DE MONTFORT University works across all sectors – from the United Nations to the local community – to further the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are a central cross-cutting theme of the university’s long-term Empowerment Strategy committing DMU to working locally, nationally, and internationally to further the goals and their targets – and 2025 has been a busy year.
On the international stage, DMU was appointed by the United Nations as the global academic hub chair for SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities working with three vice-chair universities in Germany, Vietnam, and Brazil to further work on the goal.
In May, DMU organised its first major international event as the academic global hub chair for SDG 11 at an important United Nations conference, the 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation in New York.
Furthering and promoting the SDGs
DMU was also one of the key speakers at the 2nd UNAI SDG Hubs conference, in Athens, Greece, were furthering and promoting the SDGs was one of the main initiatives.
However, as a university city campus and embedded within the community for 150 years, DMU is equally passionate about its work locally in Leicester.
Earlier this year, DMU secured a £1.3 million grant from the National Lottery’s community fund to work with five city organisations in furthering the SDGs and embedding sustainability within the third sector.
The three-year project is aimed at developing a national blueprint for charity and not-for-profit NGOs in embedding the SDGs and sustainability withing organisations
DMU has also worked nationally on a series of projects to promote and further the SDGs during 2025.
Working across all sectors
Three of the most notable were…
DMU academic Dr Ismini Vasileiou was named as one of the founding members of a new British Government taskforce set up to get more women into technology in furtherance of SDG 5 at a conference in London.
Senior police officials, academics and practitioners from around Britain met to explore how collaboration between forces and universities can drive greater innovation and tackle challenges facing modern policing in furtherance of SDG 16. More than 120 delegates from 20 police forces and 13 universities attended the Society of Evidence-based Policing Midlands Regional Conference, hosted by DMU.
Diplomats, academics and industry leaders have met in London to forge ahead with multi-million-pound plans to generate clean energy and tackle e-waste issues in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of SDG 7. Led by DMU’s Professor Muyiwa Oyinlola, the conference was designed to kick-start the £3.5 million project by the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC).
The head of DMU’s SDG Impact Centre, Associate Director Dr Mark Charlton, said: “Our role as the global academic hub chair means that working across all sectors to further the SDGs is something we are doing every day.
“The SDGs are also a cross-cutting theme of the university’s long-term strategic plan so our commitment to furthering the goals is absolute and that involves working internationally, nationally and locally with governments and NGOs as part of that commitment.”