Dialog
Also in 2019 and 2020, the public was included in discussionsabout sustainable development – for example, during the Sustainability Weeks,Sustainability Forums and in publications on the future of energy in Switzerland. Knowledge sharing with internationally leading universities on how to integrate sustainability into daily life in higher education has been intensified through the membership in the International Sustainability Campus Network (ISCN).
A public dialog
Communicating and sharing knowledge is not only important to researchers at the University of Basel, who study existing social, ecological, global, and regional challenges and develop solutions; it is also one of the university's core tasks to inform the general public of the latest knowledge in research, teaching, and student involvement, and the options for action based on this knowledge. The number of events and publications attests to how important it is to the university to share its knowledge with society, and society's need for this information. Numerous events, such as the Sustainability Weeks, Basel Sustainability Forums and public symposia, were held in 2019 and 2020 to address sustainable development. A selection can be found in the image gallery:
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From 04-09 March 2019, the Sustainability Week organised by students took place for the first time. https://www.unibas.ch/de/Universitaet/Administration-Services/Generalsekretariat/Nachhaltigkeit/Aktiv-werden/Nachhaltigkeitswoche.htmllink.zoom -
The 4th Basel Sustainability Forum on the topic of health took place on 03 June 2019: https://bsf-4.sciforum.net/link.zoom -
«Sustainable Development: Insights into Research» Prof. Patricia Holm reported on 06 June 2019 on current research topics in the field of sustainable resource management. link.zoom -
The 5th Basel Sustainability Forum on Finance took place on 03 September 2019: https://bsf-5.sciforum.net/link.zoom -
During a panel discussion on 15 October 2019, the «Initiative for Clean Drinking Water» was up for debate. https://www.initiative-sauberes-trinkwasser.ch/link.zoom -
At «The Coal Challenge» on 22 January, more than 100 participants from science and practice discussed the challenges of coal energy in the light of sustainable development. https://www.unibas.ch/dam/jcr:5af3563b-7d69-4677-9d7c-5fd3d0f6d507/CoalChallenge_Jan22_UniBasel.pdflink.zoom -
150 participants from science, federal offices, practice and politics discussed challenges and possible solutions at the conference «Social sciences and practice in dialogue: Towards climate-neutral cities», they discussed challenges and possible solutions. https://www.sccer-crest.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Programm_Tagung_Sozialwissenschaften_und_Praxis_im_Dialog_2020.pdf link.zoom -
At the second student-organized Sustainability Week from 09-13 March 2020, nine of the originally planned 15 events on various topics could be held despite the emerging corona pandemic. https://www.unibas.ch/de/Universitaet/Administration-Services/Generalsekretariat/Nachhaltigkeit/Aktiv-werden/Nachhaltigkeitswoche.htmllink.zoom -
The eighth World Sustainability Forum on the topics of «Food Security and Agriculture» and «Mobility and Transport» was held online due to the Corona pandemic. https://wsf-8.sciforum.net/link.zoom
In addition to public events, a variety of reports, white papers and videos were published to help the public access scientifically sound information about current research, in particular topics in the Swiss energy sector. For example, the final report on the future of Swiss hydropower was published under the leadership of the University of Basel. As part of the SCCER CREST research network, University of Basel researchers also published white papers on Swiss energy policy, shrinking the energy efficiency gap and sufficiency in everyday life.
In CREST's Impact Stories, Ann-Kathrin Hess (sustainability research) describes specific recommendations and measures required in mobility and climate policy to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Awards, memberships, partnerships, and rankings
The university's importance in knowledge sharing with the public and the success of its transdisciplinary collaborations in sustainability are attested by awards, partnerships and rankings:
- In 2019, the University of Basel received the Swiss energy prize Watt d’Or
- Since early 2020, the University of Basel has been a member of the International Sustainability Campus Network (ISCN)
- Manfred Max Bergman, Chair of Social Research and Methodology in the Department of Social Sciences, was elected as the new president of saguf in January 2020.
- As part of the development program IMPULS, a collaboration with Impact HUB Basel and the Junge Basler Wirtschaftskammer exists since 2019.
- According to the WWF ratings report on sustainability in Swiss higher education in 2019, the University of Basel is in the upper middle range of the ranking.
Goals & actions
Firmly establish students’ Sustainability Week at the University of Basel
Hosting Sustainability Week Basel 2021 and 2022 with the support of the Sustainability Office and the AG Nachhaltigkeit
SDUBS student association
Sustainability Office
Greater visibility of sustainability-related issues at the University of Basel for staff and students
Communicate eight Uni News articles per year on sustainability-related topics
Hold at least one public event per semester on one of the Sustainability Report's key topics
Sustainability Office
Communications & Marketing
Sustainability Office
Intensify international networking and the conversion about sustainability
The University of Basel is becoming a member of the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN)
Sustainability Office
