The University of Coimbra is the most sustainable institution in Portugal and 29th in the world

English version: Diana Taborda

For the fourth year in a row, the University of Coimbra (UC) is the most sustainable higher education institution in Portugal and the 29th in the world, according to the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, released today. In total, 1,591 institutions from all over the world were considered, the largest number since the beginning of these rankings. With a total score of 92.9 out of 100, the UC was the institution with the best overall performance in Portugal in meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year, the University of Coimbra stood out in SDG 2 - Zero Hunger as the 22nd-best university in the world in achieving this goal. The existence of the social menu (at affordable prices) in the canteens; the fostering of campaigns to combat food waste and the existence of waste monitoring tools; the supply of food products to student fraternities (Repúblicas) at low prices or the inclusion of sustainability criteria in the specifications for the purchase of food products for the canteens are some of the measures adopted by the UC that have contributed to this result.

In this year's edition, the University of Coimbra holds a strong position in two Sustainable Development Goals for the first time: at a global level, the UC was considered the 37th best institution in the world in achieving SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13- Climate Action.

The Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão, states that "We are very pleased to see the University of Coimbra being recognised, for the fourth year running, as the most sustainable university in Portugal and one of the most successful higher education institutions in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals worldwide. This recognition is not an end in itself, it is an encouragement for us to maintain a responsible and assertive approach in responding to the challenges of sustainability".

With regard to SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, several initiatives contributed to this result, namely the existence of museums and exhibition venues, the promotion of cultural and artistic events like the Cultural Week of the University of Coimbra; as well as projects such as UCicletas (bicycles availability), traffic changes in the uptown area to grant more space to pedestrians or the installation of photovoltaic systems. It is also worth mentioning the Classification of the University of Coimbra - Alta and Sofia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose inscription completes now ten years, leading to a celebrations programme with cultural and academic activities focused on the tangible and intangible aspects of this heritage.

As for SDG 13 - Climate Action, the UC stood out for its commitment to carbon neutrality, calculating its ecological footprint, the Doctoral Programme in Territory, Risk and Public Policies, the agreement signed with the Directorate-General for National Defence Resources or its engagement in climate action networks.

In addition to the aforementioned SDGs, the UC also featured strongly in the achievement of SDG 3 - Good health and well-being (ranked 40th worldwide) and SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (ranked 44th worldwide).

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings aim to measure the overall success of higher education institutions against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are 18 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings in total: one ranking per SDG and one global ranking.

In order to establish these rankings, THE Impact Rankings analyse how research, teaching and management of institutions contribute to the achievement of the SDGs defined by the United Nations. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only tool in the world for this assessment.