Dr Dean Venables from the School of Chemistry and the Environmental Research Institute, along with UCC colleagues Dr Sarah Thelen, Cliona Maher and Dr John Barimo (virtually), recently represented UCC at the kick-off meeting of EngageSDG, a three year Erasmus+ funded project. The meeting was held in Cape Town and hosted by the University of the Western Cape.

The goal of EngageSDG is to support universities in Southern Africa to use the engaged university model to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their local settings. The project focuses on the use of participatory approaches to produce knowledge and to create innovative relationships between universities and their local communities. University leaders, academic staff, and community leaders across the region will benefit from EngageSDG. The project targets HEIs in South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia. UCC is one of five European and six Southern African universities participating in the project, along with 2 associations, SARUA and OBREAL Global. 

As a leading university for sustainability, UCC aims to engage responsibly on a global scale  to secure a future for our people, planet and university. Participating in EngageSDG furthers UCC’s goal to help solve the world’s greatest challenges through international engagement and strategic partnerships.