At ISEG we understand that the quality of life for future generations depends on how carefully we manage the sustainable challenges of today. ISEG promotes a culture of solidarity and collaboration and through our plural approach we help to develop Open Minds for a Better World.
In everything we do, we are deeply committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our professors, students, alumni and partners, with whom we develop activities, are committed to improving and expanding the work on issues that relate to and enhance the SDGs.
ISEG is committed to integrating sustainability into all of its core operations: research, education, campus and community/partnerships.
SDG@ISEG
ISEG formed a team to lead the SDG@ISEG initiative in 2019, which is composed of seven faculty and a SDG project team leader. The objective of this initiative is to integrate the SDGs in ISEG in four fundamental areas: teaching, the campus, education, and community-based activities. This team was also responsible for writing ISEG’s 2030 Sustainability Strategy, which was coordinated by a specialist in this area. Furthermore, the initiative counts with more than 110 SDG Champions and many volunteers, who jointly developed 16 Action Plans during the workshop held in December, 2019. These Action Plans were the first step taken to develop sustainability at ISEG.
SDG workshop held in December 2019
ISEG Contribution to SDGs
Universities' greatest contribution to the SDGs is through scientific research and training. In order to determine and quantify ISEG's contribution in the last 10 years, a mapping was carried out, within the framework of a Master's thesis during the year 2020.
As a result of this work, ISEG’s contribution to the SDGs can be summarised as follows:
There is no doubt that ISEG has contributed to the various SDGs. However, the great challenge ahead of us is to be able to develop more research, theses and knowledge capable of connecting the different SDGs and understanding the interdependencies between them.
ISEG's 2030 Sustainability Strategy
ISEG launched its 2030 Sustainability Strategy in January, 2021, which is designed and based on biannual action plans, in line with the SDGs. This strategy represents ISEG’s commitment for the next years. The conception of this strategy is the result of both the sounding out of opinion through surveys and interviews and also the participatory process of the workshop, which resulted in the 16 Action Plans. All of these processes were key for the design of this strategy, which is also composed of an Action Plan for 2021/2022 and the Sustainability Policy. ISEG plans to build a School which is ever more sustainable. The 2030 Sustainability Strategy aims to be an inspiration and an action guide for ISEG’s departments, research centres, partners, and other institutions and entities.
ISEG's 2030 Sustainability Strategy
PRME Chapter Iberia
With more than a century of existence and experience in education, training and research in economics and management, ISEG Lisbon recognizes its role and responsibility towards ensuring a more sustainable future.
ISEG is committed to providing knowledge and skills, to having a positive impact on the real world, and to being an example of values, which are relevant for the future.
We have been proud signatories of PRME since 2014. When ISEG joined the PRME Principles, the aim was to provide a more institutional framework for a set of initiatives designed to enable reflection and analysis on sustainable development and corporate sustainability and how both should be a formative and practical priority for managers and economic decision-makers.
Examples of ISEG’s activities which promote the SDGs
Master in Management (MiM) with a focus on Sustainable Development Goals
The first edition of the Master in Management (MiM) focuses on the understanding and discussion of innovative themes with a strong focus on sustainability, with the ambition of contributing to responses to society's challenges. This master's degree has the potential to contribute to the personal growth of our students and form new leaders capable of leading with greater management objectives, taking into account environmental, social and ethical issues in decision-making.
Executive Course on “Sustainable Finance: Green and Climate Finance”
The first edition of the course on Sustainable Finance had the contribution of national and international experts on various topics such as biodiversity, energy and carbon, circular economy, green financial products, regulation, ESG risks, among many others. The first edition had the institutional support of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action. A key partner, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation provided 4 grants, and recognizes that sustainable funding can play a key role in the organisation. The course began on September 17 and had 32 participants.
Online course onEcosystem Services, Business and Finance”, funded by the Environmental Fund of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action
ISEG created and made available a course on “Ecosystem Services, Business and Finance” in an online format lasting 30 hours. The course was financially supported by the Environmental Fund of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action. This course provides information on how companies and countries influence and depend on ecosystem services and how nature is related to the country's GDP. The next editions of the course will take place in March/April 2021 and October/November 2021.
The eGROUNDWATER platform for participatory and sustainable groundwater management
The project that uses the eGROUNDWATER platform aims to support the sustainable management of aquifers. The ISEG team will be responsible for the participatory process of involving water users and managers in the collaborative construction of the eGROUNDWATER platform. In another phase, the ISEG team will promote a discussion to scale the groundwater management strategies tested at national level. The final objective of the project is to support the sustainable management of the aquifer using the eGROUNDWATER platform. The new monitoring and self-monitoring technologies with which users will be directly involved in collecting information and water management will bring new knowledge, thus enhancing the studies that the University of Algarve team has been developing.
SustInAfrica – Sustainable scaling up of food production through resilient agricultural systems in West and North Africa
The objective of SustInAfrica is to enable small farmers and SMEs (small and medium-sized) agricultural enterprises in West and North Africa to practice intensive and sustainable agriculture in these regions. Fieldwork will take place in five African countries – Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Egypt and Tunisia – and will take a systemic approach to scaling up self-sustaining and resilient primary production. In particular, the project aims to develop technological solutions to support production that will be implemented in pilot communities. The ISEG team will lead the first work package that will carry out the basic analysis of the regions' agricultural systems and the planned pilot projects, as well as the design and follow-up of the monitoring. It will also participate in the development of training and capacity building methods for the communities that will be involved in the project.
Forest Biomass in Portugal
ISEG leads a consortium for the preparation of a contextualization and operationalization study of small forestry biomass recovery plants in Portugal, financed by the Permanent Forest Fund of the ICNF. The project intends to respond to multiple objectives, among which stands out the preservation of forest areas by improving their economic sustainability and preventing fires.