Aut Retains Top 100 Spot In 2023 Global Impact Rankings

Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) ongoing commitment to action on improving environmental, social, and economic outcomes has seen it again ranked in the world’s top 100 universities in the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

The rankings measure the progress of universities worldwide that are working to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which collectively address the most serious and critical global challenges of our time, including extreme poverty, inequality and climate change.

The 2023 rankings have seen AUT achieve an overall rank of equal 64th out of 1591 universities, and ranked in the top 100 in universities worldwide on the following SDGs:

• SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth (equal 12th)
• SDG 5: Gender equality (equal 24th)
• SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production (equal 66th)
• SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities (equal 70th)
• SGD 10: Reduced inequalities (equal 79th)

AUT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa, says the high ranking is testament to AUT’s ambition for its teaching, research and operations to have a positive impact on Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

“These rankings reflect our increasing commitment at AUT to recognise and respond to our global responsibilities and opportunities guided by the UN SDGs, and to act on the understanding that all our graduates will be national, as well as global citizens,” says Professor Salesa.

AUT’s overall score of 90.5 takes into account its partnerships with government and NGOs, policy impact, volume of research projects related to the SDGs and the introduction of policies to support its diverse community.

“Our commitment to the UN SDGs impacts every facet of the university, whether it is through our academic output with 30% of our research publications directly contributing to a UN SDG during 2022, or on a practical level with the planting of over 650 native and fruit trees, vines and ground cover plants on our three campuses over the past year,” says Professor Salesa.

“We are proud of the work we have done, and while these rankings show that the work we are doing at AUT is having a real impact on our people and our planet, we will always keep looking for ways to improve our contribution.”

© Scoop Media