SHIFT: ESG IMPACT INDEX IN HIGHER EDUCATION

01/09/2023 - 28/02/2026

2023-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000152577

KA2 COOPERATION PARTNERSHIP

400.000,00 EUR

NATIONAL ERASMUS+ AGENCY (SPAIN)

ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is a set of criteria used to evaluate an organisation's sustainability and societal impact, focusing more on the internal practices and policies of a specific organization. HEIs will benefit from an ESG approach as the three areas that have been identified are key areas for HEI who "uniquely placed to lead the cross-sectoral implementation of the SDGs and advance the 2030 agenda" (El-Jardali, F., Ataya, N. & Fadlallah, 2018). ENVIRONMENTAL AREA The Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (2022) highlights the importance of integrating environmental and climate considerations into the higher education sector by supporting HEI in designing, monitoring and evaluating their sustainability strategies and/or embedding sustainability in existing processes and measures. SOCIAL AREA The Council Conclusions on the European Universities initiative (2021) defends that HEIs should be supported and encouraged to reach out to under-represented groups and keep with greater social diversity "in their efforts to ensure the inclusion and success of their students, academics, researchers and staff, and to promote equal opportunities, irrespective of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, social and economic background, health, disability, age, sexual orientation, migrant background and geographical location". GOVERNANCE AREA The Council Conclusions on the European Universities initiative (2021) also states that the "HEIs should ensure that students, academics, researchers and staff participate in their governance, as full members and constructive partners of the higher education community (...) and be involved in decision-making mechanisms, including concerning curricula, as an aspect of fundamental academic values, a sign of democracy and a culture of dialogue in HEIs". SHIFT project should be funded because it provides a way for HEIs to assess and track their progress in addressing ESG factors as well as supporting the implementation of new strategies and practices. SHIFT project will allow HEIs to benchmark their performance against other institutions, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to enhance their ESG scores and contribution to SDGs. It also provides transparency and accountability, as HEIs can demonstrate their commitment to ESG to stakeholders such as students, alumni, investors, and the wider community. SHIFT provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to ESG measurement, reporting, training and certification, and its platform can also help to raise awareness about the importance of ESG considerations in higher education and drive greater action on these issues. Overall, the development of the ESG Impact Index Platform and complementary training tools is a crucial step towards promoting sustainable and responsible practices in higher education.

Coordination: UNIVERSITY OF ALMERIA, SPAIN

Uniwersytet Lodzki, Poland

Linneuniversitetet, Sweden

Visokoskolska Ustanova Metropolitanuniverzitet Beogradu, Serbia

Impactsci, Unipessoal, LDA, Portugal

Helixconnect Europe, S.R.L., Romania

ISQ e-learning, SA, Portugal

ACEEU GmbH, Germany

MIGUEL PÉREZ VALLS