HOW UNIVERSITIES RESPOND TO THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE: EXPLORATORY DATA FROM A LARGE UNIVERSITY

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) face a multi-dimensional call to action regarding sustainability: conducting relevant research, educating students on sustainability issues, and actively engaging with society. These dimensions can both complement and conflict with each other. This paper focuses on the nexus between research and teaching. While literature suggests these activities are partly complementary, they may also compete for the limited time and resources of academic staff. This study explores how university research and teaching respond under the new global pressure to address sustainability challenges. We conducted an exploratory study with a large research-oriented university, utilizing survey data on academic staff. A comprehensive database was created, detailing individual-level research and teaching activities related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research data were sourced from Scopus, while teaching data came from the university’s information system, covering the past ten years of courses. Analyses were conducted to categorize academic staff based on sustainability commitment in research and teaching and understand the dynamics of introduction of these topics in university’s activities. Our analysis reveals significant heterogeneity in staff responses, with no clear relationship between commitment to research and teaching. We identified three segments: (1) Inactive members, with no engagement in sustainability, (2) Partially active members, committed to either teaching or research, and (3) Highly committed members, active in both areas. Notably, the largest group is partially active, indicating a gradual approach to sustainability. Additionally, the adoption of sustainability topics in teaching is more rapid than in research, resembling innovation diffusion in industrial sectors. These findings provide insights into this underexplored phenomenon and suggest directions for future research.