appropriate.