By Professor Robert Van de Noort
We are all too aware from daily headlines that the world is facing many challenges right now. And every day we are handed reminders of how interconnected the world is when it comes to the impacts of these problems.
Whether it is international sanctions pushing up petrol and energy prices, or conflicts forcing people to flee their homes and seek sanctuary elsewhere, the fallout from crises is rarely contained to single countries or regions and affect all of us in some way.
Similarly, when one country, town or even a single family experiences hardship, everyone can play a part in improving that situation.
Just look at the support being offered from around the world for the people of Ukraine, including by people in Reading and Wokingham, or the donations made to foodbanks when the Covid-19 pandemic threatened the jobs and incomes of families in Berkshire and beyond.
At the University of Reading, these connections form a major part of what we study. We also take seriously our responsibility to make a positive difference in the world.
We exist to support excellence and sustainability, and to be a people-focused and engaged university.
At the heart of this mission is a commitment to supporting a series of global goals set by the United Nations, known as Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs.
These are focused on co-ordinating efforts to tackle 16 fundamental problems facing the world, including poverty, inequality and environmental threats such as biodiversity loss.
The University of Reading recently improved its scores in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which rates universities on their work in support of the UN’s goals.
It was heart-warming to see a particularly strong score for dealing with poverty, thanks in part to locally-focused research supporting disadvantaged communities in Reading.
My colleagues across the University have built strong international relationships over many decades and these are key to our positive work.
Effective partnerships, drawing upon the strengths, expertise and views of a diverse range of people and groups, have been fundamental to successful initiatives such as providing scientific data to countries around the world to adapt to and reduce the impacts of climate change.
This is not just about looking beyond national borders. An engaged and connected global university benefits our local area. Our research and teaching activities provide jobs and lifelong learning for our community, and ideas and good practices learnt from our international partners can be rolled out on campus to benefit staff, students and visitors.
For example, we work closely with the NHS in Berkshire and share lessons we have learnt from studying health services around the world.
Of course, we are nothing without the community we exist within.
Our students, our researchers and our partners learn much from being part of our local community. And like any relationship, we benefit from understanding and accommodating each other’s needs.
If we can get that right, that’s real impact.
Professor Robert Van de Noort is the vice-chancellor of the University of Reading
