The University of Portsmouth is recognised in a global ranking for its social and economic impact.
Portsmouth is named in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which measures global higher education institutions in relation to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
It is ranked 5th in the UK (23rd in the world) for SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which measures universities’ research on law and international relations, their participation as advisers for government and their policies on academic freedom.
Portsmouth is rated as the 9th best UK university (55th in the world) for SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, which measures universities’ economics research, their employment practices and the share of students taking work placements.
The University is ranked in the 101-200 grouping for the overall THE Impact Ranking, out of 766 universities from 85 countries. Portsmouth is also in the 101-200 groups for SDG3: Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG17: Partnership for the Goals.
Professor Graham Galbraith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth, said: “The challenges of sustainability and addressing inequities are some of the biggest global issues we face. Through our internationally-recognised research, life-changing education for our students and our commitment to lead in environmental sustainability, we can make a difference to individuals and society, here in Portsmouth and around the world.”
Examples of initiatives, activities and research that the University rated highly on include:
• Its policies against all forms of discrimination and modern slavery.
• The outstanding education experience provided to students with excellent employment outcomes.
• The involvement in international research collaborations, such as developing a plastic eating enzyme, measuring and assessing climate resilience, protecting wildlife from illegal trafficking, tackling air pollution in Africa and marine conservation and environment restoration.
This is the first time that Portsmouth have made a submission for the rankings, which are in their second year. They are the only global rankings to document evidence of universities’ impact on society, rather than just research and teaching performance. This year’s ranking includes tables on all 17 UN SDGs, up from 11 goals last year.
Professor Bob Nichol, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), said: “As we face unprecedented challenges, both from climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, universities have a crucial role to provide sustainable solutions and long-term change for society locally, nationally and internationally. We will continue to build on our commitment to the SDGs and help to build a more equal and just society.”
I am delighted that we have significantly increased the number of staff included in the REF and at the same time improved the overall quality of our research. This gives us a great foundation on which to grow our world-leading research and build on new and emerging areas of excellence, such as our Revolution Plastics initiative, Mission Space and the Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR).
Since its discovery at the end of last century, dark energy has been a riddle wrapped in an enigma. We are all desperate to gain some greater insight into its characteristics and origin. Such work helps us make progress in solving this 21st Century mystery.