The first GSEM UrFU report on sustainable development was published with the assistance of the UN

14:27, January 26, 2022

GSEM Sustainability Team assessed the development of the School in the context of ESG factors for 2020-2021 and set the goals for the future

Since 2020, Graduate School of Economics and Management UrFU is a member of the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education. GSEM has committed to the formation of mission, values, teaching and research activities, partnerships, communications in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Such goals are also predetermined by participation in global alliances of business schools, accreditation agencies and cooperation with corporate partners.

Sustainable Development Strategy of GSEM UrFU has been developed in accordance with the PRME principles and Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations

In autumn, GSEM Sustainability Team team conducted a large-scale study on self-assessment and stakeholder involvement in achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to form the development prospects of GSEM UrFU.

80% of teaching staff of GSEM UrFU and 52% of students are well acquainted with the ideology of sustainable development and the SDGs. For example, students of bachelor’s degree programme "International Economics and Business"  should include a chapter on assessing the subject of research in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and ESG factors.Research topics range from assessing human well-being in the conditions of digitalization of the global economy to studying the ESG effects of the international cryptocurrency market.

During the reporting period, GSEM UrFU researchers published 350 articles in peer-reviewed Russian and international journals on the topics of sustainable development: CSR, philanthropy, inclusive development, smart cities, digitalization and human well-being, university management, demographic issues, green economy, clean and renewable energy.

“The level of awareness of wide circles of society about the processes taking place in the world and their impact on the well-being of a particular person still needs to be developed. Over the past 12 years, UrFU has formed a pool of more than 500 international ambassadors together with the leaders of the corporate sector of the Urals as part of the thematic GSEM autumn school. Thanks to this, leaders of the future are aware of projects in the region aimed at the effective implementation of ESG, and many of them are starting to implement their own startups in Russia and abroad,” said Zhanna Belyaeva, Academic Director of School of Management and Interdisciplinary Research.

The priority goal for the next period is to raise awareness among staff and students about GSEM sustainable initiatives, to digitize the methodology for calculating the carbon footprint and the University's impact on the region, as well as to strengthen the involvement of stakeholders in the sustainable agenda through scaling, dissemination of information and participation in interdisciplinary projects.

The full version of the report is presented on the official website, and is also available on the GSEM  website.

In the academic community, more and more attention is being paid to approaches in the field of ESG (assessment of economic, environmental, social and managerial factors), social responsibility and disclosure of relevant information. The third mission of the university is to train professionals with a responsible attitude to sustainable development in the face of new challenges and structural shifts in the global economy . Already today, the efforts of Universities in the field of sustainable development are noted in authoritative international rankings, Times Higher Education Impact Universities, QS Star.