Sustainability strategy
The principle of sustainable development is to organise one's own actions in such a way that the needs of future generations can also be met in the long term. The available resources must therefore be managed without exceeding the limits of ecological, economic and social viability. Sustainability therefore requires the design of socially and economically resilient systems. The three pillars - ecological, economic and social sustainability - result in goals for the University of Innsbruck in the areas of teaching, research, infrastructure and operations, as well as the impact on society. In addition, it is important to anchor sustainability principles at all levels of the university and to establish cooperative decision-making processes in order to achieve the broadest possible participation in the development and implementation of measures.
In view of the global climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity, the threat to vital resources and an imminent disruptive change in economic systems based on fossil fuels, as well as in terms of social justice, the University of Innsbruck is aware of its role and responsibility as a forward-thinking workshop for the future of society. Therefore, the University of Innsbruck strives to implement and realise sustainability as a guiding principle and ethical compass in all its fields of activity.
In order to credibly communicate sustainability, it is essential to exemplify it at all levels of the university, i.e. to establish it as part of the university culture and anchor it permanently. The University of Innsbruck has therefore set itself sustainability goals in the areas of research, teaching and study, infrastructure and university operations, as well as impact on society. These goals form an overarching guiding framework that is continuously adapted.
The sustainability strategy is in line with the other topics established as cross-cutting issues, whereby there are many overlaps with the student life cycle and digitalisation, but above all with the topic of diversity. For example, gender equality, inclusion and accessibility are not anchored in the sustainability strategy, but in the diversity strategy.
Research at the University of Innsbruck deals intensively with numerous aspects of sustainability and the associated opportunities and challenges at various levels. Dealing with topics of ecological, economic and social sustainability has been an important part of research at the University of Innsbruck for decades and should be promoted and made visible in a targeted manner in the future.
The broad knowledge base of the University of Innsbruck will be utilised and interdisciplinary cooperation between the faculties will be strengthened in order to develop holistic answers to the questions and options for action on the challenges.
Furthermore, the implementation of research will also be made more sustainable, for example by examining the use of energy and materials in research activities in order to identify and utilise potential for optimisation in this regard.
Courses at the University of Innsbruck already contribute to sustainability topics and objectives at various curricular levels. However, sustainability as an interdisciplinary cross-cutting topic will be integrated even more strongly into teaching and studies and established as an orientation framework. To this end, student engagement at the university and in society is to be promoted and encouraged through the active involvement of students, and students' sense of responsibility, as well as their understanding of their role as multipliers in society, is to be increased. This also creates links to the Student Life Cycle and the corresponding strategy.
Students' awareness of sustainable decisions and sustainable behaviour, especially in relation to their subject area, is promoted through appropriate offers, but especially through the active example set by the University of Innsbruck. To this end, lecturers are supported in the integration of sustainability references into their teaching, for example through (subject-specific, but also didactic) further training programmes. In addition, space is created for interdisciplinary discourse in order to give teachers from a wide range of subject areas and disciplines the opportunity to engage in professional dialogue, exchange good practices and develop ideas.
Furthermore, opportunities are created for students, regardless of their specialisation, to engage with sustainability and successfully contribute to overcoming the associated challenges. Therefore, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity are promoted in teaching. System-oriented and transformative approaches help to promote critical evaluation and judgement among students by enabling different perspectives on the challenges of our time. In addition, the University of Innsbruck creates alternative spaces for courses and learning formats and enables students to actively participate in their design and implementation, for example through collaborative teaching and learning formats.
The University of Innsbruck is committed to reducing its energy and resource requirements and the associated greenhouse gas emissions in all areas of university operations. In connection with this, the University of Innsbruck has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035 in order to make its possible contribution to limiting global climate change.
To this end, energy and resource consumption will first be recorded and analysed in more detail, then specific targets will be set, roadmaps for their achievement will be drawn up and appropriate monitoring will be established. In particular, energy efficiency and sustainability standards for new buildings, renovations, adaptations and the operation of buildings will be developed and gradually implemented, the switch to sustainable forms of mobility will be promoted and measures for sustainable procurement will be established. The University of Innsbruck's canteen and events are also to become more sustainable and contribute to reducing the University's ecological footprint. Intersections with the cross-cutting topic of digitalisation are also taken into account here. On the one hand, increasing digitalisation opens up interesting opportunities, for example in computer-aided facility management, but on the other hand it can also lead to increased energy requirements. Since, despite all efforts, it will in all likelihood not be possible to avoid all emissions or offset them through energy generation etc. on the campus of the University of Innsbruck, it will also be necessary to look at ways of offsetting these emissions elsewhere or binding the CO2 from them permanently. Therefore, a concept for offsetting will also be developed in order to compensate for unavoidable emissions in a meaningful and sufficient way.
The University of Innsbruck wants to act as a partner for society as a whole and make its knowledge and experience in the field of sustainability accessible to everyone. To this end, event formats are designed and organised and relevant research results or good practices are presented in a form that is specifically aimed at a non-scientific audience and enables them to enter into an exchange with researchers. In addition, the University will also actively participate in relevant external events and contribute its expertise and experience. Furthermore, suitable events organised by the University of Innsbruck will be open to interested participants from society.
The University of Innsbruck supports external stakeholders in a variety of ways with its extensive knowledge in the various areas of sustainability through counselling and the transfer or exchange of knowledge and good practices. This not only helps to translate existing knowledge at the University of Innsbruck into practical applications, but also strengthens the exchange with various social actors.
The campus locations of the University of Innsbruck are open to visitors and, thanks to their infrastructure, mobility and interdisciplinary cooperation, should serve as an example of sustainability in the future and make it tangible for everyone - be it for students and employees or for external guests at events, during a tour of the buildings or a walk through the University of Innsbruck's locations.
The University of Innsbruck has already anchored sustainability as a cross-cutting issue at the centre of the institution. Sustainability has been included in the University of Innsbruck's mission statement and is also part of the development plan. Sustainability efforts are decisively supported by the University's highest governing bodies - the Rectorate, the Senate and the University Council.
As part of the sustainability strategy, the cross-cutting topic of sustainability will be further established at the University of Innsbruck and provided with the appropriate resources to achieve ambitious medium and long-term goals.
In order to monitor long-term progress and the achievement of the goals set, a comprehensive sustainability management system will be established at the University of Innsbruck, including the definition of target values, the development of measures, the monitoring of corresponding indicators and a corresponding reporting system. This will ensure that staff and students are actively involved in addition to the university management and the faculties.
In addition to the goals already mentioned, further areas at the University of Innsbruck will be defined in the coming years in which meaningful contributions can be made to increasing the sustainability of the University of Innsbruck. . Ideas and suggestions for improvement from staff and students will also be explicitly included.