SDG 17 - Partnership for the goals

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RGU cannot achieve the SDGs alone and that is why is vital to work across all levels of local and national government and with the public, private and academic sectors.

These partnerships with stakeholders from the worlds of politics, media, council, business, the arts, health care and community groups in Aberdeen, the North East and beyond are vital to contribute to environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.

RGU actively engages with regional and national politicians with the work of the Energy Transition Institute continuing to positively position the University’s thought leadership on energy transition and the skills required for it. In November 2022, RGU worked alongside Aberdeen South and North Kincardine MSP Audrey Nicoll to host a parliamentary reception at Holyrood. It was attended by around 70 key stakeholders across government, its agencies, other higher education institutions, think tanks and national academies and societies. MSPs from a range of parties also attended the event.

Regionally, RGU is an active member of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) which allows the University to engage with the North East business community. The University worked alongside AGCC to host a fringe event at the SNP Conference in Aberdeen in October 2022. The University plans to continue attending such events as these and to continue regularly engage with both parliamentarians and high profile decision makers

The University is proactive in pursuing opportunities to establish partnerships with industry, governments and higher education institutions from across the globe with a view to contributing to the development of the North East economy. The University’s industry partnership with the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA) secured £1m from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund to design and deliver reskilling training programmes for the energy transition in the region. Through the same funding mechanism, the University was awarded £1.34 for its Digital Innovation Lab project. It is initially going to be developed to help the construction industry decarbonise.

RGU is a member of the University of the Arctic (UArctic), a network of more than 200 other higher education institutions from around the world who are committed to upholding UArctic’s principles of sustainable development, as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach the UArctic aims to enhance human capacity in the North, promote viable communities and sustainable economies, and forge global partnerships.