Impact and engagement

Focusing on sustainable development is not an original strategy for universities in 2021, but if anything, that only increases the value of adopting the SDGs, says Patrick Deane

Countries have each made most progress in three tables related to the Sustainable Development Goals

UK university tops third edition of global ranking measuring institutions’ social and economic impact

Region retains pre-eminence in league table based on alignment with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

Tough choices and bold strategies are needed if universities are to navigate the perilous landscape that lies ahead, argue Michael Braun and Scott Latham

Attacks on the disciplines are ‘source of alarm’, as they are central to employability in teaching ‘how narratives fool us’, THE event hears

Experts warn that some will be left behind amid rapid sector transformation 

Opposition pledges unity ticket with government on ‘single most important piece of microeconomic reform that faces the nation today’

Sector leaders say governments should ‘nudge’, not direct, university commercialisation efforts

Centres of invention such as Silicon Valley ‘a model for burgeoning inequality’, summit hears

Australian minister offers no new details on proposed commercialisation scheme or timing of international students’ return

Students want to learn more about sustainable development and feel prepared for the jobs of the future, says Jamie McGowan

THE survey finds applicants are just as likely to rate university sustainability and graduate employment prospects as top priorities

Celebrating diversity, reforming curricula and working closely with local communities are all ways in which higher education institutions can better foster peacebuilding, says Rocky Tuan

The pandemic experience shows universities of all kinds are willing to be partners for policy delivery, says Debra Humphris

Nearby communities are the priority – but impact is maximised via universities’ crucial global networks, says Dawn Freshwater

Research is for public benefit. The UK’s next deal with Elsevier must accelerate the abolition of journal paywalls, says Paul Boyle

Long-term public and economic health depends on empowering universities, businesses and health systems to work together, says Michael Spence

Universities have decried the GCRF cuts, but being corralled into promoting justice globalism is not academic freedom, says Bruce Macfarlane

Top-ranked global research institutions shine in many areas but lag on local growth and boosting skills

The cuts will hit organisations helping women and girls to evade violence and access justice, say Christine Chinkin and Sanam Naraghi Anderlini

As physical retail declines, universities can keep high streets vibrant by moving into vacated shops, says Matthew Andrews 

Without audit studies, we would have an impoverished understanding of discrimination, say S. Michael Gaddis, Charles Crabtree and nine others

Partnerships are vital in addressing global problems, sector leaders say

The shortfall will damage the UK’s reputation and halt projects that are making a real difference to communities worldwide, says Joanna Newman

Universities must ensure that academics who contribute to the vast online encyclopedia are given the credit they deserve, says Piotr Konieczny

Policy expert suggests institutions could back Brexit, a republic or rebrand themselves as a ‘Black Lives Matter university’

Oxford archaeologist working with MC Hammer on repatriation of African treasures says researchers should step outside their comfort zones

We are looking for people in the higher education sector who are passionate about the Sustainable Development Goals to help make our rankings fair, effective and transparent

The brutal cost-cutting demanded by Covid-19 may finally see intercollegiate athletics cut down to size, says Bruce Svare

Local and international collaboration will allow institutions to tackle the challenges of sustainable development, says Tawana Kupe

‘I’m the first author, you’re just et al,’ raps Jakub Kubecka on his way to £2,000 prize

To coordinate research translation, a new organisation is needed that isn’t tied to one university but is linked to all, says Keith Ridgway 

Academics and public health officials quit Covid-19 research or need police protection after attracting threats

Pakistan’s labour shortages illustrate that well-rounded graduates also need to be properly prepared for specific industries, says Tahir Shah

Government encourages shift away from reliance on international student revenue, but expert questions whether this is possible

Russia leads on number of submissions but institutions across a record 98 territories take part

US professor says urban universities have to be better neighbours

Scrutiny is inevitable but universities should do more to promote their teaching and their place in civil society, says Rosemary Bennett

Evidence shows that universities outside the golden triangle are among the best at creating successful companies, says Brian McCaul

Study says academics should highlight unreviewed papers’ uncertainty

New position of White House social sciences adviser may raise priority of social response to coronavirus and consideration of race-related factors

The unique skills that academics bring to local projects underline that they change lives well beyond the lecture theatre, says Zahir Irani

Freshly inaugurated US president Joe Biden owes his election victory to swing states in America’s Rust Belt. But is his plan to revitalise them by creating ‘millions of new manufacturing and innovation’ jobs realistic? And how best can universities play their part? John Morgan reports

Incoming president names advisory team while pushing social sciences and battle against cancer

The president-elect may have academic connections, but the path from campus to cabinet is rarely travelled successfully, say three political scientists

New book calls on ‘natural cosmopolitans’ to find solutions to today’s crucial challenges

Nurturing talent via teaching and research is a well-established pathway to building an innovative, prosperous society, says Dawn Freshwater

Agricultural agreements between Australian universities and government agencies could overhaul farm profitability

Universities may think they have more pressing priorities than the UN’s SDGs. But they don’t, say Martha McPherson and Kate Roll

Informal use of university scientists as independent advisers is unsustainable when health emergencies last for months, warns committee

The British artist on working with refugees, the similarities between art and science and growing up next door to Twiggy

Boise State’s Marlene Tromp sees small-town rescues as solution to anti-intellectual fervour

A huge endowment could help draw the talent and capital to counterbalance the golden triangle, say Neil Lee and Javier Terrero Dávila

Penn and its students reap benefits, but hiring may have widened broader inequalities in academia

Fearful of lagging behind the US and China, the continent now has multiple Darpa-like agencies. But they face challenges securing political independence, funding, and turning prototypes into reality

In the new world order, leadership is about collaboration and coordination. Higher education networks are an obvious forum, says Annelise Riles  

The Purpose Coalition will bring together the skills and the jobs needed to create a fairer, greener UK, says Justine Greening

In funding Covid breakthrough, music legend shows value of communicating science, says professor

As a Stanford professor attacks scientific petitions, co-creators of open letters on both sides of Covid debate explain why they matter