This year, Erasmus University Rotterdam has reached a significant milestone: for the first time, impact and sustainability have been brought together in a single, joint Impact & Sustainability Report 2024. Through this, we aim to clearly demonstrate how closely these themes are interwoven within our university. Creating positive societal impact inherently involves a strong commitment to sustainability, and our sustainability ambitions only gain true meaning when they are connected to the impact we seek to achieve.
The report reveals, among other things, that 32% of our educational programmes now include impact-driven elements, enabling students to actively engage with societal challenges. In research, 91% of our publications are open access, making knowledge freely available to all. Moreover, over one-third of these publications are directly linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We have also made progress in our operations: since 2022, CO2 emissions have been reduced by 34% — a major step forward in shrinking our carbon footprint.
Beyond the Figures
However, the report is more than just statistics: it illustrates how these efforts are embedded in our working practices, governance, and culture. Impact and sustainability are therefore a fundamental part of who we are as a university. Our Strategy 2030 affirms that this requires an integrated vision. The impact domains embed sustainability as a central element and show how our work in research, education, and engagement contributes to a fairer and more sustainable future.
Journey continues
We are proud of what has already been achieved, but our journey continues. These include further reducing our ecological footprint and structurally embedding sustainability and societal impact into education, research, and collaboration across the university.
The Impact & Sustainability Report 2024 offers a moment of reflection: it highlights what has already been accomplished and where we, as an academic community, are collectively heading. It underscores that societal impact is not merely a strategic ambition, but is deeply embedded in our daily practice.
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Linda de Vreede devreede@eur.nl
Viktoria Vero viktoria.vero@eur.nl
